Maidstone IV vs Gravesend IV

11th Oct 2008

by Dave Jackson

    Yet another hot late summer’s day saw the unbeaten 4’s entertain their opposite numbers from Gravesend. Welcoming Tom Harvey(nearly new to rugby )and the return of  Matthias Ibar,Steve Goodwin & lastly but not least, returning from the wilderness, Ben McKellar.

    Maidstone won the toss (good omen) and received the kick-off. From the start the team fired into action taking the fight deep downfield into Gravesend’s half. It took no more than10 minutes for the juggernaut of the forwards (headed by Charlie & Tom Clarke) to provide some ball for the circling backs who swept in, in the form of Ben McKellar to scythe his way through for the first of a hat trick of tries. Darren Bamfield duly stuck the boot in (the first of four conversions and a penalty from our own portly johnnie wilkinson).

Back to the halfway line , back downfield more pressure again that surging run by Ben McKellar and another try and another ball slotted between the uprights. By now you’ve guessed the way things were going yet the next name on the score sheet though folically challenged wasn’t Ben but Bob (Purfitt (our recent arrival from Ashford)) who found himself the beneficiary of Gravesend panic when their inside half passed to Dave Jackson who promptly got rid of that hot potato to the speeding Bob to swerve and dodge his way twenty yards to score under the posts: yep Darren slotted this one too. Next up was a real stunner,Gravesend had gathered themselves and were applying some pressure towards Maidstone’s “22”,their fly-half gave boot to a great crossfield kick,unfortunately lying in wait was Tom Harvey (playing with aplomb unexpected from someone with only one game under his belt) .He leapt into the air catching the ball cleanly,deftly dodged two attackers and galloped up the touchline hotly pursued by the Gravesend fullback and our own Chris Finch who neatly finished off the run to score in the corner. Not to be out done Ben McKellar went back to score his third try of the afternoon closing the first half.

     The second half started after the substitutions of Bob Purfitt,Dan Taylor & Tom Harvey (promptly stiffening the sinews of the 5’s (Bob scoring a try) by Toby Young, Inigo Lassa & David Wahl,Charlie Flynn moving to 8 Toby joining the second row & David replacing Tom. Back to beasting Gravesend around the pitch (despite some salmon like jumping from Chris Finch, and the efforts of Geoff McCreary  as hooker, Mark Staples serving for the first time at fly-half) Maidstone couldn’t breach the Gravesend tryline. In fact it was Gravesend who scored next,Maidstone down to 14 men while Matthias Ibar received treatment for a blood injury  let in Gravesend down the blind side from a scrum on our 22.  And then TRAGEDY!!Ben Jones the tsar (not a typo!) quarter-back, I mean scrum-half on one of his usual darting twisting runs fell to the ground clutching his knee.Sadly  Ben had to be carried off and for the last ten minutes or so Maidstone camped out in the Gravesend half  winning a penalty which Darren promptly swept over for three points. From then on it was a clock watching exercise to the final whistle. Thanks to the referee Nick Ware for a well administered match and to Gravesend for making a game of it and to the supporters (inc.Craig Bowden& V.P. Simon Wright(L)who despite turning up with boots couldn’t get a game - not to mention skipper, Richard Ewence, who ran the line because he wasnt able to find room to fit into his own team).