Match Report
Maidstone 14
Dover 39
London League 1 South By Trevor Langley
Home at The Mote, Saturday 12th December, 2009, Kick Off –2.00pm
In their visit to Dover, early in the season, Maidstone came up against a well drilled side with a formidable back line, marshalled brilliantly from the fly half position by Martin Beaumont. To counter this and overcome the lacklustre display last week by the pack, Maidstone brought John O’Brien and Martin Maytum back into the front row, to give both solidity in the tight and something extra in the loose, along with Charlie Simpson into the second row. Peter Horne moved to his true position, scrum half, having shaken off the shoulder injury that has been niggling him all season.
With the Maidstone team playing, as selected, and with a strong bench, a close encounter was in prospect. The heavy pitch, after all the recent rain, should have been another factor to inhibit free flowing rugby, but Dover quickly dispelled any thoughts of an easy afternoon for the home side, as within a minute of the kick off, centre Jamie Townley, finished off a move, started from Dover’s own half, in the corner.
In fact, this score epitomised the difference between the sides. Dover made a hash of receiving the kick off, but from a position of weakness, they swiftly turned defence into attack and a deftly positioned kick by Beaumont found space behind the Maidstone line and Townley reacted quicker than the defence.
Two more scores, both in the second half, were claimed by Dover from their quick thinking, making up almost all the difference in the final 14-39 scoreline. Games are won, and lost, on such invention.
A second Dover score on ten minutes, this time from a more conventional move to the left wing, Mark Beaumont, saw the visitors go 12 points clear and with a penalty, three minutes later extending the lead to fifteen, the prospects of a heavy defeat loomed large.
But like the proverbial curates egg, Maidstone had already managed to show that among the errors, they could mount meaningful attacks. And from the restart their pressure resulted in a penalty which was pushed in to touch, deep in the Dover 22. The resulting catch and drive was sweeping to the line when it was illegally pulled down by Dover flanker, Collins. The award of a penalty try, and the subsequent conversion, brought a different perspective on the game and had the full penalty against the Dover player been implemented, namely a yellow card, it might have given a greater advantage to the home side.
As it was, Maidstone continued to pressure the visitors. But ten minutes before the break, Dover added to their lead, when the ball popped out of a ruck on the Maidstone line and centre Tonks reacted before anyone on the Maidstone team, to touch down out wide. The 20-7 lead this gave the visitors was maintained until the half-time whistle.
The second half started with Maidstone in the ascendancy, but fly half Beaumont quickly showed what quick thinking and pace can do. From a ruck just in the Maidstone half, the Dover player spotted a gap in the Maidstone defence and chipped into it, winning the race to the ball to fly hack it to the line before diving over by the posts, confirming seven more points for the Dover total.
Two further tries by Dover secured the win before Maidstone came back, at the death, Steve Matthews powering over after two previous short range attempts had been repulsed. Horne added the conversion to give a more respectable look to the scoreline but the disparity between the second-placed, Dover, and the home side was there for all to see.
Team
John O’Brien; Josh Pankhurst; Martin Maytum (Luke Debnam 62mins): Charlie Simpson; Steve Matthews: Lee Thomson (Andy Bacon 50 mins); Nick Sargent; Ben Court: Peter Horne; Mike Molloy (Matt Iles 52 mins): Lewis Fawcett; Neil Graves; Ben Cleary; Gareth Hill: Mark Ryan
