Maidstone 3rd XV 27
Aylesford 2nd XV 5
Maidstone 3rd XV 27
Aylesford 2nd XV 5
Having lost to the Bulls 3rd team last year it was with a little trepidation that we made the short trip across town to play our bitter rivals. The team were always going to be up for it knowing the history between the clubs and the fact that Aylesford have been struggling with results. The team were boosted by Richard Gray volunteering to hook and the return of the leggy Chris Leggat on the wing( no pun intended, especially if you have seen him run). There was added spice in that our old friend Fijian Lee was playing, and it is always a great challenge when you are playing against such a formidable opponent and such a great gentleman.
From kick off Maidstone showed that they meant business and the forwards gave plenty of grunt and edge in the loose, letting the Aylesford pack know that they were going to be in for a very physical afternoon. Close driving and ball retention were the order of the day, and with Sean Charlton snapping at their heels, they started to make inroads into the Aylesford defence. From this sort of play, Charlton snuck down the blindside and fed Rich Gray who scampered over and just manage to ground the ball in the corner, for a deserved opening try, only the third of his career.
Another feature of Maidstone’s play was the pressure they put on Aylesford when they did not have the ball. Leggat in particular made 2 or 3 telling tackles on players who were trying to run the ball out of defence, and he was always backed up by the flying Ben Rookledge who was constantly hunting an opposition shirt. This pressure led to a penalty for holding on which Banfield duly slotted.
Maidstone lost their spritely centre Dom Baxter with a calf strain, but fortunately had the Welsh wisp Dai Price to come on. He was soon in the thick of it. Forward drives from Mac, Plowman, wright and Vrey put pressure on the Aylesford line and when the ball came out Price shrugged off 3 players to bundle over near the posts. Price looks like a prop and has a very low centre of gravity which makes him hard to put down. He also has a lovely hip swing, which fools the opposition and would make him a great contender on Strictly Come Dancing – though he would probably be partnering a sheep. Banfield does what Banfield does to give Maidstone 15 point cushion.
Just before half time, more forward bulldozing close to the line saw Rookledge dart for the line, and despite his light weight appearance he clawed his way over with a one handed reach and 3 men on him, showing his usual grit and determination – a great score, added to by Banfield, to give a half lead of 22-0 leaving Aylesford totally stunned.
Maidstone knew that if they continued to play like this then they would squeeze the life out of Aylesford. A similar opening gave added confidence but a loose line out saw Aylesford break out and feed their hooker in the corner, to all of a sudden give some doubts to the tired Maidstone players. Aylesford were boosted by the score and suddenly upped their game , putting more and more pressure on Maidstone, though never really threatening to score. Maidstone stood firm, much due to the unseen work of Tom Challis who won ball at the breakdown and secured ball for his team-no one does this better. Staunch defence in the backs, and bulldozing runs from Banfield at full back also gave Aylesford plenty of food for thought.
Maidstone gradually re established their dominance and composure, pressurising Aylesford on their line from scrum and driving play, and credit to Aylesford who defended well. A scrum ball on the 22m line saw Hogy dummy scissor 2 players, sear through the hole he had created and feed Eugene to score under the posts. A sublime move, one which really made all the hard forward work worthwhile. Truly aesthetic – I will explain this term to the pack next week!!
There were also some great moves down the right wing from Jack Shiraby, Jaques and Tom Challis, cutting through and only being stopped by last ditch tackles.
A supreme and sweet victory by Maidstone , made even sweeter when we saw the first team jumping for joy – many congratulations to them. An awesome team performance from one to seventeen( thanks Stu) and one that will certainly stay in the memory for some time despite half the team having altzheimers.
Man of match – virtually impossible to give because of so many outstanding efforts, but Rich Gray stepped in to hook, picked up kit, scored first try, was superb around the pitch and works for a brewery, so he has to be the choice!!
