11 January 2009
This was a scrappy affair with neither side at their best, but some slick work by the Beckenham backs in the second half was enough to overcome a dysfunctional Medway side.
Beckenham had slightly the better of the territory and possession in the first half and scored after 15 minutes following a 5 metre lineout and pushover combination. They retained the lead until the last play of the half when Medway's first sustained pressure of the match resulted in as penalty in front of the posts. Tapping quickly and moving the ball to the wing, Stewart Stockford was able to go over. Neither try was converted and the score at half time remained 5 - 5.
With the stiffish breeze at their backs, Beckenham dominated the second half. They retook the lead when they moved the ball from left wing to right and back again, stretching the Medway defence and earning a penalty for offside. A quick tap and a dummy and a man was under the posts for a converted try.
Medway briefly made a foray into the Beckenham 22 when Jamie Chapman and Tom Barnes combined, but the ball was ultimately knocked on and the danger cleared. From then on it was all Beckenham. Despite some decent defensive performances, Beckenham's backs were able to combine well and create overlaps that threatened constantly. Some bad handling on the right wing denied them a couple of times, but then a great pick up by their left wing put him into the corner. With the last play of the match the right wing finally got a grip on the ball after a smooth move through the backs' hands and he produced a mazy run through a number of missed tackles to score to give Beckenham a well deserved victory by 24 - 5.
