Cryptians Second At Christmas

After a slow start to the season, Gloucestershire Two promotion hopefuls Old Cryptians Rugby Club have put together a series of good victories to propel them up the table. With the backline firing on all cylinders and the forwards providing tremendous support, some stunning tries have been scored both at the Memorial Ground and away from home. With a young team in a transitional season, things look very positive for the future so long as they stay together.

Current first team captain is flanker Andrew Royce, an old Crypt Schoolboy as many of the first team are. He is an excellent exponent of the game from openside, supporting the backs and spoiling the ball of the opposition. He has, however, been injured for a large chunk of the season, meaning that vice captain and fly half Gareth Butler has taken the reigns. The two have played together since the age of 12 and so this transition has proven smooth.

The season began with a cup victory over Tetbury and then a league victory over Minchinhampton and things seemed rosy from the outside. The victories, however, were against teams who were far below the standard required for promotion and it is true to say that the performances were not classics.

Cryptians were then brought crashing down to earth with a cup exit at Bream which started a run of poor results. Close defeats against Dursley (16-5) and Smiths (17-15), both teams whom should have posed little threat, and then a crushing defeat at the hands of top of the table Old Colstonians (50-5) left the first team at the end of their tether and not knowing where to turn.

Then, with Royce unavailable and Butler as captain, Bream made the trip to the Memorial Ground for a league fixture in which Cryptians produced their performance of the season so far. Backs and forwards combined excellently to crush Bream 38-5, all this against a team who had beaten them weeks before.

Like the previous defeat had led to a run of bad results, this victory was the catalyst for a fine run of performances. League wins over Cheltenham Civil Service home and away (26-8 and 26-12), Old Elizabethans home (50-12) and Westbury away (32-23) have seen Cryptians move up to second going into the New Year. These were interspersed with friendly wins over Gloucester Civil Service (45-23), Gloucester All Blues (74-17) and Stow (26-7) which meant a run of eight straight in total.

All this, as ever, faded into insignificance as Cryptians ran out against Richians, their massive local rivals three leagues above them, on Boxing Day. The annual Horns game had not seen the underdogs win for 14 years but on this occasion history was made. 26-7 was the final score as Cryptians recorded a fantastic victory thanks to tries from Dean Johnson (2) and Kieran Mchugh (1). Special mention must go to the performances of centre Neil Sturgess, second row Colin Stokes and heroic prop forward Mark Hout who ran himself into the ground and still came up smiling. It was a truly great day for all involved as the Cryptians clubhouse turned into party central!
This season is turning into an excellent one of Old Cryptians, but it is vital that their form continues in the second half and that they continue to win games. Winning the League may well be beyond them already, with Old Colstonians clear at the top, but promotion is a very realistic aim for the first time in a very long time. Beating Richians is already the highlight of the season, but the return league fixture against Colstonians is one for all to look out for.