23 January 2008
Am on the break
Dover have come a long way since Medway beat them convincingly at the Kent Tens last September. They arrived with a large squad and a multitude of coaches, while Medway were missing their England triallists and few other regular starters through injury. There was also a pleasingly large crowd, including a few Medway first teamers (although the opening of the club bar on a Wednesday night might have had something to do with that!).
It was immediately clear that Dover have been re-organised and drilled into efficiency. From the kick-off and with the strong wind at their backs they put Medway under pressure, and Medway had to rely on hard tackling to keep them out in the first ten minutes.
Then, typically, Medway scored with their first counter-attack. They first drove a maul down the right wing and then moved the ball left where it found Stewart Stockford on the wing (what he was doing there only he knows). Cutting inside he was half-tackled on the five-metre line but, using the spare pair of eyes he keeps in the back of his head, a quick and crafty offload out of the back of his hand found JoeJelfs in support and the try was a formality.
Jig is caught for once
Dover returned to the Medway 22 straight away, and hit back quickly with a penalty after an infringment at the breakdown to make the score 5 - 3.
The game developed into an intriguing contrast of styles, as Dover's efficient driving and recycling made ground consistently, while Medway had more of a cutting edge when the backs threw it around and used their pace. It was the latter that produced the next score on 25 minutes, as a lineout on Dover's 22 was gathered by Paul Pierce and the ball moved swiftly down the line. When it got to Jamie Chapman on the wing, he ripped past the last two defenders like they weren't there and went over close to the posts. Stockford converted.
Dover's resilience was required and just before half time they kicked another penalty to bring the score to 12 - 6 at the break.
The Medway defence awaits
The second period was a disappointment after such a well-contested first half. With the wind now in their favour Medway looked more threatening and were able to gain ground with the boot. But quick use of the ball through the hands was difficult as the strong wind tended to make the ball float rather than rifle to the receiver.
Apart from one break from their own 22 Dover were unable to penetrate Medway's defence, and visited Medway's 22 briefly only once in the second period. Medway looked more likely to score and had the better of possession and territory, but Dover's defence was good and the game was largely a bruising stalemate in midfield.
