Gravesend v Old Colfeians 16th October 2021

With the 2nd teams taking the early kick off, it was first blood to Old Colfeians who passed the ball down the line from a scrum and went in a the corner with four minutes gone. Gravesend didn’t let them bother them, however, and it only took another 3 minutes before the hosts were awarded a penalty and a catch and drive from the lineout resulted in Ziggy levelling the scores. The conversation meant that Gravesend just had their nose in front at 7-5.
A kick straight into the hands of the Old Colfeians’ winger, who was too quick to be caught, meant the visitors went ahead again within two minutes. With it looking likely that this was going to be a close encounter and a tight score line, Gravesend dealt well with the pressure they were put under and took it right back to their opposition, dominating mid-field play in parts. An almost certain try was knocked on but that didn’t matter as just a few minutes later Brendan Kelly scored for the hosts. For four minutes, Gravesend were leading but Old Colfeians had a rather handy prop who put them back in front. A second try from the visitors in quick succession meant the half time score was 24-14 to Old Colfeians.
It was a sloppy start to the second half which became a kicking game as both teams looked to regather themselves. Luckily for Gravesend, it was Louie Dadson who was the first over the whitewash and the hosts took control for twenty minutes, during which Warren Mckee also scored. With both tries converted, Gravesend were back in the lead with the score at 28-24.
A string of penalties went against Gravesend, but a knock-on gave them the ball back until a fortunate try put Old Colfeians ahead once more, with five minutes to go. A Gravesend penalty in the final minute levelled the scores at 31-31 and it looked to all like the match was going to end in a draw. Old Colfeians had other ideas, however, and managed to get the ball out wide and score in the corner, much like they did with their opening try of the match and they snuck the win: 31-36.
After a brief break which gave supporters time to empty their bladder and fill their glass, the second match of the day was underway with Old Colfeians 1st XV taking 2 minutes to score the first try. The conversation was good and the visitors looked strong from the start. They extended their early lead further with a penalty and were ten points to the good within 10 minutes. Gravesend took the ball to their opponents, getting it out quickly and running it up the wing, a subsequent scrum on the five-metre line helped George Corrigan get over for Gravesend’s first try. With the score at 7-10, both teams worked hard to get possession but neither kept hold of it for very long. Dave Dorton looked to have intercepted the ball and would have been away had it not been for the referee calling play back for an infringement in the scrum. Gravesend turned the ball over from a precarious position but, as seemed to be the norm for the time being, it wasn’t long before Old Colfeians had their hands on it again.
Gravesend’s defence held strong, but for a deliberate knock on that gave away a penalty. The hosts had to dig deep and it wasn’t lack of effort that meant Old Colfeians scored their second try of the game. Gravesend, on the attack after that try, earned themselves a penalty and went into the half-time break 7 points down at 10-17.
It cannot be said that Gravesend weren’t leaving everything out on the pitch and two minutes after the break, Jamie Forsyth added another try. The conversion was good and the scores were level at 17-17. The air might have been cold but the atmosphere was hot and Gravesend earned themselves a penalty that went down well with supporters and players alike. A series of penalties in the hosts’ favour saw Gravesend pile the pressure on, but an overthrow at the lineout gave Old Colfeians the ball back. Matt Brady decided he wasn’t going to stand for that, and saw a chance to intercept and regain possession. He took that chance and ran in for the try. The extras were added and Gravesend found themselves in the lead for the first time with the score 24-17.
Old Colfeians were awarded a penalty almost immediately and kicked the ball into the corner. Gaps in Gravesend’s defence means it wasn’t long before the scores were level again at 24-24. With quarter of the match left and the score incapable of being any closer, Gravesend won the ball back and Matt Hewitt crossed the line for another five points. Despite not being able to add the conversion, the pressure was all coming from Gravesend and they forced another penalty. The decision was to go for the posts, despite the kick being from near-on the halfway line, but nobody needed to be concerned and Dorton duly added the extra three points to extend the lead to 32-24. Both teams threw everything into the final few minutes, neither wanting to give up and the final score remained a much celebrated 32-24 to Gravesend.
Match report by Fran Holmes