A curate’s egg of Barnes Rugby results last weekend, tinged with tragedy with the news that one of our original Barnes Women’s players, Lucy Jackson, had lost her battle with cancer. We remember her below.

It was a fitting tribute to Lucy that our Women’s 1st and 2nd XVs swept away their oppositions with consummate ease on Sunday, watched by some of her original teammates and coaches.

Our Men’s 2nd XV won a thriller against Richmond 21-24, and the Outriders rode to success again, also against Richmond 7-26. The Occies were unfortunate to lose against local rivals Battersea Ironsides 17-37 - but they are getting closer! Our Colts went down against Reeds Weybridge, 35-17.

All of these match reports are below for your enjoyment.

On Saturday our Men’s 1st XV had a shocker of a first half, our scrum and line out fail to function and in a rare occurrence were thoroughly trounced in those first 40 minutes 26-0 by a talented Westcombe Park side. With the first score of the 2nd half extending the home side’s lead to 33-0 and a record defeat seemed on the cards. Then Barnes woke up, scoring 4 unanswered tries to reduce the deficit to 36-26 - but the mountain proved too high to climb for the Green and Gold and Combe duly completed their second home win against us in the last two season.

With the wounds being heavily licked, and the players taking a good look at themselves this week, they will need to pick themselves up to face Havant this weekend at Barn Elms.
Whilst Havant are 10th in National League 2 East and we are in 3rd place; this season has shown us that any team in that top ten can beat any of the other teams. We will need to be right on it this weekend to get back into winning ways. Word from Director of Rugby, Jack Heald, is that training this week has been intense and focussed, there is nothing more dangerous than a wounded Barnow beast.

Last week Havant were involved in a 90-point jamboree - drawing 45 - 45 with Guernsey, so they are dangerous and underestimate them at our peril. Last season we won 33-21 at Barn Elms and were lucky in the return fixture to squeeze out a 29-36 win, which we were lucky to win.
There are only two games this weekend, both on Saturday, with the Men’s 1st XV look to get back in the saddle in the aforementioned match against Havant at Barn Elms, and the Men’s 2nd XV travel over the river to take on CS Stags 2nd XV - both games kick off at 2pm.

And finally, I am sure we are all looking forward to the budget at the end of this month with fear and trepidation amidst all of the pre-budget speculation. Our shirt sponsor of the Youth section, Brooks Macdonald, have been holding weekly conversations with their financial advisers and have released some short videos called: “Inside the Red Box” looking at the potential impact of the Budget. Here is the link to the episodes so far Inside the Red Box | Brooks Macdonald

Please do spare a thought for Lucy and her surviving husband Garry and young son Ben over the weekend, the Men’s 1st XV will be holding a minute’s silence before their game on Saturday in her memory.

Michael “Rhino” Whitfield - President Barnes Rugby Cluib

Remembering Lucy Jackson 27.04.1982 - 07.11.2025
After almost three years, our beloved Lucy has lost her battle with cancer and is finally at peace.

Through it all she showed remarkable courage, strength and endless positivity.
Lucy’s love for life shone through in everything she did, from her travel adventures and her legendary homecooked meals to her unwavering love for rugby.

She often said that although the last few years had been her hardest, they were also her happiest. Meeting Garry and becoming Mummy to Ben brought her the greatest joy. She reminded us to be grateful for the little things and to hold tight to what really matters.
She leaves behind her an enormous void, but her light and love will stay with us always.

Lucy was a Barnes Women’s section original. She played fly half usually (though could really play anywhere), had a great boot on her and a brilliant understanding of the game. She was also Player of the Season in both 2007 and 2009. Rugby remained one of her passions after she finally hung up her boots, and we were all thrilled when she met Garry, who loves and watches rugby just as much as she did.

We all remained firm friends beyond our rugby playing days, including various trips together to internationals, the Dubai 7s and Hong Kong 7s, as well as endless non-rugby related holidays, trips and outings. We are all devastated at her loss and will miss her so much.

There is a separate additional tribute on the website adjacent to this article.

Reeds Weybridge Colts 35 - 17 Barnes Under 18s – words by Paul Spencer

Barnes Colts took on a strong Reeds Weybridge at their ground on Sunday in the final league game before the Cup campaign starts in the new year. The pitch was on a steep slope, which proved to play a huge role in the game. Barnes played up hill and conceded 5 tries to turnaround 28-0 at half time. But the slope played its role in the second half with Barnes fighting back to a 33 - 17 final score. Some lessons to learn, but this group are learning. Next game, a club called Richmond!

Barnes Women 1st XV 64 - 0 East London Ladies - words by Co-Captain Kitty Robinson

A convincing win for Barnes Women 1st XV.

Both teams gathered before kick off for a minute silence, in part to remember the brave servicemen and women on Remembrance Sunday but we also stood in remembrance of Lucy Jackson, an ex-Barnes Women's player who passed away on Friday 7th November.
We were thrilled to have some of Lucy's teammates and coach from her time at Barnes to join us in remembering her.

Then it was time to take to the field. With confidence building week on week, Barnes were clinical, physical and accurate from the first whistle. Unstoppable in the scrums, slick through the backs and quick to turn over the breakdowns resulted in a convincing win. Unrelenting defence meant that East London Vixens were held out for a final score of 64-0.
Over the 80 minutes Barnes ran in 10 tries; 2 scored by Sasha, 2 scored by Kitty and other tries were scored by Lou, Atlanta, Liv, Cam, Angie and Fiona.

Liv expertly slotted 6 conversions and Sarah converted one too.

For her great scrummaging and big carries, forward of the match was awarded to Lou.
For her huge tackles and hard lines, back of the match was awarded to Ruth.

When the coaches were picking their player of the match, they commented that they don't like to give it to the same player week on week but when she plays like that, it's impossible to give it to anyone else. She must have jackled the ball 10 times and ran in 2 impressive tries, coaches’ player of the match was Sasha.

Barnes 2nd XV vs Bec Belles - words by Co-Captain Molly Taylor

In what was meant to be a friendly between Barnes 2XV and the newly formed Bec Belles 2nd XV, it turned into something even better!

With a few last-minute dropouts for Bec Belles, the two sides joined forces to create two mixed teams - Green vs Blue - for a fun and competitive run-out in the original spirit of rugby.

The Greens came away with the win after a great team performance, featuring some standout efforts from the Barnes girls.

A special shoutout to Sammi and Claire (both on Team Green), who made fantastic returns from injury and put in absolute shifts throughout the game.

It was a brilliant opportunity for everyone to work on new skills, gain valuable match experience, and enjoy a great day of rugby together.

Richmond Vikings 21 - 24 Barnes Men’s 2nd XV - words by Coach Tommy Burkett

Barnes 2s v Richmond 3s

With the autumn international fixtures looming like a Monday morning after a weekend bender, Barnes decided to spice things up with a local double-header against their arch-nemesis, Richmond Vikings. The weather gods, clearly in a mischievous mood, watched as Big Len strutted in wearing hot pants, leaving coach Tommy green with envy. The 2s team, on paper, was so epic they could have been mistaken for a boy band at a halftime show. Confidence was sky-high as we decided to warm up the 2s with the Outriders together, much to the Outriders’ referee’s chagrin. Energy levels were off the charts as the lads reassured each other by hitting the pads together five minutes before kick-off.

The game kicked off with Richmond applying pressure like a toddler on a sugar rush, keeping Barnes 2s pinned in their 22. With three scrums in a row dominated by the formidable front row of Macca, David, and Francis, little did David and Francis know they were in for an 80-minute rollercoaster ride. There seemed to be a lot of handbags at dawn with Richmond’s number 6, possibly due to his questionable haircut. Barnes started to find their groove, and it was Jake Williams who crossed the line first after a turnover on the halfway line. The water boys, in a classic blunder, forgot Ned’s special kicking tee - the black one, not the green one - which he later blamed for missing the kick. 0-5 to Barnes.
The lead was as short-lived as a New Year’s resolution when Richmond came back strong after a mistimed kick-off return allowed their pack to pressure Barnes, resulting in a penalty count that was more horrific than a reality TV show. Eventually, Richmond kicked to the corner and rumbled over the line.

The game was as evenly balanced as a seesaw with a sumo wrestler on one end for much of the first half. Our discipline was costing us, and we were trying to overplay the game. Sometimes, going back to basics is the best call, not all the flair. Barnes were superior in the lineouts and the scrum, and it wasn’t long before they snuck into the lead again with a solo effort from George Hamblin, who was already setting records with the most touches of the ball in the first half. 7-10 to Barnes.

Once again, though, a lack of concentration caught Barnes out, and Richmond were quick to reply. Their number 15 was playing another game of “can I hit the Emirates A380 on final approach,” literally slotting the ball from the corner. I’ve never seen a ball fly so high over the posts. Not sure the owner of the white Tesla will be thrilled with the new addition to his front screen. 14-10 to Richmond. Half-time came, and Olly Cooke, having put in a shift, was sent to help the Outriders, who had suffered a few injuries. Rory K was formidable in the back row, standing in for Malcolm Nimmo in the first half, and was happy to take his place as co-coach and water boy.

Enter Ben Lodge and Jack Haythorthwaite. It didn’t take Lodgy long to run over the stocky South African ten like a steam train, leaving the poor fella on his back. Ben had a point to prove, and let’s face it, the lad never shies away from contact. The second half was a scrappy affair. Richmond’s number 6 was being a pest, having a few feisty cuffs with Macca and the young pup Adam Beney. Barnes were now camping in the Richmond half and were so dominant in the lineout. We got over the line again after a few penalties. Club legend James Smith was robbed of a try on his first game back to Barnes by a high tackle. His quick thinking sent the ball midfield, and George went flying over the line again, right between the posts. No excuses this time, and Ned slotted the extras.

The game was played in the Richmond half for most of the second period, and it was Barnes’ mistakes that let Richmond back in the game, to what we were all thinking was against the run of play. The game was too close to call, and Richmond capitalised when Barnes were reduced to 14 men. 21-17 Richmond. Somebody shouted, “squeaky bum time.”

The boys stepped up, though, and were not giving up. Francis and David had put in a shift and still found the energy to drive the Richmond scrum back. A few phases of creative play later, the ball landed in the hands of Sam Peppitt, who stepped the Richmond 13 and went over the line. It was a great game of rugby to watch - thrilling. It’s another W on the road for the 2s, who are competing at the top of the table, and also another great victory for the Outriders, who are also sitting near the top of the table in their first year of adult rugby. 2s man of the match was George Hamblin. Probably the humblest man you will ever meet.

Richmond Normans 7-26 Barnes Outriders - words by Academy Overlord Jason Betteley[/b]

Outriders march on with another big win!

Saturday saw the Outriders making a short trip along the A316 to the RAG for our league match against Richmond Normans (the Richmond 4th XV team).
We met up with the Barnow 2s, who were playing Richmond Saxons (the 3rd XV team) and, in now regular fashion, Tommy and Len ran a combined warm up session to get both teams focused and ready for KO. This shared warm up definitely works as we were fully up for it direct from the whistle; fast, furious, strong and athletic all come to mind when reviewing the first 20 minutes of the match. The only thing we did wrong was to concentrate too much of our efforts up the middle and not to use the full width and our pace on the wings. But then again testing the ability, willingness and resilience of the Normans’ defence was extremely useful. The Normans were up for it too and their forward line was strong and robust!
The first half saw both sides push each other back and forth with hard tackles and not much between them. Unfortunately, a few injuries followed this period of attrition with 3 Outriders coming off in order to get medical attention, but within the first 30 mins we manged to keep the pressure on and eventually put it through our hands to Josh Daydora to score out wide. With a great conversion from Jake, the Outriders were 7-0 up. Direct from the KO, we went for it again and for the next 5 mins we piled the pressure on the Normans, playing most of the rugby and ended with Sam Reeves (our outside centre) running through to score a well organised and impressive try – btw, Sam had a huge match and was rightly awarded Man of the Match. Unfortunately, no conversion from Jake this time. Outriders 12-0 up. This is when Richmond turned on the gas and from the KO they forced some defensive mistakes, broke through and scored under the posts. A straightforward conversion suddenly brought the score back to 12-7 (for Barnes) at Half Time.
The second half started with another big push from The Outriders, fast ball from the breakdown with the forwards’ pods punching holes all over the Normans defensive line. After 10 minutes the big guys finally got through with Ollie Cooke scoring close to the posts. Nice and easy for the conversion for Jake with the score now Richmond 7-19 Outriders.
However, this is when things started to go a bit pear shaped: unfortunately, we had 3 big (end of the match) injuries to our tight head, 2nd row and back row respectively; and then 2 x yellow cards in very quick succession (an intentional knock-on and a massive off-side). So, with 15 minutes to go we were down to 13 men and with lads playing out of position to cover for the injuries.
The Normans smelt blood and pushed us back into our 22 for 10 long minutes. But these Outriders do not give up; they stood tall and strong and fought for each other. Despite a huge effort, the Normans just couldn’t get through and then we stole the ball, kicked long and parked ourselves in their half for the last 5. We got our 2 carded players back on and pushed … and pushed hard. The forwards did their thing again off the back of the ruck along the Normans’ try line within the 5m and finally Tom “Gilly” Gilchrist pierced through a gap and scored under the posts. Jake got his 4th conversion of the match. Not long after the Ref blew for full time: Richmond 7-26 Barnes Outriders. Another tough game and a hard-fought win.

Richmond hosted us back in their clubhouse with international matches galore showing on their big screens … and with Gilly getting very excited by Scotland fighting back to 17-17 only to be disappointed (yet again) in the last 5mins … Oh well ??!!

Best wishes to our injured players - 4 in total. It was tough for each of them and we’re wishing you all speedy recoveries. We’ve now got a 2-week break and then back to it with a home league match at Barn Elms v Battersea Ironsides 2s on Saturday 22 Nov.