London Welsh 17-24 Bedford Blues
Old Deer Park
13/05/12
att 3010
RU Championship-Play off
Rugby in the capital
With the football season over and a free sunday we decided to head over to Richmond for the championship playoff between Welsh and Bedford. There was also the fact that Sky made it impossible to get to Huddersfield for the Broncos game. 5:30 on a Sunday was a bit extreme. The previous leg had finished 13-3 to the home team. After navigating ourselves round Brentford and Richmond we found ourselves somewhere to park in a nearby street we headed over to the ground. It was already pretty busy and hour and a quarter before kick off but that was because the Bristol v Cornish game was on the TV and the winners would play todays winners for a chance to go into the Premiership.
It has to be said, some drastic changes would have to be made to this ground to bring it up to standards. You enter the ground in a far corner past the cricket club. Walking along the path brings you to the large clubhouse/changing room facility and you finally get to the rugby pitch. On the clubhouse side were some temporary seating arrangements that provided a decent view, I guess. This side backed onto tennis club with more rugby pitches evident in the background. As you looked to the left was the cricket pitch end. This was flat standing on grass. The main stand was opposite. It is elevated and holds about 600. Beneath was a small paddock. The other end was the most scenic. Flat standing where people were parking their cars with trees and in the background was a tower from nearby Kew gardens.
The game was thoroughly enjoyable with a large crowd. It wasn't a case of kick and chase but instead head down, run and pass. Bedford got so close but couldn't so enough. Welsh are now through to the final, with the home leg being played at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford.
It would be a shame if they move there permanently should they gain promotion. Becoming yet another exiled London team, but with nearby Quins they may have too. This is probably made worse by how nice of a ground this is.
It has to be said, some drastic changes would have to be made to this ground to bring it up to standards. You enter the ground in a far corner past the cricket club. Walking along the path brings you to the large clubhouse/changing room facility and you finally get to the rugby pitch. On the clubhouse side were some temporary seating arrangements that provided a decent view, I guess. This side backed onto tennis club with more rugby pitches evident in the background. As you looked to the left was the cricket pitch end. This was flat standing on grass. The main stand was opposite. It is elevated and holds about 600. Beneath was a small paddock. The other end was the most scenic. Flat standing where people were parking their cars with trees and in the background was a tower from nearby Kew gardens.
The game was thoroughly enjoyable with a large crowd. It wasn't a case of kick and chase but instead head down, run and pass. Bedford got so close but couldn't so enough. Welsh are now through to the final, with the home leg being played at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford.
It would be a shame if they move there permanently should they gain promotion. Becoming yet another exiled London team, but with nearby Quins they may have too. This is probably made worse by how nice of a ground this is.