Deal & Betteshanger 3 Lordswood 52

Lordswood Rugby Club were forced to draft in their chairman to Saturday’s 17-man squad following a major player shortage.

Their London 3 South East trip to Deal & Betteshanger ended in a hefty 52-3 defeat.

Frustrated head coach Paul Essenhigh said: “On Friday we only had 11 players and were looking at not even turning up.

“We fulfilled the fixture with a mix of 1sts, 2nds and 3rds and even our 54-year-old chairman had to play.

“Our 2nds captain Dan Lyons and club captain Paul Notley spent hours getting together a team.

“There are players out injured but the problem is more deep-rooted than that. There are people that can’t be bothered to travel five miles to play for the side.

“This was a game where I targeted to get maximum points but we lost by 50 points.

He added: “We’re off this weekend and then at home to Aylesford and I’ll probably have too many players for that one!”

James Doorman scored Lordswood’s only points with a penalty kick.