HERTS/MIDDX TWO
Hillingdon Abbots 73
West London 0
DAVE Francis and Simon Coldwell each scored a hat-trick as Hillingdon Abbots destroyed West London by 11 tries on the opening day of the season.
Both men scored a try in the first half and two in the second as the Abbots ran out 73-0 winners over their near neighbours.
Scrum-half Marino Marotta was named man of the match for his ball distribution and control in the dominating win.
West London opted to kick off but quickly lost possession and found themselves under pressure.
Front row forward Dan Tuckwell got through the defence to score the Abbots’ first try and Elliot Wake converted his first of many for the day.
Nick Seagrove was the recipient of a pass after a 50-metre line break by Ben Foster as he put the ball over for the second try of the day.
Seagrove was at the centre of many of Abbots’ moves as his running game often troubled the West London defence.
But man of the match Marotta would overshadow Seagrove as his play at breakdowns and rucks helped the Abbots dominate.
There were further tries for Francis, Simon Coldwell and Brett Parnham as the hosts went into the break 33-0 up and with the bonus point in the bag.
The second half was just as one-sided as the first as Coldwell added his second try early on, and as the visitors tried to staunch the leaky defence, the Abbots piled more pressure on.
Francis added two tries, while Coldwell, Foster and captain Kyle Buckingham all added tries of their own as the Abbots comfortably saw off their opening day opponents.
Elsewhere, Ickenham were on the receiving end of a 62-0 defeat to Saracens Amateurs, while Uxbridge suffered a 24-19 loss to Thamesians.
Michael Weymouth was looking good with two tries for Uxbridge before coming off due to injury.
His withdrawal saw Uxbridge’s chances of a dramatic turnaround end, although Jake Lamport did also score late on.
