Medway RFC U17s

9 December 2007

Monsoon weather (without the warmth) for an hour before kick-off made conditions difficult, although the extreme slope on the pitch meant that most of the surface water had drained away to make the match possible. But that slope and the increasingly treacherous slime underfoot was always going to make this a game of two halves. Who could put most points on the board while they had the advantage of the hill?

As it turned out: Medway. They had the advantage in the first half and made light of the mud and a 10 minute torrential downpour to clock up five tries and a conversion without reply before the break. Hove looked to use their big pack to get back in the game in the second half, and got within eight points in a spirited comeback before Medway closed out the game.

A slippery ball and the ice rink ground would normally dictate keeping the ball tight and using the forwards to gain ground by driving the ball. No such thing! Medway threw the ball around like it was summer, running the ball from their own 22 and chipping the ball beyond the defensive line when it was warranted.

Within five minutes this approach had borne fruit, when a dink over the top by Stewart Stockford was regained and Tom Barnes ploughed down the field before offloading to Richard Verrall who dived over. Paul Pierce converted and Medway had the early lead.

Shortly afterwards a flyhack by Jamie Chapman was chased deep into Hove's 22. They set up a maul, and the ball was passed back to their fly-half in the in-goal to clear. The Hove No. 10 had a good game, but unfortunately this time he dropped it. The Medway 10, James Davies, who had begun the game like his shorts were on fire, chased in and touched down.

Medway's forwards were competing fiercely at the set-piece and the breakdown, and it was a stolen ball at a lineout on Medway's 22 that produced the try of the match. Many sides might have kicked it into touch and been grateful, but instead the ball was moved down the back line with ground gained by the centres Stockford and Verrall before the ball reached Chapman on the wing who went into the corner.

Skipper and man of the match Stewart Stockford, directing the game and leading by example at inside centre, then produced a superb individual try. He ran the ball in from his own 22 after a deceptive step and burst of speed fooled the final defender.

Before the half ended, another break by Stockford and good support and carry by Sam Levitt left the ball loose for Aaron Dimmick following up. Five metres out, with some panache but against all common sense, he scooped the greasy ball off the ground one-handed and carried it over the line. (Mind you, had he knocked the ball forward with the try-line at his mercy he would have been crucified).

So the first half party ended with Medway 27 - 0 in front. Hove then made their intentions clear within a minute of the restart by winning a scrum and making a blindside dash into the corner. The conversion into the wind was successful and the home side had a platform for a comeback.

With territorial advantage now theirs, Hove put immense pressure on the visitors. Having drawn in the defence they spread the ball wide, and their speedy right wing was a threat more than once. At top speed where the slope was greatest, he was tackled illegally, and the tapped penalty was driven through.

Medway's defence was creaking, and Hove broke through again when a loose ball was hacked into an oncoming forward, who then followed up the rebound under the posts. The conversion went over and the Medway supporters were getting just a little nervous as Hove were now within eight points at 19 - 27.

However, Medway decided enough was enough. Strong tackling in the centre and effective cover out wide by Jonathan Saddington and Tom Bourne, even when outnumbered, snuffed out Hove's last few chances and

eventually Medway came away and put some pressure on of their own. Spending five minutes in Hove's 22 eventually saw No. 8 Paul Pierce pick up from a five-metre scrum and the pack drove him over. Stockford slotted the conversion to make the score 19 - 34 and the last few minutes were played out without further drama.

Both sides and their coaches deserve great credit for producing refreshing and entertaining rugby in testing conditions, with good sportsmanship on display.