Sat 17 Oct 2026
On Saturday 17 October, Marlborough made it three wins on the bounce with a hard-fought 24–10 victory over Old Centralians, continuing their impressive run of form and building momentum as the season gathers pace. It was a game that had a bit of everything: some excellent attacking rugby, bruising defensive efforts, a dominant scrum, moments of individual brilliance and, inevitably, a few decisions that left players, coaches
and supporters scratching their heads.
Marlborough made the perfect start when, straight from Will Grant's kick-off, Old Centralians attempted to clear their lines, only for Ali Edington, on his debut for the 1st XV, to charge down the kick, gather the loose ball and race over for the opening try. George Shakespeare added the extras, and Marlborough were seven points up before some of the spectators had even settled into their afternoon refreshments.
What followed next was a frantic, end-to-end contest. Old Cents began to find their feet, carrying strongly through the middle and putting Marlborough under sustained pressure, but the Marlborough defence stood firm. At the other end, Marlborough's forwards were enjoying considerable success at scrum time, providing a strong platform from which to attack. A period of composed attacking rugby, combined with a touch of magic from Tevita Tuisue, eventually created space for Ju Sakiusa to cross for Marlborough's second try, with Shakespeare once again adding the extras.
Despite the scoreline, Old Centralians remained dangerous, particularly at the breakdown, where they proved more than capable of turning over Marlborough’s possession. Old Cents came close to scoring after a sustained spell of pressure, only to spill the ball agonisingly close to the line, luckily for Marlborough. The boys quickly responded by travelling almost the length of the pitch themselves, although the move ultimately came to nothing, rather neatly summing up a first half full of ambition but not always the execution to match. Nevertheless, Marlborough went into the break with a deserved 14–0 lead.
During the half-time chat, Backs Coach Andy Evans (Evo) highlighted that the boys “weren’t sticking to the processes and doing what they did in training” and were “keeping them in the game”. Head Coach Matt Garvey was pleased with the “chop tackling and defence, which was top class”, so it was not all bad, but the boys needed to “be ruthless now” in the second half.
The second half began much as the first had ended, with both sides moving the ball from one end of the pitch to the other at a pace that suggested neither had much interest in a quiet afternoon. Unfortunately, handling errors and penalties continued to feature rather more prominently than either coaching team would have liked.
The home side were first to strike after the interval, using a series of well-executed driving lineouts to work their way towards the Marlborough line before eventually crossing in the corner. The conversion was missed, leaving the score at 14–5.
Marlborough responded immediately, with Josiah Ratulaveta producing an excellent attacking break before an attempted offload was knocked backwards by an opposition player and gathered by the ever-alert Edington, who needed no second invitation to cross for his second try of the afternoon. Shakespeare maintained his perfect record from the tee, extending the lead to 21–5.
From the resulting restart came arguably the most entertaining moment of the afternoon, as prop Asesela Taivoce produced a remarkable burst of acceleration, leaving several defenders behind and, more importantly, the newly appointed captain Marshall comprehensively outpaced. For a man who had only recently inherited the armband, being left for dead by a front-row forward was hardly the commanding leadership display he might have envisaged.
Charlie Ladds then demonstrated his own running ability with a barnstorming 60-metre charge that took Marlborough deep into opposition territory, only for the resulting effort to be held up over the line. Marlborough continued to dominate the scrum and enjoyed a prolonged spell camped inside the Old Cents 22, although their inability to turn pressure into points remained a source of frustration.
Meanwhile, Simon 'Pilko' Pilkington, making his first appearance of the season, clearly felt the occasion deserved a memorable contribution and duly collected a yellow card. Some players ease themselves back into competitive rugby; Pilko apparently preferred to make an immediate impression on the referee, and not a good one at that! With Marlborough temporarily reduced in numbers, Old Cents capitalised, breaking away to score their second try after an exhausting passage of play that left bodies scattered across the pitch.
However, Marlborough retained their composure, worked their way back into opposition territory and earned a penalty, which Shakespeare calmly dispatched to secure the 24–10 victory.
It was far from a flawless performance, but three consecutive wins are no accident. Marlborough are beginning to develop the resilience, confidence and camaraderie needed to compete consistently at this level. Three wins on the bounce, a dominant scrum, two tries for Edington, a yellow card on debut and a captain discovering that his prop is considerably quicker than him. All in all, another thoroughly entertaining Saturday.
‘Player of the Match’ was awarded to James Marshall, sponsored by Gary Marshall Building Ltd (even if he did get outpaced by a front-row player). He more than made up for his embarrassment with his ruthlessness in both attack and defence. This is the second time this season he has received the award, so well done and keep up the good work. He was congratulated by the birthday boy, Dave Pittams.
