1stXV win in 1st round Kent Shield against Ashford 1stXV

Shepherd Neame Kent Shield 1st Round.
ASHFORD 12 pts FOLKESTONE 17 pts
5th September 2015 By Alan Schofield

With eight regular 1st XV players taking a day off for this Kent Shield match, before the league starts in two weeks, coach Leigh Fitchie called on his young newcomers to the team for positive play and constant pressure. He got both – with a vengeance!
Before an unusually large crowd, supplemented by spectators from the nearby Ashford Beer Festival, Folkestone piled into the game so much so that Ashford could not mount a meaningful attack in the Folkestone half until 20 minutes had elapsed.
The Stones young front row of James Archer, ‘Jiggles’ Ellis and Tom Carvill took on, and beat, the experienced looking opposition in the early scrums with Jack Barton and James Ballard solid and strong in the second row giving power to every scrum that Ashford could never contain throughout the game.
The speed and the experience of Will Turner and Chris Petley, coupled with Fraser Hendy made up the front eight completing a formidable pack – which will be the cause of Fitchie’s head scratching when he comes to pick the side for the league game against Bromley on the 19th September.
To their credit, and unlikely as it seemed, Ashford managed to keep their line intact and the scoreboard blank against constant attacks and not helped by conceding seven penalties. Acting captain Adam Tolman elected to take scrums in attacking positions at many of these, after James Mead had failed at an earlier kick at goal from the 22 line. But the breakthrough was resisted by the excellent defence of the Ashford backs. Eventually, another kick was taken on the sixth consecutive penalty and James Mead put the ball through the centre of the posts from 35 metres. 0 – 3.
There was an inkling that The Stones were not going to have all of this day to themselves as the Ashford backs showed they had speed and tactics, but first they had to overcome the enthusiastic tackling by the Folkestone centres – Ross Dempsey and Ryan Farrow. Adam Tolman broke through on a 20 metre jinking run, before being brought down, but two penalties against Folkestone took Ashford into the Folkestone half and massively against the run of play, the home team showed skill and speed in the backs, breaking through, with a close overlap, to score a converted try close to the posts and a lead of 7 – 3 after 25 minutes.
James Mead fielded a long kick and started another foray into the Ashford half but was cynically blocked giving The Stones the ninth penalty of the game and field position to mount a series of forward led attacks to regain the initiative before half time intervened.
The team talk by the Ashford coach must have been interesting, for on the resumption it was clear that they had to concede defeat in the scrums and therefore used their strong running backs. Folkestone were lucky that two determined runs against them were frustrated by a knock on and a forward pass – moves, both of which would have scored tries without these errors. A mistake by the Folkestone defence, under pressure from short kicks, gave Ashford backs another sight of the line – and that was all they needed scoring a fast try with two men in support. Fortunately the conversion was missed which kept the score to 12 – 3.
Leigh Fitchie made some changes to the team bringing on Billy Monk and debutant Danny Theyers, (eyed as a junior by the Scottish Rugby Union) the first Scotsman that The Stones have had playing 1st XV for some years, and Warren Blandford gave Jake Ellis a rest from a brilliant hooking display in the scrum. Dave Ballard sustained a knee injury which used The Stones last replacement and when Billy Monk was injured they were reduced to 14 men.
But the forwards then trundled the Ashford eight 35 metres backwards in a tremendous display of disciplined rucking to give Stones a platform well into the Ashford half. Chris Petley drew three defenders into stopping him before Adam Tolman picked up the ball, saw a gap and accelerated through to score unopposed – from an excellent team effort, and which saw the score move to 12 – 10 after James Mead converted.
The resumption of play then saw the rare event of an Ashford player being red-carded, without warning for a head-butt, unfortunate - not only for Ashford but because it marred an otherwise closely fought and clean game of good rugby. The new edict from the Twickenham law makers allows no tolerance to referees for any such act of foul play.
Folkestone then, mounted attack after attack – all led by the young forwards at the Ashford end. It was an as exciting a game as anyone would wish to see. Ross Dempsey, Chris Petley, Mark Bartlett and Danny Theyers all had determined runs thwarted and with The Stones attacking hard from the Ashford 22 m defensive line - a swift movement using all the backs created a space for Danny Theyers to sprint through and score a try wide out on the right wing that James Mead converted after 81 minutes to give Folkestone a deserved lead 12 – 17.
And this lead was held onto with a tight grip by a superb display of team rugby until the final whistle after five minutes of injury time. This 100% display and of sustained effort will make 1st XV team selection a difficult, but enjoyable task for the selectors.
There is a week without a game for the 1st XV next Saturday (having a bye in the RFU Senior Vase) and hopefully Folkestone will be ready to field a full strength team for the opening league game on the following Saturday at Bromley.

James Archer, Jake Ellis, Tom Carvill; Dave Ballard; Jack Barton; Will Turner, Chris Petley, Fraser Hendy; Lewis Howland, Adam Tolman; Josh Holt, Ross Dempsey, Ryan Farrow, Doug Wood; James Mead.
Subs: Mark Bartlett, Danny Theyers, Warren Blandford.
Penalty – J. Mead (24 mins)
Tries – A.Tolman (70 mins) D. Theyers (81 mins)
Convs. – J Mead (71 mins ; 83 mins)