Medwasy 3 Old Gravesendians 18
22 November 2009
Medway welcomed a team that they have beaten in the past and looking to get their form back. Lack of training commitment and personnel had caused a worrying loss of form in the Meds team, a team which had high hopes of going close to winning this league at the start of the season. This should have been the ideal game to get their “Mojo” back.
The team were forced into a couple of additions at the last minute due to several important players carrying long term injuries and other missing players, so unfamiliar faces in unfamiliar positions may have played a small part in what followed as I’m sure did the weather during the game which started in sunshine and ended in a torrential downpour of “Noah” proportions. The rain turned out to be the least of Medway’s worries by the final whistle however.
Opening exchanges were fairly even though Meds seemed to come out of the changing room too relaxed, scrabbling in defence a little before O G’s capitalised on the sloppy start with an unconverted try in the 15th minute, 0-5. Med’s did respond straight away though and upped the tempo which resulted in a penalty that Chris Rook dispatched in the difficult crosswind, 3-5. The first half played out with Medway wasting chances to break the deadlock with a myriad of handling errors which O G’s similarly failed to capitalise on until the last minute of the half when O G’s set up and scored a very clever drop goal to go in 3-8 up.
The second half saw Med’s determined to get back in the game and, as in the first half their pack dominated in the scrums and started to dominate the rucks, though the lineout was still misfiring. Both teams though were struggling in the wind and rain and the game got scrappier through multiple handling errors on both sides. Medway though were having the better chances and should have been ahead if they’d taken them. They didn’t however and when the frustration started to enter their game, a bout of 30 man handbag swinging and first a player from each side sin-binned and then another from Meds following them off made the task all but impossible. Most worryingly from Med’s point of view and most unusually, their heads dropped and O G’s were allowed to run in 2 soft unconverted tries in the last 7 minutes of the game giving them a flattering 3-18 win.
O G’s were the better team on the day though not a better team and this was a game that was very winnable for Med’s. Med’s were dominant in many areas of the game but could not complete that dominance with scores for many reasons all of which do not need to be gone into here but despite the players generally giving their all on match days, like today, that is not always enough and they know this. Nobody shirked in this game with no one person having a better or worse game than another, the deciding factor was training, with O G’s making less basic errors in tactical choices and technique.
To get back some form and finish as high as they can and should finish in this league now is going to require some changes on their part so that they can enjoy the rest of the season. If Med’s want success now is the time to step up and show their character and strength. Not the end of the world and not all gloom but the need to build on the good and eradicate the bad through proper training and attendance was all too evident in this game.
G Crittenden
Dartfordians 25 Medway 5
Up and down would describe recent performances from Meds in recent games and this was definitely a down day.
To be fair Medway travelled with only the minimum 15 players, some of whom were carrying injuries before they started and some missing key players was always going to affect their performance.
Dartford has a big front row and a strong pack who many times through the game sailed up to and even slightly over the edges but for most of the first half Meds competed well and gave a good account of them-selves, showing determination and combativeness.
This on its own in a bare bones squad, wasn’t, sadly, enough. Dartford in a 30 minute period each side of half time as Meds switched off, put on 25 points. All unconverted tries, which went unanswered by Meds, though both sides also missed penalty attempts, until late in the second half when winger Pete Cole scored a consolation try after a good cross field kick from fly-half Jordan Lewis. Without the extra two points the match played out to a 25-5 loss for Meds.
A few players gave of their best, in particular Lewis Heron and Niall Connett both had strong games and Daniel Crittenden, returning to full fitness after a long term injury had a good first half playing his first game at tight-head prop before lack of match fitness took its toll.
Injury didn’t help this game as scrums had become uncontested with Meds unable to make substitutions but this was not a performance that can be dismissed as being hard fought against a much better side because Dartford are not.
Medway even in adversity never give up though and they still tried to play the game and come back at Dartford, spirit is not in short supply in the squad. However there is really no replacement for adequate numbers of players turning up for matches and most importantly of all training and practice to maintain and build on skills.
If Meds want to achieve success this season they now need to make some commitment and effort before it’s too late. With this their last season together as a youth squad it would be a shame to go out with a whimper. It would be much better to go out with a bang and memories of success.
Much as it pains me to say, this was a poor performance overall against a team that Meds are more than capable of beating. I hope this is their only poor performance fro the rest of the season.
Gary Crittenden
Medway 20 Dover 20
After a distinctly lacklustre showing the previous Sunday, Medway had a chance to get back to their previous form with a league game vs. Dover at Priestfields on this first Sunday of November. With the weather trying it’s upmost to throw a spanner in the works with gale force gusts and torrential rain; it looked like being a tough game for these two evenly matched teams.
With kicking a gamble and a very slick ball it was no surprise that most of the work was done with the ball firmly in hand as both teams looked to play mostly through the middle. The first game was as much a battle against conditions as against each other. A slow start by Med’s allowed Dover to score first with an unconverted try, though Med’s struck back and scored within five minutes with an unconverted try of their own scored by scrum-half Chris Rook. This set the pattern for the first half which was nip and tuck as Dover then Medway again scored unconverted tries; Medway’s by pack Captain Lewis Heron, to put the scores at 10-10 at half time.
Both teams were showing real desire to win as they came out for the second half. With Med’s finishing the first half the stronger it was surprise when Dover again followed the pattern set by scoring a converted try first. Once again Med’s were forced to play catch up and worked hard to peg Dover back with an unconverted try by Lewis Heron bringing them to within two points at 15-17.
This was the boost that Med’s needed and they started to apply the pressure and were unlucky not to score at least one other try before fly-half Jordan Lewis put them ahead for the first time in the game with an uncontested try in the corner.
Fatally for Med’s this seemed a signal for them to subconsciously relax a little and Dover applied pressure to Med’s which worked them hard in the last fifteen minutes of the game. Dover duly got their reward and a penalty in front of the posts was unhindered by the wind. 20-20 and it was game on for the last ten minutes of the game with both sides going for the win. Neither though made the breakthrough with both not wishing to throw the game away at such a late stage and it ended a draw.
Medway bounced back from last week with a very creditable performance against this improved Dover team and can count themselves unlucky not to take the win as, despite the way the game scored, they finished the stronger team. In fact they showed enough during the game to suggest that they could have, given less inclement weather, won with their back line looking the stronger and more able to score.
Well done Medway, a good team performance and a real boost to moral with all departments working hard and adapting to the testing conditions by playing with their heads. While all played well, the forwards showed a lot of desire and mobility in open play and at the breakdown but in particular their destruction of Dover’s pack in the scrum to push them off again and again, was a thing of beauty.
Congratulations Med’s let’s keep these standards going for the rest of the season.
Gary Crittenden
Medway 5 Canterbury 31
Though a little windy, the sun was out for this “friendly” against Canterbury. That combined with the clocks going back and a later kick-off, allowing extra time in bed, plus a full team meant the morning was looking good.
Canterbury are always a good well drilled team who do the basics well. They are not though invincible if you play an aggressive tight game with few errors while doing the basics well and making the correct tactical decisions yourselves.
The best that could be said for the first half in which Canterbury scored four tries and two conversions is that Medway had a 10 minute spell of sustained pressure near the end of the half where they were unlucky not to capitalise on a penalty which just missed in the strong wind. Half time score; 0-24.
The second half however was a much tighter affair as Med’s came out angry at there own performance and determined to show that they would not just roll over.
They immediately put Canterbury under pressure and within 5 minutes that almost paid off. Med’s narrowly missing out on an interception try where “sticky fingers” would have put Kishan Muthu through under the posts.
Two minutes latter though, Tom Rayner, who was having one of his best games so far, ran strongly through to score. Once more the wind intervened for the conversion and the scores were at 5-24.
The rest of the half was spent with both teams going hammer and tongs at each other trying to break each other down. Both teams had penalties which they both failed to capitalise on as they tried to run them in. Med’s coming the closest to scoring theirs, falling just short as the support was a little late arriving.
Right at the death Canterbury took advantage of a lapse in Med’s concentration to burst through for the final try under the posts which with the extras meant the game finished at 5-31.
Positives are that Med’s failed to just roll over and managed to keep the score down in the first half while almost managing to shut out Canterbury and win the second half. One or two players had a good game; of those Niall Connett was Med’s Man of the Match with a super tackling display.
What it also shows is that there is no substitute for commitment to training and practice if you want to improve and maintain your ability to win. This result shows that if the team wants to succeed they will have to make that commitment and look at their priorities regarding training.
There are always positives to be had from even the biggest defeat and we learn more from them. What we learn from this loss will shape the rest of the season and determine whether this team will achieve what they should.
The phrase “only a friendly”, while being true, should never be used to explain away a poor game as it is every bit as disappointing as losing a “competitive” game, here’s hoping that next weeks game sees Med’s back on song.
Gary Crittenden.
Medway 32 Sheppey 10
League match, 11 October 2009
There’s something about the sunshine that suits Meds U17’s as the met Sheppey in their second league game of the season at Priestfields. Long may the sunny Sundays’ continue at this rate!
Sheppey’s physically bigger side was another Med’s had never played before so it was understandable that they spent the first ten minutes finding out about their opposition. The initial probing from both teams was fierce and full of scoring intent and it was Meds who broke the line first to get Winger Pete Cole away into the corner on 12 minutes. With the tricky conversion just missing, Meds went into an early 5-0 lead though Sheppey almost immediately got back on terms within 10 minutes with an unconverted try for 5-5. The first half remained tight and hard fought with the score remaining unchanged at half time.
The second half saw Meds start much the brighter and having decided how to play Sheppey, renewed purpose. This paid off as within 2 minutes, new and fast learning Fullback Thomas Markham neatly dissected Sheppey’s defences to score his impressive first try for Meds; 10-5 and signs of dominance being established with good quick handling through the backs.
Kicker Chris Rook was presented with a penalty by Sheppey almost in front of the posts on the 10 minute mark and scored the first of his mornings 7 point haul to put Meds 13-5 up and looking good.
The match then ebbed and flowed for the next 10 minutes or so as Meds smaller but more mobile pack slowly turned the screw on Sheppey to wear them down, not least in the scrum as they stole scrum after scrum against the head. No8 and pack leader Lewis Heron was able to capitalise on this 24 minutes in after a series of 5 metre scrums with a classic bullish forwards try. Chris Rook added the extras; 20-5. Then Lock Niall Connett somehow managed to find a gap for his 6ft 5 inch frame to burst through and ran fully 60 metres (!) showing strength and pace to score a try in the corner on the 28 minute mark that any back would be proud to claim, to put Meds well out of reach at 25-5.
Stung, Sheppey fought back and put together some nice passing to score one of their own in the corner to take the scores to 25-10 but that in turn just seemed to spur Meds on. Sheppey’s bigger players were really giving everything to try and smash through the Meds defence and salvage something from the game but were held and in one final flourish in the dying minutes of the game Meds strung together a series of passes that saw Fly-half Jordan Lewis finish by the posts to cap his outstanding game with a deserved try. Scrum-half/Kicker Chris Rook added the extras to bring the final score to 32-10.
With nearly half the team new players this season and many still finding their feet in club rugby as well as playing in unfamiliar positions this was an outstanding display of all round team effort and work. There are real signs that this team will do some very good things this season and will get stronger as it progresses with returning injured players and growing confidence in their roles and abilities.
Fledgling partnerships in the backs are starting to happen and were given the freedom on the pitch today as the pack “had a very good day at the office”. Both Ben’s, Tom, Tight-head Lewis and new additions Miles and Adam had outstanding games alongside those mentioned already and established players.
A “friendly/training game” next week should see the team build and strengthen on what has been a very good start to the season with two wins out of two and put right what need to be improved.
This really was an enjoyable display by Meds who showed just how much they are willing to give for each other and how much spirit they have in this team.
Well done Meds but from me as an old forward myself, “Very well done to the Pack”.
Gary Crittenden.
Whitstable 10 Medway 19
The Under 17’s couldn’t have asked for better weather to start its foray into a League format for the first time in its final season as a youth squad. With points at stake there seemed a new found maturity about the teams’ approach to the warm up and the match.
A few new and returning faces, some in unfamiliar positions, lined up against a Whitstable team they’d never played before, eager to show that those who had left were not missed. From the off they put Whitstable under pressure. The early first half pressure then turned into the dream start when Winger Pete Cole latched on to the end of a quick handed move to score a try in the first 2 minutes!
Scrum half Chris Rook added the extra 2 to take it to 0-7. Whitstable and Med’s then traded moves between the two 22 metre lines for the next 20 minutes. Both teams went close in this period, though Med’s had the better of it with two clear cut chances to go into a 3 try lead. Tom Rayner’s was the pick of the near misses as he burst through several tacklers and was unlucky not to get the ball down at the end. The third chance was finally converted into points by Hooker Ben Burton after roughly 24 minutes with a superb bullish drive to take him over almost under the posts.
Again Chris Rook added the 2 as Med’s seemed to cruise into a 0-14 lead, which they carried in to half time.
The second half started with Whitstable kicking with the wind and pushing hard for a score. Despite this the game followed the pattern established in the first half until about ten minutes in when despite warnings, a Medway player was sin binned for bad language. This allowed Whitstable to put pressure on and near the end of the ten minutes they scored a try in the corner when Med’s ran out of numbers. With the conversion missed the score went to 5-14 but Med’s again stepped it up when back to full numbers. Pete Cole was unlucky not to get the ball down as he was tackled over the dead ball line after a clever mazy run. He made up for it shortly after though with a similar run to score under the posts. Though the conversion was charged down, the score stood at 5-19 and Med’s were looking good for the win. Again the game settled into an ebb and flow before once again Med’s fell foul of the referee as the game entered its last 8 minutes. Whitstable again piled on the pressure and again Med’s ran out of numbers which allowed them to score in the corner, though once more it was not converted, to bring the scores to 10-19, which they stayed at until the finish.
Medway were worthy winners and could have scored 5 or 6 tries but there were also some lessons that will need to be learned. The team spirit and application was superb with every player giving 100%, plus with players coming back from injury and from other commitments they will get stronger. When they look back on this game they will realise that with fewer errors and better discipline around officials, the wins will flow more easily.
Well done to the whole team for a good display, now onward and upward to next Sunday’s league game at home vs. Sheppey…and hopefully more winning points
Gary Crittenden