Friday-Night Lights on a Thursday!

So, with Aylesford Bulls visiting for a floodlit pre-season ‘friendly’ it is safe to say 2019-2020 has well and truly begun!

In front of a packed-out terrace, Gravesend took to the field to show whether all the hype was worth it. Playing rolling subs and 20-minute quarters allowed a multitude of players to get in on the action, Gravesend quickly secured a penalty that landed just short of the posts. Both sides maintained good possession but mistakes both ways meant play stayed in the middle of the pitch for a large portion of the first quarter. It was fairly evenly matched between both sides, but Gravesend put in some solid tackles from the beginning, showing that all their hard work over the summer has paid off. An exchange of penalties ensued, but only Gravesend aimed at the posts, with Rhys Betts putting the home side 3-0 in front within 10 minutes. Aylesford were looking quick on their feet, but errors from them and pressure from Gravesend meant they couldn’t find a score and the first quarter ended 3-0.

The second quarter started with much the same pressure and although Aylesford were awarded two penalties in quick succession, they couldn’t capitalise and were forced into making errors, securing turnover ball for Gravesend. A maul from the forwards resulted in the first try of the match and, three minutes later, the second came courtesy of Tony Nolan. Sadly, neither were converted but a lead of 13-0 was enough for the time being.
Although looking a bit static in attack at times, Gravesend certainly piled on the pressure and another try, this time from Lewis Saward, took the score to 18-0. Putting further proof of the strength work that has been in preparation for the upcoming season, Matt Hewitt took the ball up field, bouncing a player off him in the process, much to the delight of the crowd. Captain Zac Lewis added to the score just before half-time, taking Gravesend to a 23-0 lead after 40 minutes.

Match report written by Fran Holmes

The second half started very much with Aylesford having the upper hand - their pressure and resulting penalty saw their first score of the match, converted to make it 23-7. Perhaps it took them 40 minutes to find their feet, but the visitors certainly looked the sharper of the two sides for short periods at a time. However, a second try from Gravesend’s captain, with the conversion, quickly cancelled their seven-pointer out and the third quarter ended 30-7.
With just 20 minutes left to play and the temperature dropping, but the support not waning, Gravesend seemed to be on the back foot for much of the final quarter. Too many Aylesford penalties in this period grew quite frustrating for the crowd and, probably, the players. Despite Aylesford having much of the possession, Gravesend were up on their opposition quickly and all over the ball at times, the visitors obviously feeling the pressure and running backwards into perceived safety. An Aylesford put-in to the scrum and a drive up the pitch to
score took it to 30-14, after the conversion and a third Aylesford try would have been scored if not for an excellent defending chase from Gravesend, subsequently meaning it was a Gravesend hand that got the ball down first. A nervy final quarter, but Gravesend showed strong defense to the end and the score finished 30-14 to the home side.

Speaking to Zac Lewis, Gravesend captain, after the match, he was impressed that tactics that had been worked on during pre-season had been put into practice during the match, picking out specifically the physical side of the sport and wanting to have a “thundering defence” - certainly something that was evident in this match. Moving forward, there are both positives and negatives to work on as a result of what the coaches saw but he is happy with the performance and looking forward to leading a strong team into the start of the season.

This Saturday see's the 1's & 2's welcome Old Emanuel RFC for a double header at Rectory Field, the 2's will be kicking off at 12:30pm and the 1's at 3pm.