Medway RFC continued their Regional 2 South East campaign with a hard-fought 24-7 victory over Sutton, securing a bonus point after an intensely physical contest.
The home side showed resilience in defence and clinical finishing in attack to overcome determined visitors, with Pete Cole scoring a hat-trick and Henry Kenny named man of the match.
Sutton made the brighter start, opening the scoring with a converted try after their number 10 broke through a tackle and offloaded to score untouched. Medway responded well, continued to apply pressure and were rewarded when Noah produced a beautifully disguised pass to send Cole over untouched. The conversion levelled the scores at 7-7.

The game became increasingly heated as Sutton conceded a series of penalties, with two players shown yellow cards during the first half.
Medway capitalised on their numerical advantage when Cole crossed for his second try. The home side drove forward from a line-out before powering over, with the successful conversion giving them a 14-7 lead. Sutton threatened to respond, but Medway's defence held firm close to their own line, forcing a knock-on to deny the visitors. The home side continued to look dangerous on the counter-attack, with Mac Perry making significant ground after collecting a clearance. Noah Hyde then produced an excellent kick that won Medway a 50-22, helping them maintain pressure in Sutton territory. Medway went into the break with a seven-point advantage after a competitive first half.

The second period was a tighter affair, with both sides struggling to maintain possession amid the physical exchanges. Medway's defence repeatedly forced Sutton backwards, while captain Antony Clement impressed with a crucial tackle and turnover to win a penalty.
The breakthrough finally came when John Sipawa found space out wide after several phases of attacking play. He beat his man to finish in the corner and extend Medway's lead to 19-7, although the conversion was missed.
Medway continued to press, with Sutton struggling to hold on to the ball as the home side looked to make the game safe.
The decisive moment arrived when Sutton threatened in Medway's 22. A loose offload was intercepted by Max Bullock, who launched a counter-attack from deep inside his own territory before kicking through. Cole showed excellent awareness to chase the ball and touch down in the corner for his third try of the afternoon, sparking celebrations among the home supporters. The conversion was missed, leaving Medway 24-7 ahead. Cole came close to adding a fourth try late on, but the ball did not bounce kindly for the centre as both teams began to tire.
Medway held on to complete an impressive opening-day victory and secure the bonus point in a contest in which neither side shied away from the physical challenge.
Kenny was named man of the match, while the hat-trick from Cole proved decisive as Medway made it three wins out of three.