Match Report

Maidstone vs. Sevenoaks RFC

Away at Sevenoaks, Saturday 3 November, 2007, Kick Off – 2.30pm

League London 2 South

by Trevor Langley

The comfortable winning score-line of 38-12, which Maidstone posted in this local derby with Sevenoaks, looked more definitive than the game that unfolded at Knole Paddock on Saturday.

After a slow start, in which Maidstone set up a 10 point lead, Sevenoaks hit back to get their noses in front at half-time but a third quarter burst saw Maidstone regain the lead, which they held to the end.

But how different the result could have been if three crucial try-scoring decisions had gone with the home side. On each occasion, the referee was unsighted and ruled in favour of the visitors who rode their luck, breaking away on one occasion to score at the other end.

 Maidstone’s three quarter line is beginning to have a settled look and, with Ryan on one wing and Howson on the other, the attacking potential is high. And so it proved, with these two getting three of the five tries scored, with Mitchell and Arnold completing the set. But so much more could have been achieved if Ryan, in particular, had been fed the ball after the initial break had been made.

The pack is also settling into a strong rhythm, and on this occasion, Fin Davis had a storming game in attack, ably backed by Hugh Ridgen on the other side of the scrum, regularly gaining turn over the ball at the breakdown.

Sevenoaks came into the game after their first win of the season the previous Saturday, after six straight losses, but Maidstone showing no complacency, started strongly and posted a Craig Whitehead penalty on two minutes when the home side went off-side at a scrum. This was followed by a Ryan try at the quarter, taking the ball on the inside from centre Bailey, to score half way out with Whitehead again adding the points.

Throughout this period, Stones had looked sluggish and uncoordinated, with a number of breaks failing to find linking players and, in a five minute period on the half hour, were made to pay for their uncertainty. From a scrum on the Sevenoaks 22, the home side moved the ball right, to the wide blindside, and with swift, incisive passes, beat the Maidstone cover to put in open side flanker Adam Barnes in the corner. Full back Rowley added the conversion to bring the score back to 7-10.

From the kick off, Sevenoaks repeated the swift passing medicine, this time aided by some powder puff tackling in the Maidstone centre, and winger Pollock made the left corner. The conversion hit the upright and bounced back to restrict the home side to a two point lead.

For the last ten minutes of the half, Maidstone played with more purpose and two Mitchell breaks could have led to points but on each occasion, the last piece in the jigsaw went missing and, at the break, Sevenoaks held on to their slender lead.

It was clear that the Maidstone half time talk had focused on urgency because, from the off, the pace of Maidstone’s game increased and, within two minutes, a good break by Fin Davis in the visitor’s 22 saw Arnold fed the ball to score by the posts. Whitehead again added the points to restore Maidstone’s lead. This was consolidated after ten minutes by a try from Mitchell after winger Ryan had forced a turnover after a crunching tackle on his opposite number. A 31-12 gap opened when winger, Howson, intercepted a Sevenoaks pass in his own 22, and sped the length of the field to touch down under the posts.

Sevenoaks were not a spent force and they proceeded to camp on the Maidstone try line for much of the next twenty minutes. Salt was rubbed into the home side’s wounds, however, when Maidstone’s Fin Davis grabbed the ball when Sevenoaks were reaching for the try line and broke past the defence to put Howson clear again to score under the posts, bringing the final score to 12-38.

Once again in this match, Maidstone showed what a frustrating team they can be to follow. The potential in the players is clear for all to see but the slow starts and wasteful finishing after initial breaks, detract from the impact they make. When the team finally manages to get a full eighty minutes of coordinated rugby together, someone had better watch out!

Team

Martin Farbrace; Justin Murphy; Simon Hollister (Matt Plowman 60 mins): Sam Johnston; Steve Matthews (Andy Bacon 60 mins): Fin Davies, Hugh Ridgen: Ben Court: Craig Whitehead; Gary Whitehead: Mark Ryan; Aiden Bailey (Dane Smith 67mins); Scott Mitchell; Ian Howson: Martin Arnold (capt)

Scorers:

Maidstone 38

Tries: Ryan, Arnold, Mitchell, Howson (2)

Conversions: Craig Whitehead (5)

Penalty: Craig Whitehead (1)

Sevenoaks 12

Tries: Barnes, Pollock

Conversions: Rowley

Penalties: -