Kent Sevens Champions
Medway’s Under 14s capped an excellent season with a brilliant winning performance at the Kent Sevens last Sunday…..to walk away for the second year running as Champions. (Squad…Lola Erogbogbo, Kaine Dimech (Captain), Lare Erogbogbo, Harry Stanford, Alex Page, Josh ‘Fizzy’ Rann, Owain Morton, Aaron Robertson, James Evans, Callum Daulby, Alex Saddington, Richard Harris) (Photographer…Miles Huppatz, supporting Dominic Kempt.)
A fluke of a draw had placed Medway in the ’group of death’ in the early stages….with the first match of the day a repeat of last year’s final against Tunbridge Wells…..despite some obvious early-morning rustiness from both teams Medway were able to run out winners 21 – 14 in a tough contest, with tries from Alex Saddington, Lare Erogbogbo and Callum Daulby.
Next up….and potentially the easiest group match…Medway took on Blackheath B…….the lads secured a commanding 33 – 7 victory…..with tries from Saddington, Lare, Aaron Robertson twice, and Richard Harris.
The Medway team were still not firing on all cylinders yet, and the opponents continued to line up to test their resolve. Next up for a crack at Medway, were Old Colfeians…..another tense encounter saw Medway stretch away in the latter stages to win 28 – 14, with two tries apiece for Lare Erogbogbo and Callum Daulby.
The final group match was against a determined looking Beckenham side, who had played some excellent rugby themselves up to this point…….however, it was at this stage that Medway decided to raise their game, and play some fantastic defensive and attacking sevens….tries from Harry Stanford, Lare and Richard Harris helped to secure a 19 – 7 victory, and see Medway progress to the Cup quarter-finals as group winners.
The quarter-final was against a well organised Tonbridge Juddians side, who went into a two try lead by half time….. TJs, having put everything into the first half, had shot their bolt,…..Medway were able to turn on the style in the second period with four unanswered tries from Saddington, Lare, and two for Richard Harris, to run out deserved 28 – 14 winners. This was a tough game safely out of the way.
The semi-final brought about a return fixture, only this time it was Blackheath’s A-squad who stood in Medway’s way. Once again. The opposition threw everything at Medway’s determined side in the first half, and were fortunate to lead by two tries at the break,…after some highly dubious refereeing decisions. As Medway introduced fresh legs, the frustrations of the first period were brushed aside as Medway’s fitness and brand of rugby, enabled them to register five tries without response, through Richard Harris, and two apiece from Aaron Robertson, and Lola Erogbogbo.
The final would be against Ashford, a team filled with strong, skilful players. Medway started in terrific style from the first kick-off, with the outstanding Richard Harris returning the kick fully 70 metres to put Medway up inside the first minute. The Medway lads then turned-on the style as they held their defensive line, turned the ball over at the right times, and moved the ball away from contact at speed. The next three tries all fell to Lare Erogbogbo, as his powerful runs could not be stopped by the Ashford defence. Medway introduced more fresh legs, and continued to create a number of great chances……the next try fell to hard working scrum-half Josh Rann who darted over in the corner. The game was in the bag, but unfortunately Medway suffered a couple of late injuries to Owain Morton (hand) and a broken toe for Richard Harris, who left the field in the back of an ambulance…..a great shame for a player who was by far the outstanding player on the day.
Despite the late injuries, the final whistle signalled a magnificent 33 – 0 win for the Medway team…..which was the cue for much celebration, and a cooling shower under the winner’s champagne.
Special mention should go to Lare and Lola who played virtually every match of the tournament….they scrummaged, won lineout, tackled hard, and ran relentlessly all day….two superb performances, from two team-players.
This also marked a proud final appearance in a Medway shirt, for long-time club stalwart Aaron Robertson, who is off to pastures new…he will be missed.
This was a great way to sign-off the 2009/2010 season, not just for the Medway lads playing on the day, but for all the Medway lads who have trained hard and played superbly all season….the victory was a victory for the entire squad brought about by a strong team ethos, and a pride in the scarlet and gold.
Thanks to all the parents and supporters, who cheered the lads on all day.
C’mon Medway !
Scribe
GKempt.
Tour Report
A trusty band of Medway’s Under 14s, travelled to The Netherlands over the Easter weekend, where they played some scintillating rugby, and brought back two trophies.
The Saturday saw the lads travel to Breda, for a four team round-robin tournament.
The first match was against Vectis, an English touring team from the Isle of Wight…..despite the long journey the previous day, the lads put on a great show for their travelling supporters. Tries from Omar, Lola, Richard and Lare and three conversions for Owain and one from the touchline from Richard saw Medway register a satisfying 28 – 0 victory.
With no chance for rest, Medway took the field against the Dutch home team Bredase……despite conceding the opening try through a lapse in concentration, Medway responded with three superb scores of their own, through Harry Stanford and two more for second-row Richard Harris. Owain Morton slotted all the conversions to round off a 21 – 7 victory.
Unfortunately, the third match did not go ahead, as the other English team, Cinderford from Gloucestershire pulled out…..and who could blame them.
This saw Medway awarded the trophy, as the only unbeaten team.
Onto Sunday’s main event….the largest Rugby Festival in Holland just south of Amsterdam at Hilversum.
Medway opened up against their Dutch hosts, and showed the clog-wearing porn merchants how the game should be played. Two tries from Lare, and other scores for Pagey, Lola and Richard, and three conversions for Owain saw Medway stack-up the points, with Hilversum scoring one great try in response. This gave Medway a 31 – 5 victory. Omar was also tackled by a small Dutch girl during the match.
Next up, Medway took on English team Taunton……a fiercely competitive match resulted in stalemate and a 0 – 0 scoreline.
Double Dutch time, as Medway faced Hilversum once again…..tries from Pagey, Omar and Lare, and two conversions from Owain secured a 19 – 0 victory.
Double Dutch time again, as Medway took on Taunton a second time to decide who would proceed to the final. Medway opened up strongly with a fine try from Harry Stanford, converted by Morton. The game then became a tough physical battle, which spilled over into a huge punch-up between both teams following a late hit by one of the Taunton players. The Medway boys made sure there were no more late hits. The referee sent one player from each side off, and the game resumed. The Medway lads dominated the rest of the match, which said a huge amount about their team spirit. Two tries from Richard Harris and one more conversion for Owain capped-off a fantastic 19 – 0 victory.
The Final saw our lads play in their first International fixture…..to be contested between Medway Under 14s against Holland Under 14s/15s. A nice easy game to finish on. ( Note…The Dutch RFU select the best under 14s and under 15s from Holland to form their National Academy squad.) The match started, and it was clear that the opposition would be tough to beat. Physically bigger, fitter and stronger, the Dutch lads smashed Medway hard in every tackle. This did not stop Medway continually trying to break through their opponents, but the home defence was very strong.
Medway’s forwards edged the scrums, and dominated most rucks, but struggled to create scoring opportunities out wide. Two first-half chances came and went as Lare and Pagey were tackled just short of the line. From a break wide on the left, Holland were able to beat the cover defence and register a converted try just before the interval. The second half saw Medway defend for all they were worth, as the opposition applied continuous pressure. Medway showed huge character as they knocked their bigger opponents down time and time again. Despite one brilliant break from Lare, which saw him tackled short of the line by three Dutch defenders, Medway could not get enough possession to mount any sustained attacks. The final whistle saw elation for Holland, and disappointment for Medway….but the lads left the pitch with their heads held high to secure the runners-up trophy.
This was a great tour capped by some outstanding performances both on and off the pitch !
Player of the Tour…Alex ‘Pagey’ Page.
Player’s Player…..Harry Stanford
Tour Personality….Omar Woodrow-Thorne.
C’mon Medway.
Kent Cup FInal
Medway took on Old Elthamians in the final of the Kent Cup on Sunday, and unfortunately ended the match as runners-up, as OEs edged a pulsating final.
The opening exchanges between the two teams indicated that the game was likely to be a very physical affair. Ten minutes of stalemate was broken in OEs favour as the ball was spun wide to their right winger, despite the attentions of Alex Saddington and Rhys Townsend he was able to touch down out wide for an unconverted try.
Medway tried to open up their wide game, but OEs tackled ferociously in the centres to prevent the ball reaching Medway’s speedsters. As Medway tried a miss pass in the middle, OEs powerful centre intercepted the ball and raced away. He looked certain to score but for a brilliant chasing cover tackle by skipper Kaine Dimech…Medway recovered the ball and drove it back up field. One quick ruck later and Medway’s second row forward Lola Erogbogbo broke the OE’s defence and raced fully 60 metres to score a great try beneath the posts. Flyhalf Owain Morton stepped up to slot the conversion, and Medway had a 7 – 5 lead.
For the remainder of the half both sets of forwards contested the contact area with immense commitment. Medway’s forwards put on a superb display of rucking, and edged this area, lead impressively by Omar Woodrow-Thorne, Miles Huppatz and Alfie James. Medway’s backrow trio of Harry Stanford, Alex Page and Aaron Robertson, tackled for all they were worth, and attempted to break through OE’s strong defense whenever possession came Medway’s way.
Medway’s scrum started to get the upper hand. It was during this period of scrum superiority and counter-attacking that Medway should have made better use of the ball by getting it wide early….however, they were guilty on a number of occasions of not giving the simple pass, and taking the ball on too far…..this played into the hands of OE’s strong mid-field pairing.
HALF TIME 7 – 5.
The first 10 minutes of the second half turned out to be crucial. After 5 minutes OE’s centre broke through Medway’s midfield defence. He was stopped short of the line, but OE’s were able to recycle the ball, and despite a great tackle by fullback Sean Marriott, their winger was able to stretch over for the touchdown. The try went unconverted and Medway were behind.
Medway continued to exert pressure, but again and again were guilty over not distributing the ball wide at the right times.
On ten minutes Medway failed to tidy up a speculative kick by OE’s….as the ball bobbled about OE’s hacked through. The linesman signalled to the ref that an attacking player had been tugged back, and the ref immediately headed beneath the posts to award OE’s a penalty try. (This was in spite of the fact that the player tugged back had previously hoofed the ball deep into the bushes behind the dead-ball-line.) This was a harsh decision by the referee, and a penalty would have been a fairer decision……it would also have been in-line with RFU rules concerning when a penalty-try could be awarded…..i.e….that a try would almost certainly have been scored but for the offence. Ho hum. OE’s converted to make it 17 – 7 in their favour.
Medway had 15 minutes to turn things around. Fresh legs were introduced into the pack with the addition of Paddy Asprey and Mitchal Wray. Medway then raised their game and looked to attack at every opportunity. Five minutes later the ball eventually got to speedy winger Alex Saddington….he skinned his opposite number…but was denied the try by an excellent last ditch tackle by OE’s fullback right on the try line.
Medway continued to push hard, through strong runs from Alex Page and Callum Daulby…but OE’s threw themselves into every tackle and held Medway out. Another strong Medway scrum with eight minutes to go…enabled their tireless No8 Aaron Robertson to pick up from the base, and find some space on the blind side….his powerful run saw him beat two defenders and race away to score out wide. The difficult conversion was slotted magnificently by centre Richard Harris to bring the scores back to 17 – 14 to OE’s.
The final minutes were frantic with Medway in possession constantly trying to break through. Old Elthamian’s defence was superb in this period. A lineout on OE’s twenty-two was tidied up by the excellent Woodrow-Thorne, with the entire Medway pack driving him on….the ball was driven over the OE’s try line and grounded. The referee (round the other side) adjust the ball to have been held up…..ho hum…..and awarded Medway an attacking 5 metre scrum.......time was running out. From the scrum No8 Robertson picked up and attacked blind…..their was a loud whistle from the ref back where the scrum had been, and to Medway’s eternal amazement the ref had apparently awarded OE’s a penalty for a Medway back’s offside infringement…… ho hum.
OE’s kicked to touch….and were awarded the lineout….last play….unfortunately for them their hooker threw the ball directly to their front prop…not straight…..scrum to Medway in line with RFU rules where you can’t finish a match on an infringement. Not so on this occasion, as the referee blew for full time before allowing the scrum…..f**king ho hum.
Both sides had given everything….and Medway’s gallant lads were inconsolable. Old Elthamian’s were deserved winners for a performance of spirit, passion and determination. Medway will rise again, and will be a better side for this painful defeat. Watch out.
Immense thanks and pride go to all the squad from Medway’s coaches, helpers and parents.
Squad….Alfie James, Kaine Dimech (Captain), Omar Woodrow-Thorne, Mitchal Wray, Miles Huppatz, Lola Erogbogbo, Paddy Asprey, Harry Stanford, Alex Page, Aaron Robertson, Phillip Coultrip, Dylan Travel, Josh Rann, Owain Morton (Vice Captain), Richard Harris, Lare Erogbogbo, Alex Saddington, Callum Daulby, Rhys Townsend, Seam Marriott, Alex Evans, Dominic Kempt…..James Evans (injured.)
G.Kempt (Coach) (Gutted….ho bloody hum.)
Kent Cup Preliminaries
Medway’s Under 14s competed at the Kent Championships last Sunday…..and came away smiling after a series of great performances saw them go through to the Kent Cup Final…..the final will be against Old Elthamians on Sunday 21st March.
First match of the day saw the Medway lads take on Canterbury in the group phase. Canterbury dominated the contact area, but could not cope with the sustained pressure from Medway’s back-row. First on the score sheet was Number 8 Aaron Robertson, with a trademark outside break, outpacing the Canterbury defence. Soon after, his back-row colleague Alex Page capped a powerful run by scoring close in. Canterbury threatened throughout, especially with their strong running inside centre, but Medway’s defence held out. The second half was a tighter affair, with another fast Robertson breakaway wide on the right securing his second try. Flyhalf Owain Morton landed all of the conversions for a 21 – 0 Medway victory.
The next group match saw Medway take on a gallant Bromley side. Medway’s coaches had demanded a much more committed performance from the Medway forwards, and unfortunately for Bromley the lads delivered. Almost immediately Medway opened their account. Man has landed on the moon, split the atom, and climbed Mount Everest…….but has Phillip ‘The Professor’ Coultrip ever scored before ?......it doesn’t matter, he did today, with a storming burst of what can only be described as pace from ten yards out. A great try, celebrated in spirited fashion by his team-mates.
Medway’s forward dominance provided their backs with quick ball, and it wasn’t long before powerful centre Lare Erogbogbo spotted a gap, and sprinted in from the halfway line. More quick ball was secured from the restart, and as the Bromley defence pressed forward….flyhalf Morton chipped cleverly into the space behind them. Anyone of three players could have gathered the kick, but it fell to Lare to secure the bouncing ball, and race in for his second try. Bromley stuck to their task, and tackled hard all game….this disrupted Medway for the middle part of the match. The stalemate was broken with an excellent break from tight-head prop Omar Woodrow-Thorne, he beat 4 players before offloading sharply to Captain Kaine Dimech…..the hooker sprinted the last 30 yards to score under the posts. With the game drawing to a close, a lineout on halfway was stolen by second-row Patrick Asprey, he showed the cover a defence a clean pair of heals, as he raced in from 40 yards for the final try. Flyhalf Owain Morton, who had obviously brought his kicking boots along, landed four of the five conversions for a satisfying 33 – 0 victory. This result secured Medway’s position in the Cup Competition, and saw them progress to the quarter-finals.
After a lengthy wait. Medway stepped out against the event hosts Westcombe Park in the quarter-final. Medway were not put off by the large home support, and set about delivering one of their best performances of the season. Westcombe Park have some talented players and competed strongly at the breakdown….they also defended excellently in the backs to close-out a number of attacking moves from Medway during the opening exchanges. A great bit of counter-rucking from Medway’s forwards, saw scrum-half Josh Rann quickly move the ball out into the backs. Some slick passing saw the ball moved wide to winger Callum Daulby, and with acres of space in front of him, he rounded his opposite man with a powerful run, to score in the corner for a well-worked try. The tricky conversion was missed.
The hosts responded and put Medway under a period of intense pressure. Great work in the tight from Alfie James, Omar and Lola Erogbogbo helped to stem the tide……and any threats in the loose were snuffed out by some great tackling from Robertson, Pagey and centre Richard Harris. It wasn’t long before the next opportunity arose. Winger Alex Saddington, who had been marked tightly all game, pounced on a loose ball. He kicked ahead and re-gathered at pace, only to be stopped just short of the line. However he was able to offload to jack-in-the-box flanker Harry Stanford, who touched down to the left of the posts. Conversion missed.
The second half saw Medway continue to press home their advantage, as their forwards started to enjoy the challenge. As the quality of ball made available to the backs increased, it was only a matter of time before the next chance came. It fell to centre Lare Erogbogbo, who used his electrifying pace to scythe through the home defence and race in for the final try from halfway. Morton converted to give a winning scoreline of 17 – 0.
Into the semi-final against the reigning champions Sevenoaks. This was sure to be a keenly contested battle between two quality teams. Medway started slowly, perhaps showing their rivals too much respect, and found themselves on the backfoot immediately. With the slope in their favour, and following a number of infringements by Medway….Sevenoaks drove into Medway’s twenty-two. After a short period of pressure, Sevenoaks registered the opening score from a powerful break and dummy from one of their forwards. Crucially the conversion hit the post, and was missed. The Medway lads regained their composure, and came back into it for the remainder of the half, with some outstanding tackling from Robertson, Rann, Pagey…and in particular Saddington on the left wing who made three outstanding tackles. Although Sevenoaks continued to dominated in the majority of the rucks…it was Medway who dominated the gainline defence, and from a turnover in a tackle the ball was spun wide to the Medway backs. Slick hands gave Lare Erogbogbo the sniff of a gap….he side-stepped outside his opposite man, before side-stepping inside the backrow cover and fullback…..with half the pitch in front of him, he turned on the burners and sprinted home to register a great try under the posts. Owain Morton stepped up, and slotted the easy conversion. Medway were 7 – 5 up at halftime.
With the slope at their backs, and a new-found belief…Medway’s forwards continued to gain a foothold in the match. Every breakdown was contested fiercely by both sides, with Omar Woodrow-Thorne outstanding for Medway. Every opportunity to move the ball wide was taken by Medway, and only some excellent cover tackling on two occasions by Sevenoaks prevented centre Richard Harris from breaking clear. Medway’s set-piece was working to great effect, and a scrum against the head halfway through the second period seemed to give the Medway lads the impetus to push on for the final few minutes. Despite continued attacks from Sevenoaks, Medway’s defence held strong throughout. The final whistle saw great celebrations from the Medway players and supporters, after a day of great performances, and genuine team spirit. The Sevenoaks coaches and players were gallant in defeat…..and but for the width of a post it might have been a different story.
A great day perhaps…..but the job is only half done. Medway will have to regroup and prepare for the final in two weeks time against a dangerous Old Elthamians side, if they want to bring the silverware back to Priestfields. C’mon Medway !!!
Squad…Alfie James, Mitchal Wray, Kaine Dimech (Captain), Omar Woodrow-Thorne, Lola Erogbogbo, Patrick Asprey, Dylan Travel, Phillip Coultrip, Milo Huppatz, Harry Stanford, Alex Page, Aaron Robertson, Josh Rann, Sean Marriott, Owain Morton (Vice Captain), Alex Saddington, Richard Harris, Lare Erogbogbo, Callum Daulby, Rhys Townsend, James Evans.
Medway 49 Folkestone 17
Medway Under 14s continued their run of excellent form on Sunday, with a great display against Folkestone.
It was the visitors who started strongly, with a series of powerful drives and aggressive rucks…..Medway had to put in some strong tackles to repel Folkestone. On 5 minutes Medway counter-rucked and spun the ball wide, centre Richard Harris, sidestepped several defenders with the assistance of some powerful handoffs, and outsprinted the cover, to score under the posts. James Evans slotted the extras.
Soon after, Medway’s expansive game paid dividends again, a series of perfectly timed passes from Josh Rann, Owain Morton and Richard Harris, put flying winger Callum Daulby clear to race in out wide.
Medway continued to fight hard upfront in the contact area, against an equally determined set of Folkestone forwards…….but continual pressure saw a loose pass isolate one of the visitor’s forwards, as he was held in the tackle, prop forward Omar Woodrow-Thorne ripped the ball clear and sprinted 20 metres up the blind-side to score his first try of the day. James Evans converted superbly from wide out.
Folkestone took the game to Medway from the restart, and were rewarded with a converted try, after Medway were penalised at the breakdown.
Medway’s response was emphatic. They varied their attack with some well-placed kicks from Evans and Morton which pinned the visitors back. Medway’s pack drove the ball onwards, great goal-line defence from Folkestone held out initially, but a powerful low drive from Medway’s tireless No8 Aaron Robertson could not be stopped, and he smashed over in the corner for a great score. It looked as if Robertson would score again shortly after, as he split the defence with a burst of pace, however he lost his footing on the muddy surface 10 yards out. Fortunately, poacher supreme Alex Page was on hand to gather the offload, and dive over in exuberant fashion for the final score of the half.
Half Time 29 – 7.
Medway made a number of changes in the second period, but were able to maintain their shape, to the pleasure of their coaches.
A strong run by hormonal prop Milo Huppatz, saw him tackled out wide by Folkestone’s excellent centre. Excellent clearing out by Sean Marriott and Callum Daulby, created fast ball for Omar to pick up, and race down the wing from 30 metres to score his second try. Two props combining for a great score. Roll on the fat boys.
Medway pushed again, and created some outstanding passages of play, with forwards Harry Stanford, Milo, Robertson and Phillip Coultrip combining with a series of brilliant offloads to move the ball downfield. As the visitor’s attempted to clear their lines, a loose kick was gathered by cool as a cucumber Morton, he slipped a lovely switch pass to Daulby, who steamed off his wing on an angled run to score in the opposite corner, despite a great last ditch cover tackle from Folkestone’s impressive winger.
These roles were reversed shortly after, as Folkestone’s winger broke Medway’s backline defence, to score his own try, despite the best efforts by Daulby.
Medway’s forwards continued to offload, ruck and tackle to great effect, with good performances from Harry Prebble, Dylan Travel and Mitchal Wray. Quick ball was spun wide on one occasion to Paddy Asprey at outside centre, ….normally a second row forward….Asprey showed that he has great speed, as he rounded the cover defence to score a deserved try.
With 5 minutes left, a kick ahead by Medway, saw the opposition concede a lineout in their 22. Medway won the lineout, and Marriott put the ball out to Morton….a slick miss-pass put Daulby clear…..he was held up short of the line, but was able to offload to Team Captain Kaine Dimech, who smashed over at pace from an impressive one yard out.
With time nearly up, it was perhaps fitting that the final try went to a gallant Folkestone side, as their pacey winger showed a clean pair of heels to Medway’s wide defence, and raced in for the try.
Full Time 49 – 17.
Despite some great performances from Omar, Owain, Richard, Aaron and Callum, and the whole squad…..the coaches decided to give the man-of-the-match award to Miles Huppatz for a brilliant second-half performance, full of power, pace and strength. An outstanding player when his brain diverts energy from his mouth to his legs.
A very satisfying performance from the entire team…..with great structure, work-rate, offloading, and decision making all round. Well done !
Whitstable 7 Medway 53
Medway’s Under 14s put on a dominant display of expansive rugby on Sunday, against a tenacious Whitstable side.
In front of a large crowd, the Medway boys started strongly, and following a series of powerful runs and strong rucks, the ball was spun wide….only to find loose-head prop Miles Huppatz lurking on the wing to open the scoring.
The restart saw Medway continue to push their opposition back, and from a controlled ruck close to the posts…not to be out-done by his front-row colleague, tight-head prop Omar Woodrow-Thorne picked up and drove low across the line to score Medway’s second try. Owain Morton slotted the extras.
Whitstable came back into the game for a period, but excellent counter-attacking by flankers Harry Stanford and Alex Page, saw the visitors driven back into their half. Medway turned the ball over following a strong scrum, and outside centre Lare Erogbogbo took the crash-pass to score close in. James Evans converted.
With Medway’s lineout functioning well, and the set-piece scrum looking strong…the visitors struggled to get into the match……a burst of pace from Captain Kaine Dimech down the right-wing saw him held up short of the tryline, he was able to offload to supporting winger Alex Evans who gleefully dived over for the next score.
Whitstable’s goal-line defence was committed, and excellent last-ditch tackles prevented almost certain tries for Callum Daulby and Aaron Robertson.
As Medway pushed Whitstable back, they were awarded a five-metre scrum. From the base, scrum-half Josh Rann picked up, and attacked the blindside, he was able to stretch out to register the next score. Owain Morton slotted the kick….to register a 31 – 0 half-time scoreline.
Medway made a number of changes for the second period, but were able to maintain their superiority, accompanied by some strong performances from Mitchal Wray at loose-head and Rhys Townsend at flyhalf.
The home-side’s lineout continued to dominate, and from one line on halfway, hooker Harry Prebble was able to pick out debutant second-row Patrick Asprey. A great two-handed take was followed by a powerful run, as he peeled round the front of the lineout, and beat three tackles, before sprinting in for his debut try. Rhys Townsend converted.
The style of play became much more open as forwards and backs started to link together to good effect. Lare registered his second try, as he cut back on his favourite inside angle, two strong handoffs later and he was in at the corner.
Medway continued to ruck effectively, and fast ball from Sean Marriott, saw the ball spun wide to ‘winger’ Omar Woodrow-Thorne. Despite being built like a baby elephant, he can run like Usain Bolt…..and he was able to sprint in from 30 metres for his second try of the morning.
Another clean ruck, saw the ball spun wide again. This time No8 Aaron Robertson came into the backline. He chipped over the home defence into space…..Whitstable’s outstanding centre chased back to tidy up, but great follow-up tackling saw him spill the ball over the line, and Robertson was quickest to the touchdown.
With time nearly up, Whitstable, who fought hard all day….spun the ball out to Jaffer their speedster…..although Medway had marked him well all day, on this occasion he was able to get outside the cover defence, and then cut back inside past two despairing tackles, to register the final try between the uprights. Whitstable converted the kick, to signal the final whistle.
Full Time 53 – 7.
The coaches awarded Man of the Match to Harry Stanford for a great performance, although Pagey and Lare pushed him close. The award would have gone to Mitchal Wray following a great all-round display, but unfortunately he had to leave early as there was a special-offer on at McDonalds.
Next week should see the return of Alfie James and Alex Saddington from injury, with some tough matches ahead in the coming weeks.
Well done lads !
Medway 27 Thanet 5
Medway started a new decade in sparkling form on Sunday at home against a spirited Thanet side. The icy weather, and hard pitch saw the game in doubt right up to kick-off…but with a delayed kick-off both coaches agreed that the game was safe to go ahead as the surface started to soften.
Medway started strongly, with a series of strong rucks, followed by some expansive backs play as scrum half Sean Marriott and flyhalf Owain Morton linked up to good effect. Thanet’s defence held strong initially, until on five minutes, outside centre Lare Erogbogbo, set off on a trademark run, his power and pace broke the first line of defenders, and he was able to outpace the cover to score under the posts. James Evans converted.
Medway were able to secure excellent scrum ball throughout, with an outstanding display from their front row of Omar Woodrow-Thorne, Captain Kaine Dimech and loose-head Alfie James (making a welcome return after a long layoff following a dislocated shoulder.) From one such scrum, the ball was spun wide to winger Callum Daulby, he cut back inside from 30 metres on a strong angled run, to register Medway’s second try.
From the restart, Medway again drove upfield, through excellent forward drives from Miles Huppatz and Lola Erogbogbo. From a breakdown on half way, flyhalf Morton cleverly reversed the direction of attack, creating an extra man outwide, he delivered a beautiful miss-pass to put Daulby in the clear. He used all his pace to race in at the corner, and register his second, and Medway’s third try. Daulby displayed exemplary discipline as he was injured whilst scoring, and chose instead to put all his frustrations into the remainder of the game. Well done matey.
Half Time 17 – 0
Medway made a number of changes in the second period, and took a while to settle. This enabled Thanet to come back into the game through some strong rucks and drives. Medway’s defence held strong during this period, with their backrow trio of Harry Stanford, Alex Page and Aaron Robertson tackling ferociously, and contesting every breakdown. A powerful length of the field break by prop Woodrow-Thorne, saw him stopped agonisingly short of the line. Thanet cleared the ball in desperation, and were rewarded as the clearance kick stayed in field, their speedy right winger flyhacked ahead, and regained the ball to sprint in at the corner for a brilliant individual try.
Medway woke up, and drove back up field through Mitchal Wray, Lola Erogbogbo and Alex Page. They were rewarded with a five yard scrum just out from the Thanet line. From the base, scrum-half Josh Rann picked-up smartly, and drove towards the line, dragging the opposition flanker with him, despite the attempts of the tackler he was able to reach out with one hand for the touchdown.
Thanet pushed again, but Medway were able to relieve the pressure through confident returns from fullback Will Munday, wing Dominic Kempt, centres Rhys Townsend and Will Tapper, and the big boot of Richard Harris. Medway again drove upfield through forward drives, and some good attacking back play. From a scrum 10 metres out, No 8 Aaron Robertson attacked blind, he spun out of the first tackle, and popped a lovely pass to scrum-half Rann, who dodged the last defenders for his second score.
Full Time 27 – 5.
Medway then played a reduced game against a gallant Thanet B squad, who rucked well and distributed ball crisply throughout. Their reward was an excellent try following a series of forward drives. Medway played the game in good spirit, and were able to register a number of tries through a series of individual breaks from Omar, Pagey, Dimech, Daulby(3) and the tireless Milo. Evans converting (2). Medway’s lineout and scrum were effective throughout both games, but they still need to ruck more efficiently and quickly as a unit to secure a higher percentage of quality ball for their hungry backline to use.
Thanks to Thanet and Mike Pond (Coach) for an enjoyable start to 2010, and for an hour and a half of well-played, spirited rugby.
Medway’s Man-of-the-Match Will Munday, lost out narrowly in the traditional boatrace after the game, to a Thanet prop who can neck a pint in 3 seconds flat.
Well done lads.
Medway 46 Tunbridge Wells 0
A great performance from Medway’s Under 14s, saw them rattle-up a high scoring win against an under-strength Tunbridge Wells side.
Medway dominated the contact area early on, and were on the scoreboard inside 3 minutes, as quick ball enabled No 8 Aaron Robertson to split the visitor’s centres, and sprint in from 50 metres.
Playing into the strong wind and up the slope, Medway pushed the visitors back with a series of strong drives from Wray, Huppatz and Dimech….once again quick ball from scrum half Josh Rann was moved through the hands, allowing speedy winger Alex Saddington enough space to dive over in the corner.
From the kick off Wells kicked deep….the ball was tidied-up by Harry Stanford, he moved it on to Robertson who made good ground before off-loading to Omar Woodrow-Thorne….the powerful tight-head punched through two cover tackles, before off-loading to flanker Alex ‘Pagey’ Page, who raced in under the sticks for a great score. Four forwards linking for a length of the field try. Quality.
Medway continued to ruck hard through Coultrip, Page, Dimech and Wray……and with equally strong tackling from Josh Rann, Stanford and Robertson….Tunbridge Wells kept being driven back….from a turnover on the half way line, the ball was moved wide through centres Lare and Lola Erogbogbo….the ball was moved out to Saddington who caught the tricky pass, before putting on the burners to scorch in for his second try.
Tunbridge Wells then exerted some pressure of their own for the next ten minutes, and camped-out on Medway’s line….however some sterling defence against the opposition’s strong forward thrusts, and the elements saw Medway keep the visitors at bay.
Medway’s back three defence of Dominic Kempt, Rhys Townsend at fullback and Saddington, combined well against the wind, to secure any clearance kicks, and turn defence straight back into attack.
The final move of the half saw Medway again apply pressure and force an error from Wells. Flyhalf James Evans sold an outrageous dummy, before floating the ball to Omar Woodrow-Thorne, he beat three tacklers with powerful handoffs, and rumbled in for the fifth try of an excellent first half.
HALF TIME
Medway made a number of changes at the interval, bringing on Alex Evans, Will Munday, Sean Marriott, Harry Prebble and Luke Collins. Skipper Kaine Dimech also sportingly made his debut for Tunbridge Wells as injury cover.
With the wind at their backs Medway started slowly, and had to defend for the first ten minutes as Tunbridge Wells drove deep into Medway’s 22. Once again Medway had to defend their line as the visitors tried to get on the scoreboard. Their defence held, and Medway were able to relieve the pressure with excellent clearance kicks from James Evans and Lare Erogbogbo.
As the torrential rain lashed the top-pitch…errors crept into the play of both sides, and expansive play became more difficult. However, it took a solo break and run from 60 metres out from Robertson to break second half deadlock.
Medway continued to push hard through their forwards, and with the strong running of their centres the gaps started to appear. From an attack on 20 minutes, winger Alex Evans got round his opposite man, and fed the ball back inside to Stanford, from the ensuing maul…prop Miles Huppatz drove for the line….as he was tackled short he ignored the rulebook and wriggled towards the tryline with a slug-like quadruple movement. Wells were awarded a penalty from excellent ref Pat Nolan, but were able only to clear the ball up to their 22. Medway tightened their grip and forced the error. From the ensuing scrum, Robertson broke blind and pirouetted over for his hatrick.
Scrum-half Sean Marriott and James Evans continued to try to open up the game, but Tunbridge Wells tackled excellently against Medway’s powerful drives. The last try of the game, fittingly came from another strong, controlled scrum. Once again Robertson broke from the base with speed, and stepped inside the covering defence to register his fourth try, and cap another good performance.
Medway landed three conversions during the match, to add some extra gloss to the scoreboard.
Fulltime capped another strong showing from Medway….who still need to make the ball available quicker in the contact area….and must create more phases to suck in the opposition defence. You can’t always attack wide off first phase ball, especially against well drilled defensive-lines.
Man-of-the-match went to Harry Stanford for a brilliant all-round game from the flank,… his tackling against the Wells’ back-row was exceptional.
Gravesend 0 Medway 19
A mixed, experimental team visited Gravesend last Sunday….in what turned out to be a well contested match. A number of players were rested, giving the opportunity for a number of lads to play for the entire match.
Medway started strongly, driving their opponents off the first scrum, and dominating in the ruck. Gravesend defended excellently, and were able to stop most of Medway’s attacks. Eventually a gap appeared, and No8 Aaron Robertson powered over to open the scoring. Conversion missed.
Gravesend came back strongly, and threatened Medway’s line for the next ten minutes….great tackling from Josh Rann, Sean Marriott and Alex Evans helped to keep them out.
Medway looked to put the ball wide whenever possible, but seemed unable to string more than one or two passes together, squandering a number of great attacking moves.
The second half, saw Medway play with more freedom and go-forward…..with excellent pressure from Kaine Dimech, Harry Prebble, Mitchal Wray and Harry Stanford…..Medway constantly looked to break through….however Gravesend continued to defend resolutely.
Ten minutes in, and a strong angled run from Robertson saw him find a gap to score beneath the posts. Fullback Rhys Townsend converted.
The introduction of Owain Morton at flyhalf created more wide chances, but wingers Luke Collins and Alex Evans were unable to get round the final defender on a number of occasions…..as Medway played too laterally and ran out of space.
Gravesend, always dangerous threatened throughout, but good tackling from Josh Rann, Dominic Kempt and James Evans (on for Will Munday at scrum-half) kept the home side at bay.
With time running out Medway drove upfield, and fittingly, their hardworking second-row forward Alex Page, got his reward by diving over spectacularly under the sticks. Owain Morton slotted the extra points.
Final score 0 – 19 in Medway’s favour.
Man of the match was shared between Aaron Robertson and Harry Stanford, who both tackled and rucked hard, and covered miles of ground all match.
Aylesford 5 Medway 74
Medway’s Under 14s gave their local rivals a very tough time on Sunday.
Medway started a bit sleepy-bye-byes, and conceded a soft try from a lineout after 5 minutes……for the next 10 minutes Aylesford’s forwards hit every ruck in numbers, to take the game to Medway….however they had set themselves a pace that could not be maintained.
From a turnover on halfway, inside centre Richard Harris showed the home defence a clean pair of heels to scorch in at the corner. Shortly afterwards, his centre partner Lare Eragbogbo repeated the same trick. Medway started to compete more effectively at the breakdown, but good tackling out wide by the home defence kept Medway’s attackers at bay. Medway also dominated in the scrums….and from a scrum midfield, the ball was released to winger Alex Saddington, he had been tackled well on the outside up until then, so he cleverly beat his opposite number on the inside this time, to sprint in under the posts.
Medway started to develop their mauling game, and from the next phase of play, No8 Aaron Robertson broke loose to run in from 30 metres. Next score came from an outstanding driving maul fully 60 metres up the pitch, finished off by influential prop Omar Woodrow-Thorne. Omar scored again shortly afterwards, crashing through the home defence, after a quick tap-penalty from scrum half Josh Rann. Last score of the half, went to centre Lare Eragbogbo, he ignored the obvious overlap to Saddington, favouring the more direct approach straight over his opposite number….he managed to keep his footing to race in under the sticks. Medway then lost their popular prop Alfie James with a dislocated shoulder…..get well soon Alfie from all the squad, coaches and parents.
Half-time 5-39.
Medway made some changes in the second period, but were able to demonstrate some excellent strength in depth. Further strong driving play from Jordan Attis and Miles Huppatz, enabled Omar to register his hatrick, as the home defence ran out of numbers. Next up was replacement centre Callum Daulby, he executed his trademark powerful outside break, and left the home backs for dead.
Aylesford continued to attack throughout, to their immense credit….but excellent defence from Harry Stanford and Will Tapper thwarted any threats. Medway drove deep into Aylesford territory, with a series of pick-and-drives from the forwards, Aaron Robertson broke blind and was able to offload to the resurgent Alex Page, who gleefully raced in under the posts.
Daulby registered his second as he outpaced Aylesford’s winger. Almost immediately Medway struck again, …..cool work at fullback from Will Munday, saw him release winger Will Tapper…he made ground before slipping a beautiful pass to Omar…..he smashed through the last four defenders like skittles, before sprinting in from 50 metres.
The final score was all about pace and power……as Aylesford pushed forward, they kicked deep to within a yard of Medway’s line, the ball was tidied-up by Daulby who burned off the first-up defenders, before doing something quite unexpected…..he passed……inevitably it was to his showboating cocky team-mate Richard Harris who trotted in from 40 metres out.
Medway registered a number of conversions from their dynamic flyhalf Owain Morton……..and failed to register any second-half conversions from Harris who couldn’t hit a horse’s arse with a banjo !
Man-of-match for Medway…Lola Eragbogbo who worked tirelessly all day, only to see his brother score two tries for the second week running…….better not pass to him hey Lola.
Well done lads.
Kent Elevens
Last Sunday saw a strong Medway Under 14s squad challenge for the Kent ‘Elevens’ title at Ashford RFC.
The Coaches and Team were keen to build on their success as reigning Kent ‘sevens’ champions.
Drawn in the hardest of two pools, Medway’s first opponents were Tunbridge Wells. Medway applied pressure immediately, and dominated the scrum and contact areas. Excellent tackling from scrum-half Josh Rann, combined with slick passing from the base, enabled their fast backs to stretch Wells defence throughout. Tries for Alex Saddington, Lare Erogbogbo and Aaron Robertson saw them register a convincing win 19 – 0. Tougher matches were to follow.
Next up were Old Colfeians, always difficult opponents. Indeed Medway were caught off guard as Colfs registered the first try out wide. This woke the Medway lads up, and they responded immediately with two slick tries from skipper Kaine Dimech and moody centre Richard Harris. Medway looked to play more expansive rugby than Colfs, and threatened on a number of occasions. Eventually the pressure paid off, and quick ball saw centre Callum Daulby sprint in from 30 metres. A final try from the forwards in the corner from a driving maul, saw Medway secure their second win.
The final pool match was certain to be the hardest, with an excellent Ashford A side keen to win on home soil. The game was fiercely competitive up front, with props Alfie James and debutant Omar Woodrow-Thorne stamping their dominance. Ashford have a very strong pack, and it is a rare sight to see them driven backwards. This excellent forward platform eventually yielded tries for winger Saddington, skipper Dimech who scorched in from 50 metres and second row Lola Erogbogbo who performed the same trick. Solid defence saw Medway run out winners of the match, and go forward as Group Winners.
The quarter final was ironically an easier fixture than any so far, as Medway took on Ashford B. Avoiding the temptation to get greedy, Medway continued to play the wide game, taking contact only when necessary, and on their own terms. A 40 – 0 scoreline highlighted Medway’s dominance, with a number of well worked tries. Among the scorers were Harris (moody), Miles Huppatz (even moodier), Callum Daulby (moodiest) and debutant Harry Stanford, who weaved his way in from 60 metres after being set clear by a well-timed pass from winger RhysTownsend.
The semi-finals pitted Medway against Old Colfeians for the second time. The hot sun and hard ground were starting to tell on the Medway team, but this did not distract them from their task. Colfeians responded with an equalising try, after Lare Erogbogbo has registered the opening score after an 80metre dash. Game on. A very tough encounter was only broken, when Callum Daulby and Alex Saddington scored two late tries following good build-up play by scrum-half Sean Marriott and debutant flyhalf Owain Morton.
Into the final, to play the winners of the other pool, Old Elthamians…..also unbeaten so far.
The first few minutes saw Old Elts. in the ascendancy……however a strong scrum from Medway behind their own 22 yard line, saw the ball spun wide to outside centre James Evans, who, in familiarly cool fashion, and under heavy pressure, took and gave a beautiful pass in one movement to put Saddington into space. No one was going to catch the speedster…as he raced in from 80metres. Evans converted the drop-kick conversion to put Medway 7 – 0 ahead. Medway dominated the remainder of the first half, but were unable to break a resilient Old Elt’s defence. The second half was all Old Elts, as they pushed Medway back into their own half, looking for the equalising score. Medway’s pack fought hard throughout to thwart every attack, with their solid defence lead by second-row Alex Page and No8 Aaron Robertson.
A late final push by Old Elts was not quite enough……and the final whistle signalled a jubilant victory for the exhausted team.
Captain Kaine Dimech received the silverware to much applause from Medway’s trusty and loyal supporters (parents) section. Thank you.
Well done to Vice Captain Owain Morton, who was voted Medway player of the day, by his coaches, for his outstanding control in linking the forwards’ dominance with the backs’ flair.
C’mon Medway!