A game of two halves

Gss had to suffer disruption before the whistle to start the game had been blown.
Although travelling with the squad, Matt Hewitt was side-lined before the start when it was revealed that a chest infection had not cleared sufficiently to let him take to the park.
To add to this, Charlie Cutting, who was travelling up to Chiswick after his school commitments, had not arrived in time to be in the starting XV, but did make the numbers up on the replacements bench.
Second XV skipper Joe Tomlin joined Glen Rademan in the second row while James Sempill started at loose-head, while Zac Lewis came in at blind side flanker.
A brisk start saw Gss take the game to the home side, and were camped inside their twenty-two for much of the first fifteen minutes. Such was the determination of a well drilled defence, that that was as near to scoring that Gravesend came.
Time and again they got close to getting the ball down, but the resolute home defence stood firm.
Gravesend's pack were quickly in control and it looked to be just time before they would break through. It was the error count that came to the aid of the home team, and their ability to get a loose ball wide to their speedy wing Jamie Millais gave enough time for the score to look simple.
Fly half Simon Hallet added the easy conversion to but Chiswick a flattering 7-0 to the good.
The game under the charge of a young Hertford referee, was strewn with undetected offences, that were evenly spread through out the game for both XVs, but probably didn't in the end affect the final outcome, although frustrating for those watching.
Gss were the architects of their own failures, while strangely they were controlling the game, while Chiswick made the most of their chances, scoring twice from the few times they were in their visitors half.
The second score again came from a lost ball by Gss, but credit must go for the way that the home backs got the play into Gss twenty-two, before their tight head crossed the whitewash for five points. The conversion attempt came back off the upright.
There was still around twenty minutes of the first half to play, and it was more of the same, of Gss going forward, and the ball being cleared by the home defence.
Slow clearing out at the break down and an offside game that continued to frustrate Gss attempts to get the ball across the line.
Moving on to the second forty minutes, and 12-0 behind, a more clinical approach was adopted by Gss. Quicker ball across the three-quarters, and straighter running by the dummy runner, created chances that were missing during the first forty.
The huge efforts from the forwards paid off early in this third period, and was rewarded when Joe Tomlin ran in between the posts. Dave Dorton added the extra points to close the score to 12-7 and five minutes later put through a well struck penalty kick to get within two points.
From here on there was only one team that was playing the positive rugby that produces results, and one XV that found that they had a need to defend a continuous onslaught, and this they did to a man.
By the end of the third quarter, Gss had added another try following some fine inter passing involving the back-row and the three's , that culminated in Temi Okenla crossing for the first of a brace in the second half.
Dave Dorton made sure of the extras as he calmly slotted over from the tee, put Gss in front for the first time 12-17.
Despite an abundance of possession, it was another ten minutes before the same group of players combined to get Temi Okenla away for his second, and it was his fleet of foot and strong running that broke the tackles as he again went over.
Another two points from the boot of Dave Dorton to take the score forward to 12-24.
Gss continued to look for the bonus point try, but the defending by the home XV allowed nothing more from the last fifteen minutes, but Gss came away with the four points from their second win from the last two games.
Next week Gss entertain the other club that play at Dukes Meadow, when CS Rugby visit Rectory Field.