Newly-promoted Old Glynonians beat Merton 20-10 in their debut Surrey Three fixture at Priest Hill on Saturday, writes Chris Justham.

Early on, both sides struggled in the poor conditions but, having gone behind to a penalty OGs responded with one of their own.

Then full-back Genair Otoo missed a chance to score having broken clear only to drop the ball before the line.

Liam Burns then crashed into team-mate Sam Price after 20 minutes and the latter walked off with concussion.

Man of the Match Richard Holmden had clearly been hard at work in pre-season, achieving multiple turnovers and a tackle count rivalled only by an excellent performance from flanker Ben Dupenois, enabling the OGs back line to start running at the opposition with quick ball.

Otoo made amends for his previous error with a try at the beginning of the second half, being driven over from close range.

Two successive yellow cards due to infringements at the breakdown saw the Ewell outfit playing with only 14 players for 20 minutes of the match, but despite the circumstances, the OGs added to their try tally in the second half.

An overlap created by some fast rucking by the OG pack led to Johnny Metcalf taking his first try of the season and Nick Gregg, a flanker by trade, also capped an impressive performance at centre with a try to close off the game in the final stages.

Captain Phil Stowe said: “We're really pleased with the win today.

“It has been a tough start to the season, with us experiencing a real injury crisis in some key positions.

“Some of the guys have really stepped up into previously untried positions and new additions Alex Dougherty and Will McGually have been superb.

“We are also excited about how the impact of the bonus point system will change the game-we think our style of rugby is really suited to the four-try bonus incentive."

Old Glynonians face Radleains in Richmond this Saturday.