Match Report
Beckenham 64 by Trevor Langley
Maidstone 10
London League 1 South
Away at Beckenham, Saturday 20th February, 2010, Kick Off –2.30pm
With relegation now a certainty, albeit contingent on the financial viability of a number of clubs in higher leagues, Maidstone could approach this game in the knowledge they had nothing to lose. Would this release the shackles of inhibition and inspire a team performance worthy of note or would the recent past form inhabit ‘Team Maidstone’ once more?
As ever, the answer lay somewhere in the middle, with much endeavour and open play intermingled with defensive errors and sheer bad luck. But ultimately, the 64-10 score, which may appear harsh on the surface, underlined the gulf between these sides. Beckenham playing well as a unit, took most of the opportunities offered them, whereas, Maidstone failed to find equivalent cohesion and their individual efforts foundered on a solid defence and team ethic.
With Luke Debnam and Steve Matthews unavailable, veteran Mark Thurgood stepped up with Ian Lee to fill their places in the front and second row. And with Andy Bacon receiving treatment to his back before the game started, there were concerns that the pack would struggle against an eight that had dominated proceedings at home earlier in the season. This proved unfounded, as both the scrum and lineout delivered a fair share of ball throughout.
It was the coordination between the back row and Mike Molloy at scrum half that looked most under pressure and led to problems for the threequarters all afternoon as Beckenham probed this link like a dentist seeking a cavity, with the same amount of resulting pain.
Maidstone started the game positively and spent the first ten minutes in the Beckenham half. But when the home side set up a series of driving mauls, resulting in a penalty that was driven deep into the Maidstone 22, the resultant catch and drive had try written all over it and No 8, Thorne, duly delivered. Full back, Mahutariki, missed the conversion but soon made amends with a penalty, 35 metres out, to give Beckenham an early eight point margin.
With Maidstone pressing hard on the Beckenham line, the hard-luck factor kicked in when a pass that should have released winger, Fawcett, to the line was intercepted by his opposite number, Headlam, who ran the length of the pitch to score. A further penalty to the home side stretched the lead further before Maidstone showed their own attacking flair. Winning the ball from a scrum after the restart, Tim Wetjen released Craig Webb through a gap in the centre and he outpaced his opposite number and the full back to score under the posts allowing Molloy an easy conversion.
But Beckenham hit back immediately with a try of the own, from centre Jones, thereby undermining any pretence from the visitors that they could pressurise their hosts. A further converted try by full back, Mahutariki, put Beckenham in the box seat by half time with only a penalty by Molloy keeping the gap to 30-10.
A penalty to Beckenham immediately after the restart, followed by five further tries, sealed the fate of this game for Maidstone. With only pride to play for, the introduction of Damian Grab to the back row for Lee Thomson, gave a baptism of fire to this Polish import, which he took with both hands. But no amount of muscular endeavour or the more subtle skills and speed of replacement, Tom Harvey, on the wing, could stop the flow of Beckenham attack.
Maidstone ended the game a well beaten side, still having failed to find the extra dimension of team play that has eluded them all season.
Team
John O’Brien; Sam Bailey; Mark Thurgood (Martin Maytum 57mins): Andy Bacon; Ian Lee: Lee Thomson (Damian Grab 55 mins); Jack Lamb; Matt Iles: Mike Molloy; Tim Wetjen (Tom Harvey 57 mins): Neil Graves; Craig Webb; Mark Ryan; Lewis Fawcett: Duncan McClintock:
