Match Report
Tunbridge Wells 29
Maidstone 10
London League 1 South
by Trevor Langley
Away at T Wells, Saturday 2nd Jan, 2009, Kick Off –2.15pm
This game with local rival, Tunbridge Wells, was postponed just before Christmas due to snow and there were doubts whether this rescheduled encounter would take place. But the pitch was unaffected by overnight frost and remained in prime condition.
Maidstone wanted to start the New Year with a bang but three late withdrawals, due to sickness and injury, hampered preparations. Dave Tugwell stepped up to scrum half and delivered his usual committed performance, while new recruit, Craig Webb came into the centre, with Lee Thomson coming in at blind side for Jack Lamb.
With Chris Trezise taking over from unavailable Andy Bacon in the second row and Matt Iles starting t No 8, there were concerns that the pack would struggle to find rhythm with so many changes, but this proved to be unfounded. On the contrary, the pack held its own throughout and Matt Iles produced his best game this season, making a number of penetrating runs off the base of the scrum and ultimately producing Maidstone’s only try.
Maidstone started the game at high tempo, and for the first five minutes camped in the Tunbridge Wells half. This early pressure paid off when Horne slotted a penalty from 35 metres to put the visitors into an early lead.
But Wells came back and had their own spell of pressure which Maidstone withstood until the quarter hour, when, from a scrum on their own ten metre line, the ball was fed to full back May, coming into the line. With a deft cut back he flat footed the Maidstone cover and ran in near the posts to make the conversion by Murtagh a formality.
Another piece of slack defending in mid-filed allowed a second try for Wells, five minutes later. This time left-wing, Thorneycroft, completed the move with Murtagh again adding the points to post a 14-3 lead.
But it was not all one-way traffic. Maidstone threatened the Tunbridge Wells line on a number of occasions, notably just before half-time when a sharp break by Iles down the blind side, set Lee Thomson free. Although he was stopped just short of the line, the subsequent play set up three attempts on the Wells line. Despite their best efforts, all three thrusts were held before the ball was cleared to safety.
Tunbridge Wells started the second half looking for an early score and a high tackle soon allowed them a penalty that Murtagh converted with ease. But Maidstone continued to probe and set up their own opportunities and should have scored, once more, when Neil Graves made a break to set up John O’Brien outside him but the final pass to winger Fawcett was forward.
With the game opening up, Wells bagged a third try on the quarter hour when from a penalty, they opted to go to touch and employ the catch and drive. While this thrust was held, they recycled the ball for No. 8 Lineham to get the touch down, wide on the right to post a 22-3 lead.
Another opportunity to Maidstone was squandered on the half hour, when Iles again broke from the base of a scrum to feed Ryan on the wide blind side. A typical thrusting run by the skipper should have resulted in a score but the final pass was knocked on, to everyone’s frustration.
Maidstone continued to play open, attacking rugby but there were too many mistakes to generate sustained pressure and Wells’ defence held firm before they turned the situation round and full back May once again found space in mid-field to slice through to raise the lead to 29-3.
At the restart, Maidstone showed what might have been when they won back the ball and Tugwell quickly fed Graves whose pass to Iles allowed him a free run under the posts to give a slightly more respectable look to the final score.
But the difference between the teams lay in the ability to consistently deliver a final pass and finish off, otherwise, well constructed moves. If Maidstone had taken half of the clear chances they made, the game would have had a significantly different outcome.
Team
John O’Brien; Nick East; Luke Debnam: Chris Trezise; Steve Matthews: Lee Thomson; Nick Sargent (Sam Bailey 40 mins); Matt Iles: Dave Tugwell; Peter Horne: Lewis Fawcett; Neil Graves; Craig Webb; Gareth Hill: Mark Ryan
