Ten-try Warlingham set themselves up for this Saturday’s local derby with Purley John Fisher with a comprehensive 60-0 thrashing of Old Dunstonians.
The Hamsey Green club’s new squad system saw their first and second teams score 185 points and concede none in their opening matches of the new season last weekend.
With Warlingham head coach Wagstaff declaring the club’s ambition of bringing national league rugby to Hamsey Green within three years, Warlingham’s 60-0 victory over Old Dunstonians in London 2SE delighted the big home crowd in the sunshine, flanker Tom Street running in four of his side’s tries.
The worry for future opponents may lay in Warlingham coach Steve Wagstaff’s belief that his side can improve.
With the backing of a new sponsorship deal secured in the past month with local home builders Crest Nicholson, part of the club’s ambitious strategy is to maintain a competitive squad across the top two sides.
So Warlingham’s second XV players knew they had delivered the perfect start to the season – and a set of tough decisions for Wagstaff and his coaching team ahead of the Purley John Fisher match - when they demolished local rivals Old Midwhitgiftians 125-0.
“The second XV's massive win over Old Midwives shows that players are fighting for first team places,” Wagstaff said.
"That makes selection really difficult.”
Warlingham’s first team took to the field with 10 new signings after a summer recruiting campaign, including youth academy product Myles Waud, back at his first club at fly half after a student career at Loughborough University.
Even after an extensive pre-season programme, with so many newcomers in the side, it took a while for Warlingham to gel but after the breakthrough 10 minutes in, the scores came with regularity.
A forward drive saw lock forward Jon Wright feed winger Dave Stamp a try-scoring pass. Then a break by Aaron Beesley and No8 Mark Macaskill put Street in for his first try.
Wing Jon Osborne then made ground on the left and second-row forward Richard Melford, playing against his former club, galloped up in support to claim his first try for Warlingham. Waud converted.
Further pressure on the Dunstonians full back by Warlingham’s new player-coach Liam Brown gave Warlingham possession and Waud scampered through for the fourth try.
Matters only got worse for Dunstonians when their flanker was yellow carded for a high tackle.
Warlingham’s rampant pack carried to the line where hooker Dan Street claimed the score. The home side finished the first half with a quickly taken penalty to Tom Street, who took his second try with aplomb. Street started the second-half in similar style, completing his hat-trick of tries after a terrific jinking break by Osborne, supported by scrum half Ryan Walsh. Substitute Charlie Edwards converted.
Minutes later, Walsh again created an opening that saw flanker Street score his fourth, which Edwards converted.
Warlingham’s back row was by now taking it in turns to gallop up the park, Macaskill and Wright sweeping through the weary Dunstonians defence and Neil Robson was on hand with deft running lines to add the ninth try. Edwards added the extra points.
The final try came when Macaskill again took control and, with the help of a well-timed pass from youngster Matt Foulds, he scored under the posts. Again Edwards converted.
Twelve months before, in their first season in the division, Warlingham had struggled to dispatch Dunstonians, and it was performances in those games which Wagstaff and his coaching staff, Brown and forwards coach Bill Maynard, have sought to address.
“I was pleased that the new guys justified their selection and we got to the breakdown in numbers,” Wagstaff said, “but this is ‘work in progress’ and we can improve. “We finished fifth last season and reassessed where we took our foot off the pedal and the answer was our strength in depth,” Wagstaff said.
“We have got 32 players now who can fight quite capably for a first-team place.”
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