The Met made their longest road trip of the League season on Saturday, which probably gave the squad more time to ponder the result than most of them would have liked. The Police have enjoyed an excellent start to life in Surrey Two but this was always likely to be the first real test of the season. Old Caterhamians have enjoyed a great deal of success post-pandemic: consecutive promotions and a third place finish last season. A large and vociferous home crowd, a squad which combines youth with experience, combine to give Cats a very real sense that another promotion is in their sights. A humbling defeat at Old Wimbledonians last time out, both embarrassing and unexpected, meant that the home time entered this match with points to prove. A bright, sunny autumnal afternoon on a pitch that was heavy with early morning rain provided the perfect setting for what was to come. The Met's record against the Cats does not make for pleasant reading, and the hosts weren't about to change the narrative.

The opening five minutes saw the teams probing each others defences and Alexander Crusciolo and Sam Druce exchanging a penalty a piece. The remainder of a very long first half was all about Cats. The Met had the ignominy of their scrummage being shunted backwards at a fast rate of knots and the home side's No10 looping round his midfield and galloping in under the posts. Shortly afterwards, one of the three Nyes, left wing George, finished off a flowing move from right to left to extend the lead.

Things rapidly disintegrated for the Police. Dylan Richards was sent to the sin bin on 17 minutes; Sebastian Nye added to his brother's try from the other wing, and then Crusciolo scored the try of the match with a scintillating run from his own half that left most of the Met in its wake, and notched up Cats' try bonus point. For reasons unfathomable, given that there were no injuries during the period, Richards spent some 14 minutes in the bin, only returning to the fray as second row Jordan Kay charged over for Cats' fifth and final try of the half. The Mets return to fifteen was very short-lived. Hooker Sam Bailey was shown a straight red in the 39th minute for dangerous play. Finding himself at outside centre, Bailey tried to blitz Cat's No 12, making contact just above where the ball was being carried. It brought his opponent to a standstill and the home ground certainly made their feelings felt. The first half continued for a further 13 minutes, during which time Cats managed to add a penalty goal, using their third kicker of the afternoon, Zac Uddoh. After 52 minutes, the teams turned round with Cats virtually home and dry, 31-3 and with a bonus point in the bag.

The Met, playing into a bright and descending sun, with just 14 men, had to mount a formidable rearguard action, and to some extent they did. Their first sustained period of pressure led to the home team committing several infringements 5 metres from their own goal line. Before the referee had to resort to a yellow card, skipper Cormac Healy barrelled over by the posts and Druce's simple conversion put the Mets on 10 points. Unfortunately for the Met, that was as good as it got. The visitors had improved their level over the first half performance but simply couldn't get out of their own half. Cats scored two second half tries, converting one, to finish the game with 43 points which mysteriously became 50 on the RFU website! Nevertheless, they left 12 out on the pitch with some fairly woeful goalkicking. The match lasted nearly 100 minutes which, with only two notable injury stoppages in the second half, was somewhat unbelievable. With the Met conceding in the 43rd minute of the first half, and the 94th minute, perhaps the result was slightly less dire that it appears on paper!

It was a chastening day for the Met, the aforementioned notwithstanding. Even though the Met contested with less than a full XV for all but 17 minutes, Cats were stronger and faster, their handling was far more precise and the Met were generally a lot looser into the contact areas, often being over-run by the more cohesive opposition. The fact that the Met only lost the second half by two points was quite remarkable and they should take that as a positive. They will not meet many sides as good as this Caterham outfit.

The result drops Met from third down to sixth but a good performance against Chipstead at Imber Court on Saturday, currently one place above the Met, would keep them in the the promotion battle, although the top four will all anticipate healthy victories too.