28 March 2026
Dulwich Common
The Brigands took to the road this weekend to play a return fixture against Old Alleynians 3rd team. This was a highly anticipated match, with the previous fixture having the Brigands squeak a 26-22 win, in what was the closest match of the season to date.
Conditions were generally good, with a bright and still but not warm spring afternoon that lasted through the match. The pitch reminded some of their summer holidays, appearing in places to be mostly sand.
The game started with a stutter as the Brigands tried to run it out from their own tryline. Loose passes and ill discipline in the ruck gave OAs a penalty, which they promptly kicked into the bottom corner. A very strong lineout drive gave the hosts a 0-5 lead.
Regrouping under the posts and settling nerves, the Brigands found their pattern in attack and defence quickly. Alleynians were fond of large runners in tight channels, but a strong rush defence from the club side prevented any momentum being built.
Aggressive running off a club lineout on OAs 22 line by Vice Captain Smith dragged in the hosts defence. Swift recycling from the ruck gave clean ball to the backs who put Tomasso Simpkins in the left hand corner. The kick was sliced away leaving it even at 5-5.
Club regathered a messy kick off, and fullback Jonny Moore spotted a weak shoulder in the defence. He sliced through the backline and flew down the left again, with only Blackheath jumpers near him. The conversion was taken by James Pearson to make it 5-12.
Then followed a period where the pace and organization of the Brigands began to show. Strong carries and quick ruck ball allowed the backs time and space to run, although the ambition outran the handling for a brief period.
Club won a clean lineout, and the pattern brought results, with Simpkins running in his second, almost exactly where he scored the first. The kick was wide, and club stretched the lead to 5-17.
The kick off (and several that followed) came high and short to Ollie Acton on the 10m line, Acton shone with his confidence under the high ball all day and retained the ball. A chip kick from Simpkins followed, the chase turned comedic as several players on both teams almost managed to put boot to ball, finally being collected by James Pearson who scored and promptly kicked the extra points. Club leads 5-24.
Actons high ball confidence continued immediately, recovering another kick off. From the breakdown Sean Collett at ten throws a dummy and opens a gap in the midfield. Dylan Reynolds, playing at 8 and running hard on his shoulder takes the pass and gallops half the field to score. The extras are taken and club extends the lead to 5-31.
At this stage just 20 minutes have been played. The pace is high and OAs are struggling, every walk back to restart is taking longer and shoulders are slumping.
The pace does not let up, and OAs are penalised 10m from their own line. The Brigands backs try to move too fast and fling the ball away wildly – fortunately the ref calls them back and sensible (forwards) head prevail. A set move allows Acton to crash through the defence again and take a try, with Pearson converting. Club now sits at 5-38.
OAs manage to return to the Brigands half for the first time since they scored. Wylie is penalised for being over-eager to jackal, and the hosts go back down into their preferred corner. Club manages to disrupt the throw and OAs cannot maul. However the ball lands with their powerful 8, who finds his way over in the corner. The tough angle means that the conversion is missed and the score moves to 10-38.
After the restart Alleynians develop some momentum and begin working their way up the pitch. An overlap and potential break is stopped dead in its tracks by a bone-shaking tackle from Dylan Reynolds, with flanker Dan Stringer rapidly effecting a turnover. Strong mid field running from the club forces Alleynians back to their 10m, where they are caught offside. A quick tap is taken, and the carry goes directly into the OAs forward pack. The ref calls them offside again and the tap is retaken, this time finding second row Wylie lurking quietly in the midfield and unmarked. Simple hands and he flops over, Pearson adds the conversion to make it 10-45.
The half finished in fine style, the Brigands win messy lineout ball around 35m out which was collected by Stringer, running hard on a loop from throwing in the ball. He attacks the OAs line, steps the 10 and carries over two (high) tacklers to score under the posts. The conversion makes the half time score 10-52.
Stringer carries two defenders with him as he scores
The second half begins with the message of “more please” from the coaches. However, the first 15 min was a scrappy affair, with OAs determined to make good in front of their supporters and Brigands perhaps understandably getting a little relaxed. Substitutions begin to be made and club begins to refind form.
Eventually club wins penalties for OAs going off their feet in the ruck. The lineout in the corner is won cleanly, and Collett running at 10 bumps a tackle before handing off to Captain Zac Bainbridge who scores next to the posts. Collett takes the extras and makes it 10-59.
A very deep restart is cleverly countered by a return kick by Ben Dickenson, putting club back in an attacking place in OAs 22. Club pressure on the lineout, and with rushing defenders leads to chaos in the Alleynians backline, and their fullback tries to run it out from the tryline. He is far too upright, and Bainbridge drives him back heavily. The ball squirts out of the ruck and James Sheldon dives on the ball as it sits on the tryline for the easiest try he has ever scored. Conversion is taken to make it 10-66.
Ben Dickenson playing at centre
The following passage saw many scrums, mostly in the Alleynians 22. Club finally clears a scrum to the right of the pitch, and simple hands reach Cormac Macmahon. He never needs an excuse to drop his shoulder and he burys over the line in the left hand corner. The conversion is wide, score is 10-71.
Alleynians are well out of the running, but are still playing aggressively. Several players are making powerful runs but they cannot string the hard work together. They are forced back into their 22 and give up a turn over. Alex Bush puts a grubber through and follows it to score under the post. Pearson is back on and finishes the scoring with a conversion – 10-78.
The game concluded with an almost great piece of adventurism, with Dickenson delivering a cross-kick to Collett, who couldn’t quite gather the ball and stroll in for another try. In an otherwise highly skilled display from the Brigands, it was enough to win him the dick of the day gong.
The win guaranteed the Brigands win the Counties 5 league with three games to spare. With promotion certain, the squad is looking to finish the season undefeated.
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