OLD Reigatian were soundly beaten by a strong Guildford side 43-5 in the Surrey Trophy final at Esher.
The ORs conceded 36 points in the first half as Jonny Hylton's men were too easily cut open by an incisive Guildford attack.
A much improved and tighter second-half display from the ORs culminated in Andy Dalton's consolation try.
The ORs went behind in the first minute when fly-half Bertie Hopkin released Stu Fee through the middle to score, with Jarrod Adam adding an easy two points.
And after five minutes Guildford got their second try after they switched the ball from left to right where Matt Stockdale finished well in the corner.
The ORs provided little in the way of attacking threat, with Will Godwin having their best move when he broke through the middle of the Guildford defence; however, he lacked support and the opportunity broke down.
Reigatian made too many mistakes and it cost them when Anthony Comyn spilled the ball into the path of Ben Barrow. He fed Fee who walked over the line for his second and easy try. With Adam's conversion the score moved to 19-0 and the OR's were facing down the barrel.
Dalton was then sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on and the ORs were punished after a decent catch and drive by the Guildford forwards. Mark Watkinson finished off the move but Adam was unable to add the extra points.
Hopkin then got his own try when scrum-half Matt Shea kicked through and the ORs were unable to gather the ball. Hopkin sauntered over the line and the match was put beyond doubt.
There was still time for Guildford to add to their tally before half-time, when Shea took a quick penalty to sneak in under the posts and go into the break 36-0 in front.
The second half started in a similar vain to the first when Guildford got an early try. James Roberts powered through the ORs defence to score and give Adam a simple conversion.
But after the try the ORs manage to get a foothold in the game and provide a much greater threat. They were able to camp inside the Guildford 22 and got their reward in the 58th minute.
Guildford were reduced to 14 men and after a good spell of pressure from the ORs they spread the ball left for Dalton to finish in the left corner.
It was a valiant second-half display that was encouraging for Old Reigatian but Guildford were just too strong and saw out the 43-5 victory.
