Despite the magnitude of the scoreline, this was a good place to end the season. For the threes not only achieved their objective of consolidation in Herts-Middlesex Merit Table Four, but they will also reflect with some satisfaction that also did well to reach the cup final of this particular division, writes Jonathan Landi.

However, it was the parting-shot from chairman Dave French, drafted-in at hooker, which resonated strongest. He said: "I big thank-you, above all, to Steve Renny - for all his hard work during the course of the season in getting a team together."

Predictably, the contest itself was a bit one-sided with the faster and much fitter Fullerians IIIs outfit, who clearly wouldn't look out of place in the division above, ruthlessly cashing-in on Ignatians' mistakes to run in eight tries and hit the blue and golds for a half-century of points.

Not that Ignatians ever threw in the towel. The blue and golds' progress in the game was markedly more laboured, and far too error strewn to be a credible force. However, raising the white flag was never an option and they beavered away to the bitter end which resulted in Lewis White's successful close range effort as the game drew to a close.

Ignatians' tactics were fiendishly simple. Bashing-up via their bigger forwards and using their big ball carriers such as Gareth Williams to do the hard-yards, as well as using the boot of fly-half Dave Conlan to establish field position, were certainly the right way to go.

However, the body positions of the forwards - far too high in contact at times - allied to a propensity for dropping the ball at key moments - meant that they were never in a position to capitalise when opportunity came knocking.

That is not to decry some fine individual performances and, although they lost Wayne Bloomfield to injury in the first-half, the players that came off the bench such as Pete Rose, who carried particularly well when he came-on, certainly stood up to be counted in Ignatians' hour of need.

Captain Steve Renny said: "It's a credit to the side that we never gave up and there's no doubting that we were beaten by a very good side, who had some quality players. Our discipline was good and there were parts of the game in which we rattled Fullerians.

"We achieved our objective of consolidating {our place in the league) in our first season at this level, and it goes without saying that we would have chalked-up more points in the final league table had we not had to forfeit two games. There's no reason why we can't go all the way next season."

Not a team for gloomy introspection, the threes, in true cup final fashion, made the return trip to Harrow by coach. Going quietly, at the end of term, was never an option, and the smart-money was on the watering holes of Enfield being a little busier, and a touch livelier, than usual."

Squad (all used): Lewis White, Dave French, Rob Gardener, Jason Joseph, Gareth Williams, Bori Moll, Wayne Bloomfield, Steve Renny, Dan Jones, Dave Conlan, Glory Makabukidi, Adam Collins, Rondel Bernard, Eron Dottin-Wilson, Sam Barnes, Peter Rose, Clive Alexander, Sean Bucknall and Josh Doyle-Tanner.