Maidstone 22
Chobham 34
Match Report
London League 1 South by Trevor langley
Home at The Mote, Saturday 17th October, 2009, Kick Off –3.00pm
This was the game that got away from an improved Maidstone side in a ten minute spell before the interval, when three tries were conceded with prop, John O’Brien cooling his heels in the bin. Up to this point, Maidstone had looked the livelier outfit with the firepower to add to their own brace of tries but the final 22-34 scoreline ultimately told the story of this encounter.
After last week’s rearguard against a strong Chichester outfit, Director of Rugby, Andy Golding, was keen to see further progress this week and with new recruit, Mike Molloy, coming in at scrum half, the back line had a combative look about it. With Josh Pankhurst sidelined by a shoulder injury, Ed Pritchard, back from his University studies in the west country, came in at hooker into an otherwise unchanged pack.
Chobham have found their own form elusive this year, compared to last, when they started the season with a bang, running up a record score against a weak Maidstone team early on. But in early play, it soon became clear that Maidstone were able to pressurise the Chobham pack as, on eight minutes from a Chobham scrum, Maidstone’s Molloy picked up the loose ball and fed his line. While the first thrust was held, Molloy was on hand to burrow over near the posts to make the conversion a formality and for Maidstone to post a seven point lead.
Frustratingly, Maidstone then took their foot off the gas, allowing Chobham back into the game. A penalty chance to the visitors was missed before a loose tap back at the line out was snapped up by Berrigan to score near the corner. With Smith adding a fine conversion, the scores were back level.
Maidstone hit back immediately, following a typically thrusting run down the left by Neil Graves before the ball was worked back infield for Cleary to finish off half way out.
A moment of madness followed as Maidstone’s prop, O’Brien, and Chobham’s hooker, Brown, traded blows before finding themselves yellow carded. This proved decisive for the home side as they conceded a soft try almost immediately, right wing, Ligain-Badham, strolling into the corner. With kicker Smith once more adding the points, Maidstone found themselves behind for the first time.
Further Maidstone indiscipline was doubly punished when a try scoring break by Graves was pulled back and Smith added a penalty to his growing points tally. The final stroke to this ten minute disaster was struck just on the half-time whistle.
A Maidstone scrum in the Chobham 22 was wheeled and from the turnover, despite strong Maidstone pressure, winger Roberts squirmed his way through the centre to set up a decisive break with centre Walsh ultimately on hand to score in the corner. With Smith once more unerring, the half-time score of 12-24 looked a mountain for the home side.
A further try to the visitors on the quarter hour further cemented their position, when winger Roberts came in off his wing to score by the posts. Frustratingly, having squandered a position of advantage and, seemingly, down and out, Maidstone came back into the game in the last quarter. Firstly, from a line out on the Chobham 22, the ball was spun right and when the attack was held, quick ball from the ruck delivered left, found prop, Rob Jeffrey on hand to scamper the last few yards to the corner.
A second Maidstone try as the clock ran down, this time with replacement Lewis Fawcett finishing off a pitch length move, showed what might have been, but it was too little, too late with the final word coming from Chobham kicker, Smith, adding a penalty on full time to round out another disappointing 22-34 loss.
Team
John O’Brien; Ed Pritchard (Martin Maytum 62 mins); Rob Jeffrey: Steve Matthews; Andy Bacon: Charlie Simpson (Sean Walker 40 mins); Jack Lamb; Matt Iles: Mike Molloy; Ryan Mills; Neil Graves; Peter Horne; Ben Cleary; Damien Houlihan (Lewis Fawcett 60 mins): Duncan McClintock
