Sevenoaks 21 – 44 Dorking
By Kevin Beal
No Mercy at Knole Paddock
Dorking arrived at Knole Paddock looking to improve on their league position whilst the hosts were looking to get out of the relegation danger zone. Thus on a dry and sunny, if a little blustery day made for running rugby, the preferred mode for both the home side and the visitors, both sets of supporters anticipated a high scoring and fast moving game. They were not to be disappointed as in a pulsating end to end game, Dorking ran in seven tries to Sevenoaks three.
Dorking kicked off playing with the wind in their favour; an important consideration on one of the smaller pitches in the league and were on the scorecard almost immediately as Tom Bloomer burst through the centre defences and Jasper King latched on to the pass to gallop to the line with barely two minutes on the clock. An easy conversion for Tom Hardwick and 0-7 to the visitors. Max Coyle fielded the restart kick and using the wind returned the ball with interest, earning a 50/22 lineout in the process from which the forwards squeezed a kickable penalty. With Hardwick again on target it was 0-10 and five minutes played.
Preliminary skirmishes out of the way, the match settled down into a more even tempo as ‘Oaks finally got hold of the ball and pressed forward into the Dorking 22. As in recent weeks, the red & white’s defence, with Ollie Rawlinson and Harry Elbrow to the fore held firm repelling attacks from both forwards and backs as ‘Oaks fly half Ben Adams pulled the strings. With superior firepower up front Dorking were able to secure the ball and dominate in the set piece and using the wind clear their lines, move play back to midfield from where they were able to mount attacks of their own. With a comfortable platform up front for scrum half George Jackson, the backline of Hardwick, Howe, Butler, Williamson and Barker were unstoppable and with Coyle returning any high ball with interest the remainder of the half became somewhat one way traffic. King was in for his second finishing a carbon copy move with Bloomer on the burst from an attacking line out, before Coyle, having secured another 50/22 lineout went over wide out left on the end of another training park move. With both conversions bouncing off the uprights it was 0-22.
‘Oaks rallied and put together several good attacking phases of their own, finally releasing centre Sam Begbie to score out wide, and Adams to convert. But that was it for the home side in first half as Dorking took back control and scored twice in quick succession, Harry Barker on the end of a slight of hand backs move in the left hand corner and Harry Elbrow following a catch and drive lineout move on the right. With both conversions again drifting wide in the breeze, it was 7-32 at half time.
Dorking began the second half where they had left off, on the attack with a rampaging run through the midfield by prop Nick Barry who fed the ball to Tom Howe and thence on to Max Coyle who was in for his second, again out wide. Conversion missed, 7-37.
The game from then on in however became a far more even affair as Adams used his boot and the wind to kick for territory and set his backs off in chase, putting the visitors on the back foot and forcing them to attack from deep within their own 22. Eventually this pressure told and full back Benjy Hewitt threaded his way to the line to make it 12-37, and with Adams’ conversion good 14 -37. Again Dorking replied immediately as following a scrum penalty, Luke Baldwin took a quick tap and untouchable for 10 metres, put Tom Hardwick over in the right hand corner. Reading the wind correctly, Hardwick converted his own try to restore the visitors lead at 12-44.
With the game looking lost, ‘Oaks began to throw the ball around and whilst this made for entertaining rugby it did little to further their cause as errors crept in and more often than not, moves ended with a Dorking line out or put in at the scrum. Dorking’s Theo Williamson looked odds on for a try as he intercepted a loose pass on half way but he was bundled into touch before he could get going. And all the while Adams, using the strengthening wind kept up the pressure with howitzer clearances either into touch or for his wings to chase. One such kick bounced evilly in the Dorking 22 straight into the grateful arms of the chasing Barney Stone who made it to the line for a popular try in front of the home supporters, converted by Adams, 21-44. And that’s how it finished as the final minutes were played out in midfield; Oak’s knowing that the game was lost and Dorking that it was won, with a routine clearance kick bobbling into touch and the final whistle.
Director of Rugby Armand Roux commented:
Our goal was to get 5 points on the road and that is exactly what we achieved.
Our attack was ruthless in the first half and we certainly scored some great tries in the process. Credit to the team for exploiting identified opportunities.
Sevenoaks never gave up and credit to them, they challenged our complacency in the 2nd half of the game and got rewarded for their efforts.
I would have loved it if we were more clinical in the second half, but credit o the Dorking team for still delivering against a spirited outfit.
Teams:
Sevenoaks
Hewett, Ivell, Shepherdson, Begbie, Stone, Adams, Jones, Strange, Sedgewick, Simmonds, Green, Lee, Englebrecht, Jones, Porteus. Replacements – Rolfe, Hutton, Mcrae, Chapman, Livett
Dorking
Coyle, Williamson, Barret, Howe, Barker, Hardwick, Jackson, Barry, Rawlinson, Bristow, Sammut, King, Scholes, Bloomer, Elbrow. Replacements: Stephenson, Howarth, Watson, Chambers, Baldwin.
Man of the match – Max Coyle
Referee: Mr Jack Sargentina
