The Met came within a whisker of their first League win of the year, succumbing to an OH Exiles try in the dying seconds of an intriguing contest. The Met will take some satisfaction from gaining both a try bonus and a losing bonus point, particularly as the Police notoriously suffer ignominy following a midweek PSUK Cup match. But it could have been even better.
Exiles came out of the blocks rapidly, needing to stem their own slide down the table in 2026. Within 10 minutes the visitors were 14 points up, their two tries both converted by Jon Searle. The rather unedifying sight of fly-half Ollie Mann playing in leggings that made one think he'd left his horse in the Imber Court stables was no hindrance to the manner of his early input and the exuberance of his colleagues. The one bright spot for the Met in the early exchanges was a blistering turn of pace from debutant Jordan Van Schalkwyk; it seemed that the only person who would keep up with him was his partner who was running the touchline.
The Met slowly worked their way into the match. The Police front five powered-up and were soon on a level footing with the opposing pack. Al Short and Dylan Richards carried defenders with them as they made substantial yardage, and the front row of Broadhead, Padman and Borries put the OH scrum under considerable pressure. On the half hour mark the Met got its opening try, Van Schalkwyk rounding off several minutes of Police pressure and recording his first try for the Club, converted by Sam Druce. The scoreboard was untroubled for the remainder of the half but the Met comfortably dealt with everything that came their way, and Butcher, Payn and Van Schalkwyk looked dangerous with the ball in hand.
The Met were quick to turn their increasing confidence into points in the second half, a William Allen try finishing off good work by Short and Gardner. Unfortunately, Exiles went straight up the other end for a score of their own, Searle's third conversion extending the visitors' lead to 9 points. The avalanche of points continued. Another mighty forward effort resulted in Alastair Short getting a try that his all-round performance deserved, and a simple conversion for Druce.
With the deficit 19-21, the Met enjoyed their best period of the match. The Met drove and carried with increasing superiority. Rory Payn made good progress on the flank but it was a seering break by Huw Longden that should have resulted in a game changing score. As he sprinted into the away team's 22, his supporting runners veered away from him and, as the cover brought the centre down, the off-load went to ground and OH gleefully cleared their lines. On the next incursion towards the OH line, Druce sensibly took the decision to kick a penalty rather than risk another fruitless period in the red zone. The Exiles' retreating defenders heckled the Met kicker as he prepared to take the simple three points but it put the Met ahead for the first time. It was short-lived respite as, once again, Exiles made the very best of the re-start and quickly notched up a fourth try to claim a bonus point.
The Met weren't done. There was over 10 minutes to go as the Police surged into the visitors' 22. Several thrusts towards the line culminated in No8 Dylan Richards emerging with the ball and the Met's bonus point try. Druce added the conversion to establish a three-point lead. Exiles looked shell-shocked and their raucous supporters were silenced. It was now a case of the Police putting handcuffs on the match to nick what had looked like an unlikely victory. It was unfortunate that the Met seemed to get bogged down in the middle of the pitch, a couple of forward carries actually losing ground rather than holding position or even gaining the security blanket of a few extra metres. The issue was exacerbated when the referee identified a period of chaos but gave the resulting scrum to Exiles, regardless of the fact that Steve Routledge initially took the ball into contact.
Exiles secured the ball from the set piece and from thereon, the Met's defence was scrambling. The first thrust towards the corner was repelled, and the ensuing forward charges were well covered. The Met were fortunate that OH kept switching the side of the attack, sending runners back into Met's recovering defenders. Eventually, the Met committed a penalty offence but they still held firm in defence. OH worked the ball back to their right and, when they swung the ball back to the left wing, centre Ethan Mead found himself in acres of space and galloped home for the winning try. The conversion was missed but time was up and Old Haileyburians secured a narrow victory.
It was a bitter final blow for the Met but the sense was that OH's joy outweighed the Met's disappointment. Perhaps it has been said too many times this season but once again, the Met showed remarkable team spirit and an ability to trade blows with the best in Surrey Two. A little consistency of selection or, rather, availability, and a regular practice session would see the Police winning far more than they currently lose.