Deal Wanderers 10 Medway 26
N
ewly promoted Deal Wanderers found out on Saturday how hard Kent 2 rugby
was going to be. They fully expected their huge pack to dominate the set
pieces and punch wholes through the mid field. That never happened as the
Medway pack destroyed them in all aspects of play, winning most lineouts
and often driving them off their own scrum put in. Medway had
large amounts of possession which they found hard to capitalise on because
of Deal’s spoiling tactics. Deal went ahead with a penalty early
on and it was quite some time before Med way got quick clean possession
moved down the three quarters for Danny Williams to score in the corner.
At 7-3 half time Medway were quite frustrated but also confident quick
possession would result in their far superior backs running amok amongst
the Deal defence. Better possession was exactly what they got
as the heavier Deal pack wilted under the pressure. New signing Adrian
Blundell punched holes through the centre and seasoned veteran Geoff Kempt
appeared all over the place create the overlaps, resulting in tries from
Geoff kempt, Ryan Olsen and Danny Williams again. A fiasco with the very
last play of the game gave Deal a try after two consecutive quick penalties
were taken to disbelief of the Medway players.
The final score of 26-10 was somewhat flattering to Deal as Medway dominated all areas of the game and had several tries disallowed because the referee could not see the ball grounded.
Medway 41 Bexley 13
After the lacklustre performance
against Vigo last week the Medway crowd expected a tough ride against
the team that beat them twice last season. Although there were only two
changes from the previous week the home side looked a 
totally different
outfit. The pack dominated their opposition to such an extent in the
scrums that the first score came from a push over by No 8 Dave Davies.
The wind, slope and the trusty boot of skipper Spencer Peek pinned the
opposition into their own half for most of the first period. Once there
the Medway pack reeked havoc by tying in the defence with rolling mauls
and short inter passing, sucking in the defence before letting the ball
go down the back line. 6’6” Aussie new signing, Adrian
Blundell, took out two or three defenders at a time with crash ball and
it was inevitable gaps would appear on the flank. Three of those opportunities
were taken with two tries for full back Nick Diessner and prop Mick Head.
Two rare incursions into Medway territory gave the visitors points from
a penalty and a superb drop goal leaving the score 22-6 at half time.
Against the wind and slope the home forwards raised their game even further
spoiling Bexley’s hard won possession. In their frustration at
not being able to break down the Medway defence Bexley gambled on risky
plays and were punished twice by Adrian Blundell who snatched possession
in midfield and sprinted 40 metres under the posts. Such was the Medway
pack dominance that between the Blundell scores another certain push
over resulted in a penalty try as the Bexley pack infringed on their
line. Credit to the visitors they didn’t give up pressur ising
Medway for the last ten minutes earning a score from a well orchestrated
rolling maul.
HSBC 15 Medway 12
After last week’s great game, this was a dismal affair with both teams making a hash of what should have been simple play. Medway came out the worst because they made more errors and did not capitalise on the opportunities that arose, missing three certain tries and four easy penalties.
The first twenty minutes of the game
was a complete stalemate in the middle of the pitch. HSBC converted
a penalty to break the deadlock and Medway replied shortly after with
one of the only positive moves of the half, Martin Farbrace stealing
the ball and putting Geoff Kempt away on the wing to score in the corner. Medway
had the upper hand in the scrums and line-outs with Gary Davies taking
all of the ball at the front. Although Medway won lots of ball,
they didn’t do a lot with it. The little ball that HSBC
got they capitalised on when poor defence by Medway let them crash through
the centre to score under the posts.
Towards the end of the half, Medway pressurised and gained a penalty close to the HSBC try-line and elected to take a scrum for an attempt at a pushover. The advance to the line was thwarted by illegal play and a penalty try was awarded.
The second half should have been easier for Medway because of the slight slope and it appeared that they would score due to the sustained pressure. However an overlap went wrong when the winger spilled the ball two metres from the line and on another occasion the full back cut inside when he had a certain overlap. Missing these scores encouraged the opposition and their backs tackled really well, and when they got possession, punished Medway making lots of ground and on one occasion they moved the ball down the line to score on the right wing.
The game was marred by injuries to both sides but Medway’s resulted in Liam Weobley and Danny Williams having to leave the pitch.
Medway 10 Sheppey 25
Medway have not been putting the performances together recently and injuries to key players did not help their cause this week. Visitors Sheppey in the end were too strong for the struggling Medway.
The start was positive enough with
Medway winning some good ball from the forwards setting up Ryan Olsen
to batter his way through the centre to score under the posts. Unfortunately
Medway don’t have an effective place kicker so the additional two
points were lost. The remainder of the half was very even, Sheppey having
slightly more possession but often pegged back into their own half by
good kicks from Captain Spencer Peek. The visitors caused the home side
several problems with breakaways by their backs from Medway mistakes
and only last ditch tackles from the full back, Nick Deissner, on more
than one occasion saved a score. Sustained pressure from Sheppey resulted
in a penalty ten metres out from which they ran a set move and powered
over for a try to level the scores. Like Medway the two points were not
claimed as the kick hit the upright.
The visitors started to get the upper hand straight from the kick off in the second half. They forced Medway close to their goal line and broke through the defence to score under the posts. A converted penalty a couple of minutes later saw the game drifting away from the home side. Spirited play and a little bit of “Handbags at close quarters “ earned Medway No8, Billy Humphrey, a sin bin for ten minutes but in the same incident the Sheppey hooker got his marching orders for retaliation. With Sheppey one man down Medway sensed there may be an opportunity and once again centre, Ryan Olsen, supplied the goods by crashing through the defence just to the left of the posts. Another missed kick didn’t help their desperate cause. Sheppey raised their game for the last ten minutes putting in two more tries to put the game outside Medway’s reach for a deserved win.
Shooters Hill 13 Medway 19
The roller coaster ride of fortunes for Medway this season continued this time with a very gutsy win away at Shooters Hill. Although The Medway side ran in three tries to the locals one it was always close as the home side kicker slotted a couple of good penalties.
Ryan Olsen cut through the centre
and Bill Humphrey crashed over from a loose maul to score the tries for
Medway in the first half with Captain Spencer Peek converting one and
narrowly missing the other. The only reply from Shooters Hill was a sweetly
struck penalty.
For the first 20 minutes of the second half Medway had to defend their line against a barrage of attacks and it looked ominous as the home side put their winger away in the corner for a try, coolly slotted the conversion and took the lead with another impressive penalty kick. Thankfully twenty minutes was all the heavy local forwards could sustain as they quickly tired of the battering tackles that Medway were unleashing on them. From that point onwards Medway dominated and it was not long before fly half Spencer Peek looped out onto the left wing and ran in under the posts for the deciding score which he converted himself.
The most encouraging aspect for the Medway coach was the determination of the whole team and their ability to increase the level of effort towards the end of the match and grind out the win. Dominic Collins, usually the hooker, deserves a special mention as he was outstanding playing as open side flanker.
Medway 27 Erith 11
Two tries for 21st birthday boy Richard Bates on his return to Medway after 12 weeks away doing army basic training.
Medway’s confidence was high prior to this match after winning their last game and looking impressive in training. Four coaches are now working with the local side during the week and it’s starting to show. The forwards dominated for much of the match especially in the set pieces and the quality ball the backs received was well used by the very pacey youngsters in the three quarter line. Two tries in the first half from winger Richard Bates and fly half and captain Spencer Peek were a pleasure to watch as the whole back line swung the ball from side to side eventually outflanking the opposition. With one of these converted it looked an easy game for the locals to take. Erith however had other ideas as they pressed hard in the forwards forcing Medway to concede a converted try followed shortly after by a sweetly struck penalty.
Playing down the slope in the second
half should have been easier but the determined visitors camped in the
Medway 22 for the first 10-15 minutes coming close to scoring on a few
occasions. After weathering this initial onslaught with determined defence
the superiority of the pack started to tell and for virtually the remainder
of the match the game was played in Erith territory. Only a long range
penalty troubled the home side as they put in a second try for Bates
out wide and one under the posts by centre Ryan Olsen as he capitalise
on a forced defensive error.
For periods of play today Medway looked clinical and would trouble any of the other sides in their league. They now have to work on sustaining these periods for longer and they will reap the rewards. Sterling efforts all round but especially from prop Micky Head who didn’t take a step backward the whole game.
Medway 24 Dover 2nd 0
Another week off from league action
for the local side gave them the opportunity for a return match against
Dover’s second string at Priestfields. In a friendly for the first
game of the season at Dover Medway were narrowly beaten by the 
young
Dover side. Saturdays match was a stark contrast as Medway dominated
in virtual all areas of the game. The Medway pack, as they have done
often before, dominated set pieces on occasions pushing their opposition
backward more than 10 metres. What little possession Dover did
get Medway’s defence spoiled and turned over. As th e visitor’s
frustration mounted, gaps appeared in their defence, which the local
lads exploited with four of the best tries seen at Priestfields in a
long time.
The opening try of the match was a classic backs move with the fly half looping to create the overlap for their electric winger, Richard Bates, to score in the corner. Towards the end of the first half No8 Billy Humphrey picked up from the back of a scrum and off loaded to scrum half Rob Longstaff who side stepped two defenders to score. Spencer Peek nailed the conversion into a very strong wind.
The second half was more of the same with Richard Bates scoring another out wide and veteran prop, Mick Head, making the extra man on the opposite wing. Spencer Peek converted one and narrowly missed the other.
A feature of the game was the marked improvement in Medway’s rucking for which Steve Smith deserves a mention as he secured a vast amount of loose ball.
Overall this was the best 80 minute performance Medway have put together this season against a side who would have exploited opportunities if they had arisen
Old Olavians 16 Medway 8
Medway
only have themselves to blame for succumbing to Olavians on a wet and dismal
Saturday which was not conducive to open rugby . The Medway pack
was dominant throughout the game winning vast amounts of possession and
driving the home side backward virtually at will. They should have scored
more tries but all too often they over 
complicated things and gave away
the advantage. As it turned out they could only manage one try which came
from a push over scrum grounded by No 8 Billy Humphrey. That lone try combined
with a penalty were the only scores for Medway in a half they should have
won by 20 clear points.
In the second half shrewd tactical kicking with the breeze from Olavians pinned Medway into their own territory where their backs always looked like they could cause problems on the wide pitch if they could win any decent possession. Infringements in the loose by Medway gave them the opportunity to close the score with penalties which they gratefully took and not long after they gained the vital possession they needed passed the ball out wide for their pacey winger to score a good try.
To be fair to Olavians they really fought hard and had the will to win in the second half and Medway never looked like coming back from that score.
Medway 3 Old Gravesendians 17
Medway found out today how important
it is to make the tackles count especially against top of the table Old
Gravesendians who clinically exploited two opportunities in what was
otherwise a very tough close contest. The first forty minutes of play
rarely got to either goal line with territorial advantage going marginally
to the visitors. A converted penalty was all either side could achieve
in the first half.
Virtually straight form the second half kick off Medway were punished for missing a tackle on one of the visitors centres who crashed through from 30 metres out. Much of the remainder of the half was a stalemate similar to the first but at 8-3 down with time running out the Medway lads tried to manufacture an opportunity by running from deep within their own 22. A spilled pass gave Old Gravesendians a relatively simple run in for a converted try to seal the match, which they deserved.
Greenwich 0 Medway 38
A
rest from league action gave Medway a chance to pick up the pieces of a
disappointing last few games when they took on Greenwich in the Kent Vase.
On paper this should have been a formality as Greenwich are currently struggling
at the bottom of Kent 3 but cup matches are never that easy. Home side
Greenwich were fired up for the challenge and 
physically gave the local
lads a hard time. However they were outclassed and didn’t
get much ball finding themselves camped in their own half for nearly the
entire match. Stout defending by the Greenwich three quarter line stopped
Medway running away with the game early on but with constant pressure it
was inevitable that breakthroug hs would occur. Tries in the first half
came from No 8 Billy Humphrey, centre Gareth Marlow and second row Martin
Farbrace with two converted into the wind to almost put the tie outside
of Greenwich’s reach.
More of the same pressure in the second half gave opportunities for Captain Spencer Peek, centre Danny Williams and Martin Farbrace with his second of the game. A couple of good conversion from Peek and Marlow sealed the victory. The point’s margin could have been far greater had it not been for the spirited fight put up by the Greenwich team.
Seventeen year old Simon Rumsey acquitted himself admirably in his first senior game.
Erith 20 Medway 3
Everyone expected it to be hard getting over the Christmas festivities but Erith accomplished it far better than Medway when they comfortably beat the local lads on Saturday. Even though Medway have not won many games recently their pack has produced a fair amount of ball and generally not been troubled by the opposition. This was not the case in this fixture as for most of the first half and some of the second the Erith Eight dominated. This made it very difficult for the Medway scrum half as he was always on the back foot. Although Medway were not firing on all cylinders they did defend well under pressure in the first half and only conceded one converted try through a rare lapse of tackling in the backs.
A long range penalty put Erith 10 up early in the second half, which
spurred Medway to produce their best play of the game. An overlap out wide
in midfield put winger Richard Bates through uncontested in the corner
only for the referee, some 30 metres behind, to disallow the score because
he could not see the ball grounded. It was almost the last quarter before
Medway scored their first points through a penalty from Marlow and that
success was short lived as Erith replied with one of their own. With time
running out Medway tried to run from their own 22 delivered a forward pass
and from the ensuing scrum Erith giant flanker powered through to put the
game deservedly out of reach.
Medway 7 Old Gravesendians 12
Medway gave the runaway Kent 2 league leaders a serious fright in this Kent Cup quarter final. OGs, who haven’t lost this season, were given a very stern test by the local lads and were on the balance of play very fortunate to come out victorious.
For most of the first half Medway
camped in the visitors half due to the pack once again winning good quality
clean ball, which was distributed superbly by the new half back pairing
of Spencer Peek and.Richard Bates. The OGs defence had to be good to
keep Medway out on numerous occasions but the pressure finally told when
M artin Farbrace crashed over for a try from a five metre lineout after
a clean catch and drive. Spencer Peek slotted the conversion from wide
out. The only time the visitors entered the Medway half they were gifted
a try when a rushed clearance rebounded off of a Medway player only to
be scooped up and touched down by OGs right wing. The score was converted
to leave the game even at half time.
The second half was far more balanced with both sides coming close a couple of times. Unfortunately for Medway lady luck deserted them again when under pressure OGs quality centre spooned the ball out of a tackle on the touchline and won the rac e to the line. The linesman gave it in touch the referee overruled and awarded the score. With 15 minutes to go OGs paid Medway a great compliment by trying to kick a long range drop goal which would have put them ahead by two scores. It went wide and the local side upped the tempo but could not get the score they deserved to take the game. It’s difficult to understand how they can play so well as they did today but lose to far easier opposition in the league.
Medway 12 Shooters Hill 25
After
the Cup game last week Medway should have been extremely confident about
the home clash with Shooters Hill and they started the game in that vein
with Spencer Peek punishing Shooters Hill’s infringements with two
well struck 
penalties early on. However thing got steadily worse from that
point on as the visitors started to dominate the unpredictable Medway pack
scoring a good try from determined rucking and mauling. Spencer Peek slotted
two more penalties to secure a fragile half time lead for the locals but
in fairness they never looked like crossing the Shooters Hill line.
The slope advantage in the second half wa s quickly neutralised as the Shooters Hill forwards raised their game destroying the Medway defence. Living off scraps of possession and committing the cardinal sin of not clearing their lines on several occasions it was inevitable that the visitors would score. That they did, three times, all coming from their impressive forwards who battered their way over the Medway line sealing a comfortable victory.
Medway will have to sort themselves out quickly if they are to save themselves from relegation to Kent 3.
Sheppey 48 Medway 3
Medway severely depleted through
sickness and injury still managed to field a team against high flying
Shepp ey this weekend. Regular 2nd team player Mieron Webber admirably
stepped up to the mark as 
the only recognised prop in the team with Dominic
Collins moving out to tight head from his regular hooking position. Andy
Connell joined the front row as hooker and Matt Jackson, who has been
out for a whole season with a shoulder injury, agreed to play at the
last minute to fill the slot at scrum half vacated for the day by captain
Spencer Peek who moved to fly half. If injuries and sickness were not
enough to contend with centre Danny Williams was crocked in the first
few minutes and had to leave the field to be replaced by debutante Dave
Evans.
The larger well drilled Sheppey dominated from the start and capitalised on the understandably fragmented organisation of the Medway team, chalking up 31 points, in the first half with only a penalty reply from Medway. With little possession to work with and not much time permitted by the Sheppey defence it’s a credit that Medway fought to the end, only allowing 15 points in the second half.
Dez Morant
Medway 5 HSBC 16
Another close game but sadly another loss for struggling Medway. The difference between the two sides was a repeat of their previous encounter with Medway giving away too many penalties which the opposition capitalised on and then failing to convert their own. Territorially Medway had the upper hand but it was HSBC who scored first with 2 penalties from scrummaging infringements followed by a converted try from their full back after a classic backs move which totally outflanked the locals defence. The Medway coaching team were reasonably happy with the 13-0 deficit at half time as the visitors had enjoyed the slope and a stiff breeze at their back which allowed the educated boot of their fly half to get them out of trouble on a number of occasions. Unfortunately it was HSBC who opened the scoring early in the second half with a long range penalty against the run of play. Medway had to wait a good twenty minutes before they finally broke the visitors defence. Quick ball from a breakdown allowed centre Danny Williams to out pace the stretched defence to score out wide on the left flank. With time against them they came close on a few other occasions but the last pass or the bounce of the ball denied them. Controversially the referee refused to allow a try for No 8 Billy Humphrey after the Medway pack had rolled a maul 20 metres to the HSBC line. HSBC manager and former Medway player Derek 'Biffo' Smith said a fair result would have been a draw but it was not to be.
Bexley 7 Medway 16
Medway finally produced the performance their coach knew they were capable of with a convincing win away from home at Bexley. Bexley in recent seasons have been Medway’s bogey side. Losing to them twice last year virtually denied them promotion.
Although the home side were fired up for this bottom of the table clash, and hit Medway with everything they had in the opening minutes, the local side were more than a match for them in all departments even though the scrummaging was creaking on occasions.
It took twenty minutes before Medway
opened their account after steadily pushing their opposition back to
within a few metres of their line where play stalled. Slow ball gave
scrum half Matt Jackson few options so he attempted a drop goal that
had to go up further than it had to go forward, which aided by the post
and crossbar went over to put them in the lead. To be in front is a rare
thing for Medway and it raised their game to an even higher level. Retained
possession in multiple phases of play created opportunities out wide
which were exploited clinically by the backs allowing rejuvenated back
row Gary Davies to score a well deserved try. A converted penalty by
Matt Jackson in the last minutes of the half let Medway have the luxury
of 11 point lead.
Bexley hadn’t played badly at all and were not about to give in. They again took the game to Medway but their defence was awesome, especially Matt Graveney, who appeared to be everywhere. Each time Bexley got into Medway’s half a huge defensive kick with the wind sent them back again. From one of these clearance kicks Bexley made a mistake giving Medway a line out ten metres out which resulted in Martin Farbrace peeling off to score a good individual try in the corner. 16-0 ahead with only te n minutes to go Bexley were never going to win but the did not give up, hitting Medway hard, and deservedly getting a consolation try in the final play of the game after a period of sustained pressure
Medway 3 Vigo 3
There is only one word which can describe Saturday’s game and that is dour. Other than the incident in the first few minutes of the game that resulted in a mass altercation the spectators were left with few things to get excited about.
Medway can feel
a bit aggrieved that the outcome of the melee left them with only fourteen
men for the rest of the game after flanker Liam Weobley got his marching
orders for retaliation. Vigo’s second row forward also retaliated
but only received a yellow card.
With only fourteen men it was always going to be a struggle to get anything from the game but the local lads did push hard and were rewarded with a penalty in front of the posts which Dave Evans converted. They also had several breakaway opportunities that were spoiled by poor handling and on one occasion where the referee adjudged Medway to have knocked on when it was clearly thrown backwards by a Vigo player in a tackle.
For the first ten minutes of the second half it was Vigo’s turn to pressurise Medway and they were similarly rewarded with a penalty in front of the posts which levelled the score. They also missed a longer range attempt much to the relief of the supporters who had braved the cold to watch. The rest of the game was pretty boring consisting of defensive kicking from both sides laced with a few flashes of brilliance from the Vigo fly half snubbed out ably by the Medway defence before they materialised into a scoring opportunity. Although both sides did get close to each others line neither really look like scoring and in the end a draw was a fair result.
Unless you had counted the players on the pitch you would not have known Medway were one missing so Medway coach Ginger Longstaff was more than happy with the way his team knuckled down to the task of playing with fourteen men but was critical of the technical skills displayed and some of the decision making.
Beckenham 3rds 22 Medway 29
A hastily arranged exchange fixture against a Beckenham side gave Medway a chance to blood a few new young players ready for next season. Beckenham also fielded a side containing a mix of experience and youth who were well organised and caused Medway problems straight from the kick off. They robbed the ball in the loose, recycled several times and bulldozed their way over for try out wide in the first few minutes. Medway responded well from the restart winning possession and forcing the home side back into their own half, against a gale force wind, through well executed rolling mauls. From an ensuing lineout front jumper Garry Davies tapped down to Bill Humphrey who powered over in the corner for a good score. With the wind advantage Beckenham forced Medway to defend and it was only a matter of time before the locals defence buckled and yielded a score under the posts. Rolling mauls were the feature of Medway forward play and one such move late in the half earned prop Mick Head a score to reduce the deficit to 12-10 at half time.
With the massive wind advantage Medway expected an easy ride in the second half but Beckenham had other ideas. For the first twenty minutes they raised their game by kicking intelligently behind and wide of the defence forcing the game to be played mostly in the Medway half. The reward for their efforts came when a defensive mistake from a kick ahead allowed a soft converted try. To make things worse a converted penalty put Medway two scores behind with only ten minutes left. Ten minutes was enough as fly half Richard Bates carved through the defence and offloaded in the tackle 5 meters out to supporting second row Steve Smith. With their tails up they forced Beckenham back close to there goal line from the kick off where several episodes of powerful forward play gave scrum half Rob Longstaff an opportunity to go blind side for the winning score. Howard Thompson and Dave French deserve a mention for their non stop efforts at back row against far stronger opposition than they have been used to so far in the career.
Old Gravesendians 31 Medway 10
For the third time this season Medway have been beaten by OGs. On the first two occasions at home the results were close and could have gone either way but Saturdays game was more one sided as the superior strategies of the home sided carved holes in Medway’s defence.
It started rather well for Medway
as they pushed hard in the first few minutes and gained a penalty from
kickable distance but unfortunately it went wide. This miss spurred on
the home team who took the game to Medway for most of the first half.
Text book phases of play using forwards running at pace to hit the gain
line from consecutive rucks before spinning the ball wide along the three
quarter line forced Medway back deep in their half. With Medway’s
defence sucked in gaps appeared and OGs run in two quality tries scored
by their full back on the overlap. Although Medway pushed back the home
side with rolling mauls from their line outs a number of times they didn’t
really look like scoring and often went one yard too far and got turned
over.
Since Medway were playing down the significant slope at the start things looked ominous for the second half but they came out hard from the kick off and were rewarded with a Spencer Peek penalty to close the gap. For a period of about ten minutes they dictated the play. Possession fluctuated for a time until from a line out deep in Medway’s half OGs began a rolling maul which resulted in a push over try. In the last quarter Medway began to get better ball from the set pieces and threatened to score on two occasions, first from flyhalf Richard Bates and then from hooker John Robson who both pierced OGs defence with straight running. From an ensuing scrum Medway’s Andy Worthington went over under the posts from a chip ahead from Richard Bates. Although Medway scored the home side always looked like they could reply quickly, and they did as their classy backs carved holes through the Medway midfield allowing their centre to score under the posts. As time ran out OGs put the icing on the cake of an undefeated league run with another score from their enigmatic centre.
Medway should not be too disappointed as they lost to a very efficient and well trained side.
Medway 12 Old Olavians 20
Medway relegated after losing the final game of the season
Medway’s
fortunes hit rock bottom yesterday as they lost a closely fought match
to Old Olavians. Winning the toss and electing to play up the slope
against the strong wind in the first half was just what Medway wanted.
Fully expecting to be pegged back in their own half because of the wind
they defended exceptionally well giving the visitor no opportunity to
score for more than thirty minutes. Frustrated by the lack of gaps in
the home side defence Os elected to take a shot at goal from long range
which gave them a slender lead. Medway looked like they would hold out
with that as the only score but mistakes were starting to creep into
their play and from one such defensive error Os backs breached the line
to score a converted try. Medway were very unlucky not to score themselves
as a beakaway by Richard Bates forced Os to give away a penalty 5 metres
out that was taken quickly but held up over the line.
10-0 at half time should not have been too much problem for the home side as they quickly turned the tables on the visitors pegging them back close to their goal line. From a ruck 5 metres out prop Andy Connell hit the crash ball to open Medway’s account. Spencer Peek adding the conversion put Medway well and truly back in the game. More pressure from the next ten minutes resulted in the visitors making a mistake in mid field, which was pounced on by winger Simon Thomas who out paced the defence to score under the posts. Unfortunately the conversion was pushed wide.
Medway’s problems then began as they tired and gave away a string of penalties one of which was converted to lift the spirit of the visitors. In the last ten minutes more penalties were conceded which eventually gave Os the opportunity they needed to close the game out powering over a rolling maul to score and convert.
