Gravesend stay on top

Today’s referee was Ms Tracy Pettingale and with Chobham running late due to motorway congestion she allowed the game to kick-off at 14.45, despite the weather’s best attempts to undo the good work carried out by the group of volunteers, earlier in the day, a result was achieved.
Gs maintain their position at the head of London 1 South, having won seventeen of the nineteen games played, a clear three points ahead of their closest rivals Chichester, who have won fifteen of their games to date, the latest of which was on Saturday when they took Beckenham to the cleaners, 112-15, but Gsss also have a stronger points for and against position.
Coming off the field at the end of the eighty minutes with a win was great, but the bonus point was available throughout the first forty, and it wasn’t just the players that failed to capitalise on the chances, but decisions by others influenced the outcome.
Quickly into their stride, Gs pressure earned them a first penalty chance within five minutes. Spurning the opportunity to kick for goal, the scrummage chosen saw Gs win possession and after several second phase moves, Miki Zanirato dived over near the posts.
The successful conversion by the same player put Gravesend ahead 7-0 with nine minutes played.
With play back in the visitors twenty-two, turn-over ball saw a number of pick and roll moves stopped short before the coupling of Charlie Cuttings and Ziggy Stevens crash through, but adjudged to have been held up.
With little answer to Gravesend’s powerful pack and some straight running by the home three-quarters, Chobham were under siege conditions. It wasn’t long before yet another scrummage near their five metre line saw them driven back over the goal line where Stevens touched down.
Zanirato added the extras and on fifteen minutes the score stood at 14-0.
Gravesend worked at keeping the ball and driving their opposition backwards to gain territorial advantage, when, with the wind in their backs, it would have taken less effort to kick for the corners and put pressure on the Chobham line-out.
A penalty from the boot of Gs scrum-half edged the score on to 17-0 after twenty-two minutes, but whatever had happened to turn the game, Gs found they were on the receiving end of numerous penalties that stemmed the flow of attack.
When the backs put yet another set of fine passing together that saw the ball changing hands as they crossed the park, Junior Rocket who was stopped just short of the line managed to get the ball to Chris Meddings for the try, only for the touch judge to say he was in touch.
Having watched the video frame by frame, it can clearly be seen that the ball was passed long before the player was bundled into touch.
Chobham managed to get on the scoreboard before the break when they pushed a penalty kick between the posts.
Within three minutes of the restart, a well placed kick to the left-hand corner seemed to have been well covered as Nolan went down on the ball.
Despite the ball then appearing to have gone out of play, the Chobham player picked it up and touched it down, remarkably a try was awarded.
The conversion came from a beautifully judged kick by full-back Harry Guy, to narrow the scores to 17-10.
The remaining play of the second half is best not reported on other than to point out that the numerous penalties given against one side was unprecedented.
One successful penalty kick from two for Chobham brought the final score line to 17-13.
Next week is a league rest day except for clubs who have a re-arranged fixture, so its internationals in the clubhouse.