Back To Winning Ways

Despite fielding another team that had limited experience playing with one another, Gravesend started strongly and never looked back. Having kicked off, the team started brilliantly achieving a quick turnover, and after a few phases created a platform off which fly half Dave Dorton slotted home an interesting drop goal to say the least. Playing on the narrow “banana pitch” at times stifled the expansive, fast paced style that the seconds try to play and in the end the breakthrough came from some old fashioned forward play.

Gravesend were boosted further when one of the Maidstone forwards was sent to the sin bin for an ugly tip tackle on John Gammon. Having driven back the Maidstone pack 40m in a previous maul, the Gravesend forwards’ confidence was high, and there was only going to be one result from the resultant penalty; a kick to the corner. In trademark fashion the line out was secured and the pack stormed their way over in the corner, with Gus McCarthy at the back touching down. Dave Dorton then added the extras with a huge conversion from the touchline.

The rest of the half was a fairly scrappy affair, and some heroic defending when camped on their own line saw Gravesend ensure that they were not to concede. The first half ended in another powerful Gravesend maul being brought down illegally, which allowed Dave Dorton to notch up another three points to leave the half-time score at 13-0 to Gravesend.

Playing uphill in the second half did not deter Gravesend as they continued in the same manner as they had left off from the first half. The driving maul proved to be Maidstone’s weakness as Gravesend scored another try identical to their one from the first half. However, they then let their foot off the pedal and after realising that tackling too high wasn’t working produced some textbook defence to repel the Maidstone attacks on their own line yet again.

Now with the referee fully onside and another numerical advantage after constant Maidstone infringements, Gravesend began to produce some classic attacking rugby. Another penalty was scored by Dave Dorton to keep the scoreboard ticking over, before eventually after being camped in the Maidstone 22 for a long time Wozza powered over after cutting a great line. Maidstone finished the game with 14 men after one of their previously binned players racked up another yellow card to end his match early, but Gravesend could not find another score despite a lot of pressure.

All in all it was a great performance by the team bouncing back after a disappointing result the week before and to complete a match without conceding always goes down well. Plenty of positives to take forward from the game as well as some areas to work on as we look towards our next game away at Medway.

Match report written by 2's undercover reporter!!