Tour report
Medway’s Under 15s toured Lille last weekend……and played some scintillating rugby to win both their matches, against sides from the age-group above.
MEDWAY 56 v MAUBEUGE 5
On Saturday, Medway made the long journey to Maubeuge on the France/Belgium border.
The home side had some huge players, and scored a good try down the blind side following some powerful runs.
Medway’s response was immediate, and drew warm applause from their hosts……as Onion hoisted a huge cross-field kick, which Guillaume took in full stride and rounded behind the posts, much to the satisfaction of Medway’s noisy supporters. Onion converted.
Medway tackled like demons, knocking their larger opponents backwards time and time again. This gave them excellent ball, which they moved around the rock-hard pitch with confidence and freedom.
‘Ari-Grand scored in the corner, but the referee adjudged harshly that he had stepped into touch. No way.
Next up to score was Kiki with a burst of pace to score wide on the right. Onion converted. Medway then hit a purple patch for 10 minutes, as ‘Ari-Petit ran in a devastating hat trick, with a further try for Xander from 70 metres out, which was beautifully converted by Delon Travaille.
Further tries followed in the second half, for Kiki…..and Feng-Shui, who side-stepped his way to the posts before wiggling the ball in the last defender’s face.
Guest winger, Marquis de Saddy….raced in from distance after several kicks ahead to score under the sticks….before the final score saw Onion feed Dominique, who sprinted in from 18 inches.
This was a brilliant performance, to celebrate St. George’s Day. Maubeuge were gallant in defeat, and could not have helped the Medway tourists more, in finding a coach that worked.
MOM….Onion.
MEDWAY 46 v BAILLEUL 12
Another day, another game……even bigger players (lots of them)…….Medway travelled north to take on reputedly stronger opposition in Bailleul. A number of Medway’s lads seemed to have picked up some food poisoning overnight, as they seemed to be not quite at their best in the morning.
This was evident early on, as Medway conceded an early try to the home side in the first couple of minutes, as their giants smashed the ball home up the blind side.
Medway shook off their food poisoning in the roasting hot sunshine, and started to get back into it.
Good driving play, saw Medway go close, before the ball found it’s way to Jean-Mario on the wing to get the equalising try.
Medway hit every ruck, and tackled once again beyond their weight…..to create a platform, to practice some Gallic-flair of their own. Next to score was the excellent Feng-Shui, following a trademark Onion crosskick. Onion converted.
Meeles secured the kick-off spectacularly, before offloading to Onion, who, by now was out-of-control in the kicking department….his long kick, was regathered by ‘Ari-Petit…..who popped the ball off to Xander, who out-paced the cover defence. Onion converted.
Guillaume secured everything chucked down his throat at the back, and counter-attacked superbly…..as the ball was recycled and spun wide, Jean-Mario and ‘Adlee combined perfectly, for ‘Adlee to score a deserved try.
Next up, Feng-Shui secured a long kick, and fed Onion, who showed rare pace, before offloading wide to ‘Ari-Petit on the wing….he gassed the opposition, and unselfishly passed to the outstanding Meeles to score.
From the restart, Olivier took the ball , and popped to Onion, who once again delivered a peach of a pass to ‘Ari-Petit, who once again showed great pace and footwork to score from distance. Dominique converted.
The Frenchies responded strongly, with a series of powerful goal-line drives, which Medway defended brilliantly, especially through No8 Kiki and Feng-Shui…….however, the referee awarded the try from the sixth drive, although Medway were convinced they had held the ball up. (No criticism could be levelled at the ref, who turned out to be a great singer and dancer.)
The final score saw Meeles turnover another ball, before Feng-Shui booted it downfield with his size 13s…..first onto the ball was Fizzoir, who beat the cover defence with a burst of pace, to take Medway’s points on tour beyond the one-hundred mark.
This was another brilliant team performance from the lads, to cap a season of highs and lows. Bailleul were once again, excellent hosts…..thumbs up, knees together, tongue out etc….!!!
MOM…..’Adlee
POT…..Guillaume.
C’mon Medway
GCK.
Deal & Betteshanger 0 Medway 34
On Sunday Medway travelled down to the east Kent coast to take on Deal and Betteshanger, the two teams having never met previously.
In perfect conditions, Medway started well, but their hosts responded immediately by contesting the contact area fiercely and putting in some crunching tackles. This game would require patience and a structured approach, and it took Medway 15 minutes to start to gain a foothold.
As Medway pressured the D&B line, the home side cleared the ball downfield….the ball was caught cleanly 30 metres out by No8 Kaine Dimech, who returned the kick in style with a strong jinking run which saw him break several tackles to eventually go over for the opening try.
D&B continued to press, winning good rucks, and trying to attack out wide….however good tackling from Harry Stanford, Hadley O’Connor, Callum Daulby and Lare Erogbogbo snuffed out any threats.
On 20 minutes, Medway secured fast ruck ball on the left after some good approach work from Harry Fields and Callum Daulby……the ball was spun quickly wide, and Medway made good ground before the ball was popped back inside to Lola Erogbogbo who drove home for the try with a strong angled run. Owain Morton converted.
Medway still had to fight for every possession as D&B continued to challenge at every breakdown….however superb rucking lead by Ollie Brooks and Dylan Travel helped to give Medway a more secure platform from which to attack. Fast hands once again saw the ball moved to the right, where Lare drove infield, Medway secured the ball midfield, and spun it the opposite way, enabling Harry Stanford the space to deliver the scoring pass to winger Dominic Kempt who touched down in the corner spectacularly for his first score of the season to much cheering.
The half time break saw the coaches demand more cohesion and the need to stick to Medway’s disciplinary code and game plan......a number of positional changes were also made.
Medway started to create more structure in their play, and their reward was greater fast ball to play with. Lare went close after 5 minutes, but the ball was knocked forward. From the resultant scrum, Medway stole the ball against the head, and spun it quickly wide where winger Sam Richardson dived over in the left corner.
The game ebbed and flowed, but Medway were now enjoying their best spell, with strong runs from Richard Harris and Miles Huppatz giving them good field position. Medway secured a scrum 10 metres out, and as the home defence rushed up, scrum half Will Munday sold a slick dummy before side-stepping the open-side flanker off his right foot, before side-stepping the D&B fullback off his left……Will dived gleefully over the line for his first score of the season….much to the delight of his team-mates, Janie, Grandad, and the loyal band of supporters.
D&B never gave in, and drove downfield into Medway’s 22…..as one pass went loose, it was picked up by skipper Kaine Dimech who returned the ball powerfully fully 50 metres with a blistering run with sidesteps and hand-offs galore…..eventually D&B dragged him down……Medway spun the ball to the left where Harry Fields was tackled short of the line….however Medway once again supported well and won recycled ball…..as it was spun to the right, a loose pass was tidied up superbly by Josh Rann who’s trademark jinking run saw him tackled 5 metres short…..quick hands brought Lare into the line, and he delivered the perfect pass to the tireless Ollie Brooks, who dived over on the right hand side to register his first try this year. Richard Harris converted from way out, to round off the scoring.
This was an enjoyable morning’s rugby, which saw Medway grow in maturity as they initially struggled to play their favourite style of rugby, but retained enough discipline and focus, which eventually saw the gaps appear, and as their gallant opponents started to tire, Medway played some great stuff. It was hugely pleasing to see Dom, Will, Podge and Ollie on the score sheet.
Man of the match was awarded to Kaine Dimech who revelled in his new-found freedom at No8, and tackled hard, and carried the ball superbly all game.
Final score 0 – 34.
C’mon Medway.
GCK
Scribe.
Hove 7 Medway 51
Medway’s under 15s made a quick trip to the seaside on Sunday, to take on a Hove team who are unbeaten in their league. Both sides were missing a number of regulars through injury, unavailability or call-ups.
Medway started strongly, securing the kick-off and driving the ball into their opponent’s half….a series of quick rucks gave Lola Erogbogbo the space to put skipper Kaine Dimech away down the right hand touchline….he used his electric pace to round for the try from 40 metres. Flyhalf Owain Morton slotted the extras.
It was clear that the Medway lads fancied it today, as they drove the ball forward strongly through Harry Fields and Miles Huppatz, with great clearing out at the rucks by Dylan Travel, Ollie Brooks et al. This gave them a great attacking platform for their hungry backs. On 10 minutes Medway secured good lineout ball on the right……scrum half Josh Rann moved the ball onto flyhalf Morton, who jinked inside the on-rushing cover before feeding the ball onto Lare Erogbogbo….he in turn spun the ball out to fullback Richard Harris who hit the line at pace, and dived over for the try wide on the left. Harris converted for the extra points.
Medway created some excellent attacking opportunities during this period, but had to be careful when Hove got the ball wide…..their dangerous centres and wingers threatened Medway continually at pace, and only fine tackling from Hadley O’Connor and Alex Saddington kept the home side out.
On 20 minutes, a long clearance kick was followed up by Richard and Lare, and they were able to force Hove to concede a 5 metre scrum. Pagey failed to execute the pre-planned move, but was able to recycle the ball to Paddy Asprey, and Miles Huppatz in succession. As the ball came clear, Fizzy spotted a gap, and drove through strongly from 10 metres for the try.
Hove applied some pressure of their own up front, as they came back into the game for the next 10 minutes, through a series of good rucks, and breaks from their centres. As they pressured the Medway line, a loose pass was intercepted, and the big Hove second row galloped over between the sticks for a converted try.
Medway regained their structure, and started to dominate the contact area again…..quick ball was spun wide to the left where winger Dominic Kempt was tackled literally inches from the line…..his notoriously unselfish outside-centre partner Lare, was on hand to scoop up the ball and dive over for the try.
As Hove attempted to get back into the game, some loose handling in the backs saw Lare intercept an attempted pass, and race in from 40 metres for his second try in quick succession, which Alex Saddington converted.
Alex Saddington slotted into the flyhalf berth for the final 20 minutes, and became a total nuisance for the opposition defence. He received a pass from Sean Marriott and kicked through into space…..using his devastating acceleration he won the race to the ball and kicked on into the home side’s 22 area where he regathered the ball….he popped it off to Lare who switched with Harry Stanford, allowing Harry enough space to go over in the corner.
A very pleasing aspect of the game was Medway’s kick-off restarts, which were bossed effectively by Ollie , Kaine, Funsho and Lola………from the next passage of play the restart was secured and enabled Medway to drive the ball forward through Funsho and big Harry. The ball was moved wide left, and Medway secured more quick ball. Lare emerged at pace, and not wishing to be labelled as unselfish, he used his raw pace to cut across the pitch through the heart of the Hove defence to score a great try in the right hand corner.
More of the same, saw the ball driven across to the left hand side….where, through the thickening fog we think Harry Stanford scored his second try of the match (in Chris Ashton style !)
With the game nearly finished…..Lare took a quick lineout, and the ball made its way to Saddy in the middle…….he saw a gap, and that was that……30 metres later and try-time. Up stepped the athletic figure of Harry Fields for the conversion, which was bang on target but never got more than 6 feet off the ground as all the opposition players dived for cover.
This rounded off what was an excellent Medway performance throughout the squad……with strong, controlled forward play, complimented by intelligent and accurate backs play. Hove were excellent hosts on and off the pitch, who never gave up, and tackled strongly throughout, and were always dangerous attacking out wide.
Medway’s man of the match, who was voted for unanimously by his team-mates was Ollie Brooks, who had his best game of the season so far, and just seemed to be everywhere. Other strong performances came from Harry Fields, Kaine Dimech, Lare Erogbogbo, Owain Morton and Hadley ‘Hamish’ O’Connor.
Well done lads.
C’mon Medway.
Scribe
GCK.
Medway 5 Ashford 0
On a bitterly cold Sunday morning, Medway and Ashford played out a superb game of hard, physical rugby in front of a large crowd of supporters.
Matches between the two sides are traditionally tight affairs, with very little margin between winning and losing……..and so it proved to be the case.
Medway were without a number of regulars through injury or unavailability….but were able to field a strong side, with Duba Bothongo making his debut at prop.
Ashford had the best of the first 10 minutes, edging the rucks….and attacking cleverly through their tricky flyhalf. Medway’s defence held out strongly, with great work from Owain, Duba, Ollie, Kaine, and especially Alex Page who repeatedly tackled Ashford’s dangerous left winger superbly.
Ashford came very close to scoring the opening try during these early exchanges, but the excellent referee (Colin Cheyne) adjudged the ball to have been spilled forward in the act of scoring.
Medway weathered the storm, and came back into the match….through some strong rucking of their own, and some fine straight power running from Lare Erogbogbo in the centres.
Medway’s flyhalf Owain Morton mixed up the attack cleverly during the next 10 minutes through crash runs, pinpoint kicks to counter Ashford’s blitz defence, or spinning the ball out to winger Alex Saddington who rinsed his opposite man on several occasions.
The home side’s reward was a penalty for offside, which Morton put narrowly wide.
The stalemate continued at 0 - 0 until half time.
Medway’s coaches made some changes at the break, bringing on Paddy Asprey for Dom Kempt, Miles Huppatz for Harry Fields, Richard Harris for Rhys Townsend, and Phillip Coultrip for the hard working Dylan Travel in the second row.
Medway started strongly, and threatened to break Ashford’s tough defence several times. It was only a matter of time before one of the chances would see some reward. After 10 minutes scrum half Josh Rann had to leave the field with a recurring groin injury, and was replaced by Sean Marriott who had been on the flank.
Medway secured good turnover ball wide on the left on halfway, Lola Erogbogbo broke into open field and sensibly straightened up his line of running to suck in the visitor’s centres……he delivered a well timed pass to Harry Stanford who drew his man, before putting Alex Saddington clear….Saddington still had to side-step the last defender before stretching over to score in the right hand corner for a great try. Conversion missed.
Medway continued to press, and were denied an overlap opportunity, as fullback Harris was deliberately tripped during the next attacking move. The referee awarded the penalty, but a disgruntled Harris saw his attempt slip wide.
The home side forced Ashford back into their 22, with another excellent kick from Morton. The lineout was stolen superbly by Lola at number two, he was stopped short, but Medway drove to the line in numbers, with a fully switched-on Miles Huppatz in the driving seat……he got the ball over the line, but could not ground it….Ashford to their credit then drove Medway back and were able to clear the threat.
The next attack saw slick hands put Saddington away again….he cut inside and two passes later Harry Stanford was under the sticks. However, the elation was temporary as Saddington had stepped onto the touchline during his run.
As the game drew to its close, Ashford threw everything at Medway…..and gained good field position after a great cross kick from their fullback. Ashford’s big second row (Ryan) stole the ball, and charged for the line, only to be stopped in his tracks by a great tackle from Sean Marriott. The last couple of minutes were frantic, as Ashford drove towards Medway’s line, and were awarded a series of attacking 5 metre scrums…..however Medway’s scrum was strong, and their defence off the base was outstanding with all the lads tackling for all they were worth. Ashford’s final attack was bundled into touch, and the final whistle signalled a great hard fought victory for Medway.
This was a fantastic game of rugby, played in a good spirit, with neither side giving an inch. The Ashford lads are a credit to Ty Coneybear and his coaching team, and were unlucky not to have come away with a draw.
There were some excellent performances from Alex Saddington, Owain Morton, Harry Stanford, Hadley O’Connor and Alex Page…..but man of the match went to Duba on his debut…..who scrummaged brilliantly, tackled well in the open and rucked hard all game.
Well done lads.
C’mon Medway.
Scribe.
GCK.
Old Colfeians 16 Medway 12
Medway travelled to Old Colfeians on Sunday in what was sure to be a tough game.
It was disappointing that the pitch chosen for the match would not have been out of place in an under 7s match……and this clearly benefitted the home side’s brand of pick and drive rugby. Perhaps, with hindsight, this was the opportunity to rest all the wingers, and send them home early.
Medway drove up the steep slope in the first period, through their own fast rucking, and powerful runs off the flyhalf channel. Unluckily, they conceded a converted try after a bobbling catch bounced right into the arms of their fastest player. Shortly afterwards Colfs extended their lead to ten points with a penalty in front.
Undeterred, the lads drove into the home side’s 22, where they were awarded a scrum….No8 Lola Erogbogbo broke blind, and slipped the ball back inside to scrum-half Sean Marriott, who dived over. Conversion missed.
Medway competed superbly on the tackle line, and never gave an inch. They drove up-field again, and won a fast ruck on the right/halfway……Lola spotted a gap on the blind, and side-stepped the winger before sprinting in for a great try. Hadley O’ Connor slotted the conversion to put Medway ahead.
Half time.
Having performed brilliantly up the hill in the first period, and mostly into the wind……the second half would surely be in Medway’s favour…….don’t you believe it.
Inexplicably, Medway’s rucking and clearing out technique, which had been used so effectively in the first period…..then became somehow illegal.
The next half hour was spent walking backwards up the hill in 10 metre increments, which at the appropriate moments yielded penalties for Colfes.
They moved into a 16-12 advantage, and that was that.
The End.
Great spirit, passion and effort from everyone…..lead by Omar, Harry, Pagey, Kaine, Lola, Dylan, Milo, Ollie, Sean, Funcho, Hamish et al…..with Rhys putting in a brave performance at Fullback.
Thank you to Will, Dom, Harry and Podge for your continued support.
GCK
Scribe
Medway 10 Aylesford 9
This was one of those frustrating mornings when Medway didn’t perform to best of their ability……this was due, in no small part, to the excellent performance put up by the visiting Aylesford side.
Medway took nothing for granted before kick-off by fielding a strong side, as Aylesford’s results had indicated that they were a much improved outfit.
The early exchanges were well contested……and Medway were unlucky not to capitalise on a long-range break from Lola Erogbogbo, who linked unselfishly with winger Callum Daulby…..however the visitor’s scramble defence covered across well to snuff out the chance.
Medway were stronger in the scrum, and the lineout was equally matched. The loose play dictated the pattern of the match, as Medway contested fiercely at the tackle, and counter-rucked effectively…….however, they were deemed to have infringed on numerous occasions, and this stopped any momentum from being built up.
Aylesford carried the ball into contact well, and their first up tackling throughout was outstanding, as they knocked Medway’s big ball-carriers down time and again.
On 20 minutes they were rewarded, as they slotted a penalty from in front, as Medway were adjudged to have joined from the side at a ruck.
The stalemate continued, and there was no further score before the interval.
Medway started the half with new energy, and drove into the Aylesford half from the start, with runs from Omar Woodrow-Thorne and Harry Stanford…..several quick rucks, found fullback Richard Harris with enough space to out-sprint the cover defence down the right-hand-side, and dive over for a try in the corner. Conversion missed.
The second half then became a very evenly matched battle, as both sets of forwards and backs attacked in equal measure, but could not break each other’s defensive lines. Medway were reduced to 14 men after 15 minutes, as flanker Alex Page was adjudged to have shoulder barged one of the Aylesford players, and sin-binned for ten minutes..
Aylesford, edged the balance of play in the middle of the half, with their numerical advantage, and nearly scored through their No8 in the corner, but for a great cover tackle from Richard Harris. During this period they landed two further penalties, and pulled-out a 5 – 9 lead.
Medway dug deep, and were unlucky to see a penalty of their own slip narrowly wide.
With 10 minutes remaining, the home side, drove downfield again, and got good field position in the Aylesford twenty-two following good drives from Ollie Brooks, Harry Fields and Miles Huppatz. Once again, the Medway lads won the ruck…..and No8 Lola Erogbogbo broke down the blind side to power over for a superb try in the corner. The conversion was missed, but Medway now had the narrowest of leads, and were unlikely to let it slip.
Medway had the best of the last ten minutes, …..and were able to keep Aylesford pinned back. One attacking backs move saw Lare Erogbogbo touch down close in, but the referee adjudged the ball to have been held up over the line……….and the final play of the game saw Omar Woodrow-Thorne dive in at the corner, after good approach play from Harry Stanford,…..unfortunately, after some discussion, the final pass was adjudged to have gone forward, and the try was disallowed.
The full-time whistle signalled a 10 – 9 victory for Medway……although they have now used their ‘get out of jail free’ card.
Much credit to Aylesford and their coach Tim, for a cracking hard-fought game of rugby from a tenacious group of players.
Medway will have to work on their breakdown discipline, first-up tackles……and most importantly, taking the right option at the right time…..where final passes need to be made…..and in some cases, not made.
Man of the match went to Miles Huppatz, who carried the ball strongly and was never turned-over, put in a massive tackle count, rucked hard, and scrummaged solidly throughout.
GCK
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Medway 38 Whitstable 7
Medway’s under 15s put on a strong performance for the large crown on Sunday, in a friendly fixture against an improving Whitstable side.
Medway opted to play into the fierce wind in the first period, and were ‘forced’ by their coaches, into playing a brand of rugby which demanded retaining possession and ensured careful use of the ball in attack.
Medway started strongly from the start, as Callum Daulby took the kick-off and returned it powerfully into the mid-field….Medway’s forwards linked together immediately with their fast backs, to create a series of attacking drives and fast rucks….as the ball was secured once more, a gap was created on the blindside……No8 Lola Erogbogbo spotted the opportunity, he drew the final defender before offloading to brother Lare, who sprinted in unopposed from 30 metres. The tricky conversion was slotted by Richard Harris.
With the wind at their backs, the visitors were always able to clear any threat deep downfield when the ball became available. One such clearance was fielded deep by Medway, but Whitstable were able to drive the ball-carrier into touch, and secure a lineout on Medway’s twenty-two. Medway stole the lineout in superb fashion, and delivered fast off-the-top ball to their backs…..several well-timed passes later, and fullback Richard Harris hit the line at pace. He was able to bisect the centre-defence, before shaking off two cover tacklers, and race away for a fine try. Owain Morton converted.
Medway were guilty of conceding too many penalties during the first-half which gave Whitstable a foothold in the game……although ironically, it was from a penalty awarded against Whitstable on halfway that saw Medway’s next score. The ball was tapped to tight-head Omar Woodrow-Thorne, who drove the ball 30 metres forward into the heart of the Whitstable defence, his deft footwork helped to keep the ball alive, before he offloaded brilliantly out of the tackle to the ever-hungry Callum Daulby on the wing. Daulby was tackled 20 metres out, but Medway cleared the ruck efficiently, enabling Lola enough time to bring skipper Kaine Dimech onto the ball at pace. Kaine used his power and pace to drive over the line for a very well worked score.
Whitstable to their credit, continued to man-up, and were rewarded on the stroke of halftime, as they ran a penalty in Medway’s half. Medway missed the crucial tackle, which saw one of Whitstable’s powerful forwards break through to score a deserved try, which was converted.
Half Time 19 – 7………….the coaches made numerous changes at the break, which brought all their players into the fold, but also disrupted the pattern of play somewhat.
Medway stuck to their game plan, and kept ball in hand, even with the tempting gale at their backs. From one attack, Medway forced a lineout in the Whitstable twenty-two. Kaine Dimech picked out Lola at the back of a shortened line, and the No8 drove the final 10 metres to score wide on the left. Conversion narrowly missed.
The game then took on the pattern that would remain for the next 25 minutes. This saw Medway dominate the territorial battle and the contact area, but all too often, squander the vital scoring pass, or lose the ball in contact. Numerous opportunities were wasted in this way, and Medway need to sharpen-up on some of these basics, if they are to prosper against top opposition.
Medway did use the ball well on occasion…..and following a powerful run down the right by flanker Funcho Olaleye, the ball was driven up to the Whitstable line by Harry Fields, Miles Huppatz and Ollie Brooks. Medway worked hard to win the maul, and as the ball was smuggled back, open-side-flanker Alex Page spotted his chance and dived over for the fifth try of the morning. Morton converted.
With time ebbing away, Whitstable were awarded a penalty on their 10-metre line. They elected to run the ball, but the first wide pass was spotted by Medway’s Harry Stanford. Timing his run to perfection, he leaped like a salmon to intercept the pass, and put in a mid-air 360 pirouette for good measure……the cover defence could not stop him, as he dived over for a dazzling solo score,…. to much applause from the sideline. Richard Harris converted to wrap up a pleasing victory.
This was a great morning’s rugby, with both side’s entering into the spirit of things.
Medway’s first half performance into the gale was outstanding……with quality performances from Miles Huppatz, Owain Morton and Richard Harris. Medway’s Man of the Match went to second-row Ollie Brooks, who made some great breaks, rucked hard, tidied up much loose-ball and tackled hard throughout.
Well done lads.
C’mon Medway.
GCK.
Cranbrook 0 Medway 62
Medway’s under 15s travelled away to Cranbrook on Sunday with a near full squad (4 players unavailable).
The large pitch and perfect conditions promised for an expansive game, and this was the case, as Medway’s large band of loyal supporters were treated to some scintillating rugby.
After some early tight exchanges, Medway were awarded a scrum on half way on the left-hand-side….No 8 Lola Erogbogbo made a powerful break down the blind side, before offloading to supporting winger Paddy Asprey….he was well tackled just short of the line, but Harry Stanford was on hand in customary fashion to scoop up the loose ball and dive over for the opening score.
Cranbrook applied some concerted pressure during the first 20 minutes, but Medway’s coordinated defence held strong, combined with excellent first up tackling from Alex Page, Hamish O‘ Connor and Mr. H. Stanford Esq. Any threats were snuffed out, enabling flyhalf Owain Morton to clear any pressure.
On 10 minutes, a loose pass was hacked through by fullback Richard Harris, who kicked ahead once more, before winning the race for the touchdown beneath the posts. Morton converted.
Medway’s pack were showing more cohesion this week, and put on a strong showing in the scrummage, with Omar Woodrow-Thorne, Harry Fields, Kaine Dimech and latterly Miles Huppatz putting in a dominant performance. Equally improved was the commitment at the rucks, where each ball was contested fiercely, resulting in a number of crucial turnovers.
A series of excellent forward drives, lead by Omar, took the ball into Cranbrook’s twenty-two. As the home defence pushed up, flyhalf Morton chipped a delicate crosskick into the corner, allowing winger Paddy Asprey to collect the ball and dive over for the try wide on the left.
Cranbrook came back, and nearly scored from a well-worked lineout move…..Medway’s defence held firm. As Cranbrook pressed again, they kicked through into Medway’s goal area….the ever present Pagey was on hand to win the touch-down and scupper the attack. Medway then executed their drop out routine to good effect, as the opposition fullback was caught in possession deep in his half….the ball was turned over, enabling Lola to sprint the last 20 metres to score near the posts. Morton converted.
Half Time 0 – 24.
The coaches made a number of positional changes at the break, and the match resumed. Medway applied pressure from the kick-off, and drove Cranbrook back into their 22….from a ruck 10 metres out, scrum-half Sean Marriott dummied the pass (it’s in the genes), and darted through the gap to score close in for his first try of the season.
Medway started to play more expansively, but were careful to suck in any loose defenders first. A break by Rhys Townsend was stopped wide on the left, from the ensuing lineout Medway were able to force Cranbrook into conceding a penalty in their 22. Medway ran a set-move from the penalty which saw Lare Erogbogbo held up short (should have passed to Will)….once again poacher supreme Harry Stanford was on hand to pick up the pieces and dive over for his second try of the game. Morton slotted the extras.
The best try of the game came shortly afterwards…the forwards drove upfield through Milo and Ollie Brooks, and won two fast rucks in succession, with the defence on the back-foot, Marriott spun the ball out to Morton who fixed his man beautifully before delivering a perfect drop-off pass to centre Callum Daulby who hit the gap, he was well tackled by Cranbrook’s fullback short of the line, but had the presence of mind to stretch forward and touch down at arm’s length beneath the posts. Morton converted.
Shortly afterwards, a great break by Richard Harris was stopped short, he offloaded to Dominic Kempt who took the ball to the line, before offloading to Daulby who dived over for his second in quick succession. Morton converted .
As time started to ebb away, Medway were awarded a scrum on the left…..the backs executed a slick move which saw Lare stopped just short…..once again a great clear out in the ensuing ruck, enabled Lola to pick up and drive the last few yards to score his second try of the match. Morton converted.
The final play of the game, saw skipper Kaine Dimech make a determined angled run from his own half….he was tackled on the home side’s twenty-two, but was able to pop the ball up to supporting flanker Alex Page, who turned on the gas, and burned-off the cover defence before diving in under the posts in exuberant fashion. Richard missed the easy conversion (twat.)
This was a great team performance from the lads, who strung together some excellent passages of play. Medway would like to thank the Cranbrook side and their coach Andy, for a gallant, sporting fixture, and for their warm hospitality. The referee deserves much credit, for his excellent control, and fairness in all decisions throughout. We wish you well for the rest of the season.
The Cranbrook coach awarded man of the match to Omar….although the Medway coaches felt that Harry Stanford and Owain Morton were probably the pick on the day.
Well done lads.
C’mon Medway.
Scribe
GCK.
Gravesend 7 Medway 50
A difficult fixture in many ways for Medway on Sunday.
A bright start, which saw a great blind-side attack rounded off in style by winger Callum Daulby in the first 5 minutes……was tarnished, as Daulby sustained an ankle injury requiring an ambulance after he was tackled whilst making another run 5 minutes later. Later x-rays confirmed ligament damage with no broken bones, but the impressive back will surely be sidelined for several weeks. The team and coaches wish him a speedy recovery.
With the match relocated to the adjacent pitch, Medway settled into their game plan, rucking hard, and spreading the ball wide when the opportunity presented itself.
From an excellent deep kick by fullback Richard Harris, Medway were awarded a penalty as Gravesend went offside, an initial burst from Harry Fields was stopped, but quick recycling saw Kaine Dimech go over beneath the posts.
Further excellent offloading and rucking saw Medway secure possession on Gravesend’s 10 yard line….flyhalf Owain Morton drew his man, before popping a short pass to flanker Alex Page on his shoulder, Pagey had the strength to brush off a couple of tackles before accelerating for a great try.
From the kick off, Medway executed their Dover move, which saw Lola Erogbogbo hit the back line at pace, and race in from halfway. This was the perfect execution of the move, where the gap is taken if the door is left open, rather than just moving the ball wide automatically.
Gravesend were under pressure, and were exposed out wide during this period, as they defended too narrowly…..good driving play from Ollie Brooks and Dylan Travel in the middle, saw the ball moved quickly out to Morton, once again he showed great awareness by delaying his pass until the perfect moment enabling flanker Harry Stanford enough room to hit the gap, and run round the cover defence to score beneath the posts.
On the stroke of halftime, as Gravesend tried to attack out wide, a loose pass went to ground….Medway’s fullback Richard Harris pounced by accurately flyhacking the ball twice towards the Gravesend line, he was able to scoop up the ball and dive over for a fine individual try.
The halftime break saw some positional changes made by the coaches.
The second half was not one for the purist, as Medway were penalised consistently for a number of offences, and allowed themselves to become frustrated. This was reflected in their play, as poor decisions were taken, and execution of basic rugby was suspended. A number of cheap unsavoury incidents went unpunished by the referee, which merely added to the frustration. During one bout of handbags, skipper Kaine Dimech stepped in to separate the two players, and was promptly punched twice in the face directly in front of the referee…..showing a huge amount of discipline and restraint, he fought off the urge to retaliate and looked to the referee to take the appropriate action…..his reward was to be sin-binned for 10 minutes….unbelievable.
When Medway did focus on the matter at hand, they looked dangerous…..a break by Sean Marriott was carried on by Owain Morton, before the ball was moved out to Josh Rann playing in the centres…..he stepped inside his man and raced for the line, before unselfishly offloading to his centre partner Lare Erogbogbo, who scored the simplest of touchdowns.
With 5 minutes to go, Medway repelled a Gravesend attack and were rewarded with a scrum on the own line. Lola picked up from the base, and shipped the ball onto Harris, he fed the ball out to Lare who turned on the afterburners to race in from 60 metres with his trademark power running.
The game ended in controversial fashion, as a Gravesend player was tackled into touch whilst diving in at the corner. The referee adjudged the tackle to be high and dangerous, and sent the Medway player off. For the record, a tackle made with the arms at chest height is not a high-tackle. The referee awarded a penalty try, as the last play of the game.
Hadley O’ Connor converted 4 kicks at goal, with Richard Harris landing a fifth.
My man of the match was Kaine, for his outstanding play, and great maturity in the face of injustice and continual provocation.
There are a number of his team-mates who could learn a lot from their skipper.
Scribe
GCK.
Medway 24 Dover 10
Medway’s under 15s took on Dover on Sunday, in the East Kent Cup Semi-Final.
Both teams and supporters observed one minute’s silence before kick-off.
The game commenced in atrocious weather conditions, with heavy rain falling which continued throughout the match.
Medway’s lads had been urged to keep it tight, and play to the conditions by their coaches…..but their natural exuberance has a tendency to take over. On ten minutes the ball was won on the right, and spun out to the backs, who then attempted to execute a ‘delta’ move (tricky enough in dry conditions)……almost inevitably the ball was spilled on half way, allowing Dover’s centre to race onto the bouncing ball and sprint in from 40 metres…..the conversion gave Dover a seven point lead.
Medway responded immediately, and drove upfield with a series of rucks and crash-balls…..the Dover lads stopped Medway’s progress ten metres out, but the ball was cleverly recycled blind by Miles Huppatz, and one pass later Richard Harris was over in the corner. Harris converted his own try superbly from the touchline to bring the scores level.
Medway’s forwards were strong in the scrum, but the rules dictate that it is virtually impossible to drive your opponents off their own ball…..thus Dover were able to clear their lines on numerous occasions through their flyhalf’s strong boot. The Medway forwards won a lineout on their own 22, through the irrepressible Lola Erogbogbo, the ball was put out to the backs where Richard Harris hit the line at pace….he made 25 metres before being dragged down…..Medway’s forwards cleared the ruck quickly, and the ball was spun wide allowing centre Lare Erogbogbo enough space to race in at the left-hand corner. Conversion missed.
Dover rucked and tackled hard throughout, and repelled many attacking moves by the home side. Eventually, another gap appeared as more slick hands put winger Callum Daulby clear on the left…….as the cover defence swarmed across, he stepped inside and presented the ball on a plate for hard-working skipper Kaine Dimech to drive the final yards to score a great try. Conversion missed.
HALF-TIME….(Medway made a number of substitutions, allowing all the lads to have a run.)
As the rain got even harder, the error count inevitably increased from both teams…..and play invariably got bogged down in the middle of the pitch. Medway continued to win good set-piece ball through scrum and lineout, which resulted in a number of excellent attacking opportunities for Alex Saddington, Omar Woodrow-Thorne, Harry Stanford and Lola Erogbogbo (genius dummy)…..however Dover’s last-ditch defence held out time and again. Dover had chances to score during the period, but spilled the ball at the vital time, their only reward was three points from a penalty in front of the sticks.
It was only a matter of time before the Dover defence would crack. On 20 minutes, Medway were repelled from a 5-metre scrum, however the ball was kept alive, and was popped out to blind-side flanker Funcho Olaleye, he was able to use his pace and strength to drive over for a try beneath the posts (and he didn’t side-step). Hadley O’Connor slotted the extras.
The fulltime whistle sounded, much to the relief of the soggy home supporters….and Medway had secured a place in the final with a disciplined 24 – 10 victory.
The home coaches and players would like to extend their thanks to referee Colin Cheyne, who stepped in very late on, and was excellent as usual……and equally to Dover’s coaches Tim and Andy who were excellent company all morning, and who are developing a great squad.
The man-of-the-match award this week, went to Miles Huppatz who thrives in swampy conditions…and was literally everywhere (except the lineout), he tackled and rucked hard all day….and provides intelligent links between forwards and backs. Well done Milo.
GCK
Scribe.
Folkestone 0 Medway 29
The lads travelled down the M20 on Sunday, for a game that turned out to be a tough contest, as a much improved Folkestone side made Medway work for every point.
The Medway side was missing 4 regulars ( Harris, Saddington, Olaleye and Richardson)….but showed that they have the strength in depth to compete effectively throughout the squad.
The heavy pitch, and persistent rain combined to make the first half a battle of attrition. The contest was well contested upfront, with Medway dominating the scrums….and working hard in the rucks. Despite creating a number of overlaps, the Folkestone cover defence held Medway out. Medway were also guilty of dropping the soap at a number of vital moments, and scoring chances were missed.
Medway were awarded two five metre penalties during the period, but Omar Woodrow-Thorne and Lola Erogbogbo were repelled bravely on both occasions…..Medway need to vary the point of attack, against determined defences….this will be worked on in training this week.
At the interval Medway’s coaches identified 2 or 3 areas of the game that the visitors needed to change, if they were to yield results…..and the restart saw immediate results.
With more aggression in the tackle and ruck, Medway drove downfield….quick hands released Lare Erogbogbo in the centres….he was stopped short, but the ball was driven on by the improving front-rower Harry Fields, once again Folkestone stopped the drive, but the loose ball was picked up by the excellent Miles Huppatz…..he drove low and hard for the corner, and was rewarded with the try. Unconverted.
Medway continued to pressure Folkestone into errors, and from an effective counter-ruck on halfway, the ball was passed quickly wide, where it reached lurking skipper Kaine Dimech….he used his speed and some agile footwork to cross the try line out wide. Unconverted.
Medway’s forwards worked their socks off, with Alex Page showing some renewed confidence in the loose, and Ollie Brooks, Paddy Asprey and Phillip Coultrip smashing the breakdown hard.
After 15 minutes Medway’s strong scrum stole the ball against the head….slick ball was passed blind, where outside centre Callum Daulby hit his usual straight hard line, he made 20 metres before offloading the ball inside to winger Lare Erogbogbo….he needed no second invitation, as he hit the accelerator to race in unopposed from 50 metres out. Unconverted.
Folkestone continued to challenge at every breakdown, and resisted the urge to kick, preferring to drive the ball forward where possible…they were creditable opponents, and should not be under-estimated in the future.
The Medway pack continued to play as a cohesive unit, and caught Folkestone in possession 30 metres out….as the ball was grounded for a ruck, Medway cleared out effectively, enabling No 8 Lola Erogbogbo to pick up, and sprint through the gap that had been created, to register a deserved try under the uprights. Hamish converted.
Medway lost skipper Dimech at hooker through injury, and this saw tackle-maestro Harry Stanford rejoin the match (as Captain). Medway continued to threaten more and more throughout, with Josh Rann sparking some exciting counter-attacking rugby….breaks by Rhys Townsend and Daulby were thwarted by the home side’s powerful fullback.
With 5 minutes to go….Medway were awarded a penalty 30 metres out….sharp thinking saw Hadley O’Connor take a quick tap kick, before sprinting past the cover defenders on the right….as the defence swarmed across, he popped a clever pass inside, where Harry Stanford was on hand to dive in gleefully for the try. Hamish slotted the tricky conversion from out wide, to wrap up the scoring and give Medway a satisfying 29 – 0 victory.
This was a very good result for Medway, who kept their shape and discipline throughout, working hard in the heavy conditions, and also working with (rather than against) the inexperienced referee.
This was another fine team showing from the guys, with strong performances from Paddy Asprey (forward/back – AC/DC?), Alex (lost property) Page, Miles ‘’I use my brain’’ Huppatz et al….but man of the match went unanimously to second row Ollie Brooks who was politely brilliant.
Scribe
GCK
Medway 38 Tonbridge Juddians 0
Resplendent in their long awaited new kit, Medway took to the field on Sunday against Tonbridge Juddians. The weather conditions were dry, still and sunny, and the sizeable crowd were keen to see some exciting running rugby.
Straight from the start Medway looked to be up for the encounter, as they immediately executed their Dover move from the kick-off. This saw the ball moved quickly downfield, before finding its way to strong left winger Callum Daulby, who accelerated back infield in an arcing run. He was able to outpace the cover defence, and step back inside the last two defenders to register an excellent score under the posts. Hadley O’Connor slotted the extras, and TJs were 7 – 0 down inside 3 minutes.
From the next kick-off, a similar Medway response, saw the ball moved wide to outside centre Lare Erogbogbo, he’s always quick to spot a gap, and pushed the accelerator-pedal to race in from 60 metres out down the right hand flank. With Hadley O’Connor slotting the straight-forward conversion….TJs were 14 points down, and only 5 minutes had elapsed. Their Captain pulled his team together behind the posts, and demanded greater commitment in the tackle.
This was evident from the restart, as TJs finally started to get into the game….however their resurgence was short lived…..they kicked the ball clear from their 22, only for Daulby to gather the kick and return it powerfully down the left hand side with interest….a quick exchange of passes later, and hooker Kaine Dimech raced in at speed to dive in at the corner. Hadley lined-up the kick from wide out, and popped it over with consummate ease.
TJs continued gallantly to up their game….and to their credit they did just that. They started to compete strongly in the contact area, and rucked effectively. This put an abrupt halt to Medway’s brand of festival rugby….and the game then took on a more equally balanced shape, which was more satisfying for both sets of supporters. Medway tried to attack with expansive moves, but were stopped by TJs blitz defence, or through silly handling errors of their own. As the half drew to a close, Medway were awarded a scrum 5 metres out on the left. To their coaches pleasure, No8 Lola Erogbogbo, scrum-half Fizzy Rann and winger Callum Daulby combined perfectly to score an excellent try in the corner. Hamish was unable to slot the conversion…..and the ref’s whistle signalled halftime, with Medway 26 – 0 to the good.
The first half might have seen some excellent tries scored, but the coaches were not happy at the interval as their charges had conceded too many stupid penalties in the contact area, which the excellent referee had rightfully picked-up. This had enabled TJs to regain field-position time and again as their powerful kicker had punished Medway for their lack of patience. Once again, the coaches made a number of personnel changes, which included the addition of Alex Page at open-side flanker, Harry Stanford at flyhalf and Ollie Brooks in the second row.
The match continued with both sides trying to attack, but thwarted by solid tackling…..with Page, Stanford, Dimech and Brooks putting in some tireless work.
The stalemate was broken after 10 minutes…..Hadley O’Connor spotted some space in behind TJ’s defence, and found touch close to TJ’s goal line from an excellent kick.
Medway have worked hard on their lineout of late….and the outstanding Lola Erogbogbo put all the practice to good work. He stole the TJ’s lineout superbly, before driving the final few metres to score a great individual try…..which was reward for his hard work all morning. Unconverted.
Medway started to gain the upper hand in the rucks, with Dylan Travel, Omar Woodrow-Thorne and Miles Huppatz clearing out ferociously. With so much good ball to work with, Medway were guilty of squandering opportunities, by either being too flat in attack, or by failing to execute simple passing down the line.
The next chance arose following some strong illusive running from blind-side flanker Funcho Olaleye….he drove off the back of a ruck on half way, and took the ball into TJ’s 22. Quick ruck ball saw the ball spun wide, winger Paddy Asprey took the difficult final pass before crashing through two tackles to score on the left. Fullback, Richard Harris stepped-up to slot the extra points.
Tonbridge Juddians were excellent sporting opponents all game, and gave the home lads a tough match….especially after conceding so heavily early on.
The Medway coaches were particularly happy with the set-piece scrum and lineout….and the improved discipline in the second half, with only two penalties conceded.
The traditional man-of-the-match boatrace afterwards was won convincingly by TJs, as their elected player poured most of his winner’s drink down his shirt. Medway’s MOM was Lola Erogbogbo, who was dominant in the lineout, and worked his socks off in every ruck and is probably still eating his Wispa. Other strong performances came from Josh Fizzy Rann, who kicked, passed and ran well from scrum-half (but did gob-off to the referee), Miles Huppatz who has excellent all-round skills combined with a high work-rate (especially when his head’s on straight) and Paddy Asprey who side-stepped for the first time ever.
Well done lads.
Scribe
GCK
Whitstable 0 Medway 45
Medway’s Under 15s travelled away to Whitstable on Sunday, in the first round of the East Kent Cup. After the disjointed performance of a week earlier, the coaches were looking for more discipline and focus on and off the pitch.
Medway started strongly, through a series of powerful forward drives….Whitstable’s defence held firm in the early exchanges, and ruck ball was well contested by both sides. On 10 minutes, a decisive break by flanker Funcho Olaleye was stopped short, Medway won the ensuing ruck, and spun the ball wide, for skipper Kaine Dimech to dive over in the corner.
Whitstable secured some useful possession, but were unable to release their fast-running centre, as Medway’s centre pairing of Callum Daulby and Lare Erogbogbo wrapped him up time and again.
Shortly afterwards, superb tight-head prop Omar Woodrow-Thorne carried the ball deep into Whitstable territory supported strongly by his loose-head partner Miles Huppatz, they were stopped just short of the goal-line, but Lola Erogbogbo was on hand to pick up the ball, and drive forward to score between the posts. Richard Harris converted.
This was the pattern of the match…..as Medway tackled hard, and counter-attacked off turnover ball……combined with excellent set-piece ball from the scrum.
On fifteen minutes Milo was held up over the tryline after some fine approach play from Woodrow-Thorne, Dylan Travel and Alex Page……from the 5 metre scrum, Josh Rann fed Harry Stanford….he popped a crash ball to Callum Daulby who broke the final tackles to crash over near the posts. Harris slotted the extras.
Whitstable kicked-off again, and put Medway under pressure in their own half….the ball was secured by Meds….and spun out to fullback Richard Harris, who ignored a three-man overlap and set off on an audacious run through the heart of Whitstable’s defence. His powerful running, and strong handoffs allowed him to break their line, and race in from 50 metres (with Daulby, Erogbogbo and Asprey left shaking their heads.) Harris converted his own try.
From the next passage of play, Whitstable secured good ruck ball….however a loose pass from the base was fly-hacked downfield by Milo….the bouncing ball sat up perfectly for winger Alex Saddington, who had won the 50 metre sprint for the ball, to re-gather and dive in at the corner.
As the first half drew to a close, Whitstable were awarded a lineout in their own 22, following a break down the left wing by Harris. The ball went loose at the back of the line, and was snapped up by the impressive Alex Page….who showed the defensive cover a clean pair of heels to dive in wide on the left. Richard Harris slotted the tricky conversion with his usual aplomb.
The half time interval gave the coaches an opportunity to mix things up a bit, with the introduction of Harry Fields, Rhys Townsend, Sean Marriott, Dom Kempt and Podge Richardson. It was pleasing that Medway were able to make significant changes without disrupting the game plan or shape of the side. The second half was a more open affair, as Medway tried to be more adventurous in attack, and Whitstable to their credit continued to battle hard in the tight…..their dangerous centre Jaffer came close to scoring on one occasion, after outpacing 5 would-be tacklers, however he was tackled into touch by the ever-vigilant Callum Daulby short of the line.
Medway responded and went close through Omar, Lola and Harry Stanford….however Whitstable were able to hold up the final drive, or make the last important tackle.
After 20 minutes, a strong forward pick and drive, took the ball to Whitstable’s goal-line, hooker Kaine Dimech was able to wriggle and twist his way over for his second try. Once again Richard Harris stroked the ball over for the conversion.
The game ebbed and flowed for the remaining 15 minutes, with Saddington (now at flyhalf) threatening the Whitstable back line….Sean Marriott (at scrumhalf) making some excellent sniping runs from the base, and Rhys Townsend mopping-up any loose ball kicked deep by the home side.
Medway might have grabbed another try late on, as Lare Erogbogbo picked up a loose ball, after the Whitstable fullback was well tackled on his 22……as Lare raced home to score and touch the ball down between the posts….he was superbly tackled by the Whitstable centre, and the chance was missed. This typified Whitstable’s dogged determination throughout.
The final scoreline of 0 – 45, reflected what a good performance it had been by the Medway lads….who kept their mouths shut, and their opinions to themselves throughout. The continued improvement in Medway’s scrummaging, and backline blitz defence was also very satisfying to the coaches.
Man of the match….Callum Daulby, who made a guest appearance at inside centre, and snuffed out Whitstable’s main attack-runner with numerous legal tackles ( ably assisted by Lare at outside centre/No8.)
Well done lads, onto the next round.
Scribe
GCK.
Medway 24 Westcombe Park 30
It was perhaps inevitable, that after last week’s heroics….Medway would come back down to earth with a bump. This proved to be the case.
It was obvious to the coaches before the kick-off that the lads were not focused on the match ahead. Playing with a mixed squad, Medway were always going to be in a tight contest against a strong and well drilled Westcombe Park side.
Park started strongly and put Medway under pressure, scoring early on through the flyhalf channel. Medway responded with a try from flanker Funcho Olaleye, after some good driving phases. This established the pattern for the match, as the scoring ebbed and flowed one way and then the other. Park scored again, before Richard Harris smashed over from a short penalty. Converted by Alex Saddington.
Park scored again, before fullback Richard Harris, again hit the line at pace, to score a try on the blind side., with Saddington slotting the extras.
Westcombe Park responded with a try wide on the left, and a penalty, before a fired-up Medway strung some phases together, before releasing Lola Erogbogbo to score wide out on the right.
Crucially Westcombe Park scored one further try through their powerful right winger……and this kept them sufficiently ahead of Medway, who were unable to cut the deficit.
The final whistle saw Westcombe Park record a 30 – 24 victory.
Medway’s disappointment was evident for all to see. This was an ill-disciplined performance….which lacked the team cohesion of the previous two weeks. The Medway lads rightfully had to take some heavy criticism from the coaches after the match….and they should look to themselves to put things right.
Strong performances on the day from Ollie Brooks, Kaine Dimech, Dylan Travel and man-of-the-match Richard Harris should be seen as positives.
GCK.
Rosslyn Park 7 Medway 22
Sunday saw Medway’s Under 15s travel to south-west London to take on a strong Rosslyn Park side, in a prestigious fixture for the club.
Rosslyn Park play at a high standard, having matched Wasps earlier this season, and boasting the Captains of Eton and Harrow amongst their ranks.
Medway played with the strong wind at their backs, but up the slope in the first half. The early exchanges indicated that Rosslyn Park were going to be challenging opposition. They consistently beat Medway to the breakdown, which enabled them to feed the ball out to their dangerous backs. Medway’s wingers, Callum Daulby and Alex Saddington were more than up to the task, as they repeatedly dragged down their opposite numbers.
After ten minutes of absorbing pressure,….and getting the hour and a half journey out of their systems, Medway sparked into life. Fullback Richard Harris received the ball from a ruck in Medway’s half, ….he threw the most outrageous of dummies which everyone, including most of the spectators bought, and sped off down the pitch…..with only the fullback to beat, he delivered a superb pass to supporting centre Lare Erogbogbo, who raced the final 35 metres to score under the posts. Hadley O’ Connor converted from in front.
This had a galvanising effect on Medway, as they suddenly discovered some belief in themselves. Gradually as the half continued, they started to win the contact battle, which gave them the chance to clear their lines on numerous occasions from deep in their twenty-two. Rosslyn Park applied huge pressure in this period, especially through their dangerous outside centre, however Medway’s defence was outstanding as they tackled everything that moved….Ollie Brooks, Kaine Dimech and Alex Page were to the fore in this period.
The half time whistle, saw Medway change round 7 - 0 ahead…with the slope in their favour….however it was at this time that the heavy rain from Celtic Manor hit Richmond Park.
Medway started the second half with increased passion, as they started to dominate the contact area. Ferocious tackling was equally matched by some devastating rucking, with Miles Huppatz, Dylan Travel and Funcho Olaleye leading the way.
A clever crosskick by Hadley O’ Connor saw Alex Saddington tackle Park’s last man in his own goal area. From the ensuing 5 metre scrum…No8 Lola Erogbogbo picked-up and powered over for the second try.
The conversion was missed in the strong wind and driving rain.
Medway sensed that they could really impose themselves on their strong opponents….and they continued to smash everything in their way….rucking hard, and tackling Rosslyn Park behind the gain-line on countless occasions. It was Medway’s scrum dominance that gave them the control to attack at the right moments….the front-row performance of Omar Woodrow-Thorne, Kaine Dimech and Miles Huppatz was fantastic.
Omar worked tirelessly throughout, working hard in all areas, as well as offering himself as a ball carrier whenever possible….he was unlucky not to be awarded the next try as he was driven over by his team mates from a great drive….unfortunately the touchdown, which was clear for all the spectators, was not seen by the ref, as he adjudged it to be held up. From the scrum, Lola broke blind, before feeding a perfect pass to Saddington on the wing…..he needed no second-chance as he raced away to dive in at the corner. Tricky conversion missed. Medway 17 – 0 up.
The coaches made a number of changes at this point with Harry Fields coming on at loose-head, with Miles Huppatz moving to second-row in place of the superb Ollie Brooks (who had injured his neck in the warm up). Sean Marriott replaced Josh Fizzy Rann at scrum-half…….and Rhys Townsend went in at fullback, with Richard Harris swapping with Hamish in the centres.
Rosslyn Park responded from a penalty, by kicking deep into Medway’s twenty-two for a lineout….Medway secured the ball, but the Rosslyn Park flanker appeared from nowhere to intercept the pass back to the Medway kicker, to score a converted try.
Medway didn’t panic, and they played the final ten minutes with great maturity and physicality. Lead by their tenacious skipper Kaine Dimech, with the side-stepping Fucho , powerful Omar, and superb Lola all hungry for the ball……Medway strung together a series of drives and breaks with forwards and backs combining with offloads and rucks to take the ball down field.
From a break on the right, Saddington was stopped ten metres out, he offloaded to Lola, who in turn popped the ball to Alex Page….the versatile flanker smashed his way through the last two tackles, to stretch over for the score. Conversion narrowly missed.
Medway created a number of further chances in the difficult conditions before the end, with flyhalf Harry Stanford directing operations behind the scrum……from one move in the final minute, fullback Rhys Townsend hit the line at pace, and delivered a great pass to Saddington…only for the trusty winger to drop the soap.
The final whistle, saw the Medway lads elated at securing a fantastic win against very determined opponents, in difficult conditions. For the coaching team it was the manner of the win, and the whole team performance that was most satisfying. This was good stuff !!
The Rosslyn Park players, coaches and supporters were friendly and gallant all day…and joined in with the obligatory boatrace afterwards back at their Clubhouse….with Medway’s men-of-the-match Omar and Lola securing a narrow victory by employing some blatant cheating tactics.
Well done guys…..a great result.
GCK.
Brentwood 0 Medway 60
Medway’s Under 15s turned on the style on Sunday, with a convincing win against Brentwood.
Quick, fast rucking, combined with numerous powerful forward drives, created plenty of space for Medway’s talented backs to register a number of well taken tries.
The first ten minutes was tight, as Brentwood looked to exploit some loose Medway play from the kick-off. However, Medway settled into their rhythm…..and the first try came as the ball was shipped along the backs, outside centre Lare Erogbogbo stepped inside his man, and scored under the posts with an angled run from 30 metres.
A similar move 5 minutes later, saw Hadley O’Connor receive the ball on the right wing, he dummied inside before accelerating past the final two defenders to score out wide.
Brentwood’s forwards continued to challenge hard at every breakdown, and Medway’s pack had to work doggedly to secure good ball…….to their credit, they did just that with an excellent physical display at the breakdown, much to the pleasure of the coaching team.
On 25 minutes, superb off-the-top lineout ball (Lola) was spun wide by scrum-half Josh ‘Fizzy’ Rann, Medway’s backs executed a dummy-loop in the centres, enabling fullback Richard Harris to hit the gap at pace…he rounded the final defenders to score a great team try.
This was no easy match, as Brentwood contested throughout, and were particularly strong in the scrum area. However, Medway were faster to the breakdown, and were able to bring forward runners into the loose-play, as Miles Huppatz, Phillip Coultrip, Omar Woodrow-Thorne and Kaine Dimech consistently broke the gain-line. Once again this gave Medway’s backs clean fast ball, which was used effectively…..unlike the previous week’s match….the handling was excellent, with very few wayward or dropped passes. As the ball was moved wide once more, Lare found himself on the wing, he was able to turn on the burners to scorch in at the corner.
Medway’s defence was much improved….with Harry Stanford (playing at flyhalf, but clearly with his flanker’s hat on) putting huge pressure on his opposite number. This forced Brentwood to kick away much of their possession. From one such clearance kick, the outstanding Richard Harris returned the ball at pace, before unselfishly delivering the ball to winger Callum Daulby, who sprinted in at the corner.
After a number of changes at the break, Medway opened the second period strongly. Sean Marriott spun the ball out to replacement flyhalf Alex Saddington, who spotted a tiny gap in the visitor’s defence. Most players wouldn’t have got through this gap, however Saddington’s electrifying pace saw him grease through only to be stopped on the Brentwood twenty-two. The ball was secured immediately by impressive blind-side flanker Funsho Olaleye, who rounded the cover defence, to score a superb debut try.
Brentwood then came back into the match, as they kept the ball tight, and drove deep into Medway’s twenty-two with a series of pick-and-drives and strong rucks. Medway’s defence was up to the task, as Harry Fields, Woodrow-Thorne, and Ollie Brooks et al…defended the Medway line….their back-foot defence was superb. Eventually, Omar was able to rip the ball loose in one tackle, and feed the ball on to No8 Lola Erogbogbo….with 90 metres to run most players would have kicked it…..however as Lare already had two tries in the bag, the stigma was too much for Lola….so he went for it…..90 metres later, and he’d obviously made the correct decision.
Brentwood continued to compete up front, but were guilty of kicking hard-earned possession away……from one such kick (into Medway’s in-goal area) winger Paddy Asprey thought he’d go for a run. He was tackled on the twenty-two, but was able to offload to Lare, who then did a Lola….and sprinted in from 80 metres.
With 5 minutes remaining, Medway’s forwards secured turnover ball in the visitor’s 22. Quick hands from Hamish O’Connor released Paddy Asprey to dive in at the corner.
The final play of the game saw a wayward clearance kick from Brentwood, gathered by Paddy Asprey….who dived in for another try.
Hadley ‘Hamish’ O’Connor slotted five of the conversions throughout the match.
This was a great disciplined team performance from Medway…built through hard work on the training pitch. The fitness levels, handling, rucking, defence, decision making and discipline were 100% better than the previous week.
There were outstanding performances from all players….with Lare a threat with ball in hand, and Funsho a threat with or without the ball……however the coaches agreed that the Man of the Match would be awarded to Kaine Dimech for a brilliant performance in the loose, excellent line-out throwing and a strong performance as Captain.
Well done lads, C’mon Medway !
GCK.
Old Gravesendians 0 Medway 55
Medway’s under 15s travelled to Gravesend to take on Old Gravesendians in their season opener, watched for the first time by their new coaches Al Lock and David Gwilliam in support of Geoff Kempt and Pete Rann. Medway look a stronger outfit this year with a number of new recruits, and returning ex-players…..although it took them a while to click fully into gear, and to break away from their gallant opponents.
Medway were faced with playing up the steep slope and into a stiff breeze in the first period. Medway opened strongly with excellent scrummaging and fast rucked ball….however they were guilty of drifting sideways in the backs, combined with poor handling which allowed OG’s defence to stop any breaks. Eventually Medway settled, and a strong forward drive on the left saw the ball released wide….on this occasion flyhalf Richard Harris was able to outpace the home defence for the first try. OGs then used the slope and wind to put Medway under pressure in their twenty-two. The Medway lads had to work particularly hard to defend their line, and to gain field position against the elements. On 25 minutes, an excellent series of pick-and-drives, by the forwards saw them gain good field position on the home side’s 22 before being driven into touch. Medway turned over the ensuing lineout, with skipper Kaine Dimech making the initial thrust…burly prop Omar Woodrow-Thorne was in support to scoop up the ball and dive over for the try. Harris converted from wide out.
The half-time break saw some changes made by the coaches, and with the elements at their back Medway looked to open things up. A great kick-off and chase by the pack, saw fast ball spun wide, for Sam ‘Podge’ Richardson to go in at the corner for his first try for the club.
Medway’s scrum looked impressive as big Harry Fields made his return appearance in the front row after a year out. The forwards applied continual pressure at the break-down, but were guilty of easing-off at some rucks when the ball was there to be won. Outstanding performances from Kaine Dimech, Dylan Travel and Ollie Brooks kept the momentum high….and this resulted in lots of ball being fed out to Medway’s hungry backline. Next on the scoresheet was Richard Harris with an angled run from a 5 yard scrum…..and shortly afterwards outside centre Lare Erogbogbo scorched in from 40 metres in trademark style. The impressive Hadley O’Connor slotted the extras in style from wide out.
As the game opened up, Medway looked to run the ball at every opportunity….but were thwarted on four or five occasions through poor execution of the vital scoring pass…an area which will be worked on in training for sure. Medway’s backs turned on the style for the last 15 minutes, with the unusual centre pairing of Alex Saddington and Callum Daulby both running in a pair of excellent tries through good straight running at intelligent angles. Daulby converted one himself, with Hadley O’Connor slotting two further conversions from wide out.
Medway’s dangerous left-wing Paddy Asprey was unlucky not to score on several occasions, as last-ditch OG’s tackling kept him out.
OGs continued to challenge at every phase and tackled in determined fashion throughout….this ensured that Medway had to earn their possession at all times…..and the Medway lads must learn to be more patient in winning good ball, and not giving away stupid penalties trying to win back bad ball….(Harry and Milo).
In general this was an average performance from Medway, which could be excused through early season rustiness….however a massive personal improvement will be essential from a small number of players, who showed poor discipline and a lack of respect for the referee…..an issue which will not be tolerated by the coaches, and will be addressed appropriately.
Final Score 0 – 55.
Man of the match…..Dylan Travel, who worked tirelessly throughout, and was strong in all areas especially the ruck and tackle area
G. Kempt.