Gannets 7 vc Canterbury 54

Gravesend turned out in usual high spirits for a game that promised to be one of the highlights of the year with the 2 highest placed teams in the league coming together for the 2nd time this season. With the last match played on the 4G pitch a very close match resulting in Gravesend having the slight edge (22-14) it looked like everything was in place for a good contest. Unfortunately with higher teams at Canterbury having cancellations we are left to assume that there were some players left looking for games on Saturday afternoon and somehow Canterbury's backline looked somewhat different to the one played earlier in the year. Although as we always say you can only play the team in front of you.

The first half kicked off with the Gannets playing up the hill (yes I know it was the banana pitch) and into the sun, the game plan was the same as recent weeks; to keep it tight with the forwards then let the backs run, and in fairness that worked for the majority of the match. The defence in the middle was good and the scrum didn't take a backwards step all game. The first Canterbury try came against the run of play when the ball was passed out wide from a ruck in the Canterbury half, the Gannets failed to stop their strong running outside centre who went on to score under the posts. Then followed the strongest section of attacking play from the gannets which had them camped in the opposition 22 for some considerable time, the ball was knocked on for a Canterbury scrum but when attempting to clear downfield they fumbled the ball and were tackled into touch on their own 5m line. However during that tackle the greatest calamity to hit the gannets backline since captain Ben Baker limped off in the 2nd match of the season.... in an unfortunate clash of heads centre Matt Clarke and Winger Steve Wooton were hospitalised and required many stitches to their foreheads (see the photo above). Personally I think its improved their looks and made the team as a whole look a lot more manly!

Loosing Matt and Steve required some significant reshuffling with Sean Drabwell & Tom Filmer coming on in the front row and centre, Martin Taylor going into scrum half and Dan Bromley going onto the wing. Needless to say, being forced to play a fairly out of shape Taylor in at scrum half did not aid the organisation in the backs. Furthermore a couple of unfortunate high tackles from fullback Jetski earned him 10 minutes on the sideline. The Cants proceeded to score a couple of tries by running around the outside and using some fairly fancy passing skills to finish the half 0 - 21.

There was a rousing half time talk and Martin Drogba come on for Sam Holden.

During the 2nd half there were some brilliant pieces of play Martin Wilkinson and Tom Filmer took some ginormous crash balls and Jamie had a fantastic run through the middle of the opposition, got tackled and was heard shouting 'wheres the f**king support'. Canterbury scored a couple of early tries, always via the back and usually managing to go around the outside of the gannets and either chipping over the top or using quick hands to pass around the defence. The usually sturdy John Sargent needed to be subbed after a collapsed scrum twisted his back, so it was all change again the Taylor back in the front row, Bromley at Scrum half and Matt Abbott at fullback.

The highlight of the match for the Gannets was during another good section of play when the Gsss were well inside the Cants half a quick series of quick penalties were taken with Dan Bromley wiggling through the defence to score, and he kicked a phenomenal conversion to add the cherry on the top. By this point it was too late in the day to make any real difference in the match and the Cants scored another try in the same fashion they had being all day (with a very lucky bounce falling right into the wingers hands on this occasion).

The only other comments to add are
- that the tackling debt between Taylor and Mayhem from earlier in the season has been settled with Martin missing an obsolete sitter.
- Matt Abbot reports he was not particularly sore after the match as he tackled nothing but air.
- If there is anyone who wants to play in the backs in the next month or so please get in touch as Matt and Steve leave a significant hole.