Maidstone III 15-18 Lordswood II

Two soft first half tries cost Maidstone their unbeaten record against a strong Lordswood side at the Mote.

Both teams went into the game defending one hundred percent records and it was Maidstone that had the stronger start, forcing the opposition to give away a string of penalties and taking up some promising positions in the Lordswood 22.
 
Although Maidstone were dominating territory and possession, the pacey Lordswood backs looked dangerous every time they got the ball.

The key moment of game came after fifteen minutes when Hogarth’s jinking run took him through some heavy traffic and he burst into the 22. The Maidstone fly half looked certain to score as he dived into the right corner but a superb covering tackle by the Lordswood fullback turned Hogarth before he could touch down and he spilled the ball.

Just minutes later, and against the run of play, Lordswood took the lead. A simple switch move put their outside centre through a gap in the Maidstone defence and he drew the Maidstone fullback before passing to his winger who scored under the post. Lordswood were 7-0 ahead with their first real attack.

Maidstone continued to press for a score of their own but were dealt a blow when Mattison was yellow carded when he retaliated after being tripped by a Lordswood forward. Despite being a man short, Maidstone continued to pressure the visitors.

Five minutes before the break Maidstone were hit with a second sucker punch. From a promising position in the Lordswood 22, Maidstone were punished for some sloppy play. When the ball spilled out of the side of a ruck on the referee failed to spot a knock on from Lordswood’s powerful No. 8, who broke downfield before offloading to his supporting inside centre who showed good pace to score in the right corner.

Unlucky to be 12-0 down at half time, Maidstone came out for the second period determined to convert their territorial dominance into points. Maidstone soon got themselves on the board with a Hogarth penalty after Lordswood were penalised for off side.

The match then took a bizarre turn when a serious injury in the first team match forced their game down to the second team pitch. This meant the thirds were evicted to the training pitch, which lived up to its nickname of ‘the Somme’.
 
The heavier conditions helped to nullify the threat of Lordswood’s pacey backs and the Maidstone pack was able to assert even more influence over the game.
Maidstone soon got themselves back to within striking distance when Hogarth sliced through the Lordswood defence to slide in for an excellent score. The conversion was missed but the lead had been cut to 8-12.

Lordswood – with the help of the referee – then restored their lead with interest after Maidstone were twice harshly penalised in front of their own posts. Their fly half slotted both penalties to extend the lead to 8-18 and, with time running out, Maidstone had a mountain to climb.

The response from the home side was immediate. Several minutes of heavy pressure, which included some superb driving at the scrum, ended with Hogarth selling a great dummy to waltz through the Lordswood defence for the second time and touch down under the posts. He converted his own try to get Maidstone back to within three points.
 
Sensing that the win was now within reach, Maidstone continued to press for the winning try but were frustrated by the referee’s whistle. The final whistle signalled Maidstone’s first – and hopefully last - defeat of the season.

Laing (Capt), Wright, Plowman, Fish, Maddaford (Watson 65), Challis, Williams (Pankhurst 40), Massey, Tugwell, Hogarth, Dyke, Wood, Fairbanks, Bates (McKellar 40), Mattison