Folkestone were looking for another win.

AYLESFORD BULLS 1sts 18 FOLKESTONE 1sts 18
16th January 2016 London 3SE Report from Alan Schofield
Folkestone travelled to their nearest away fixture in the knowledge that a win would put them very much into promotion contention. It was only by the narrowest of margins that Aylesford had fortune on their side when they visited Burlington Fields last October, and so it was with double incentives that The Stones took to the field having cut loose with six tries in the previous week.
The Bulls had only suffered two defeats this season and were fortunate to finish this game with a draw against an energised and resilient Folkestone XV – weakened by injury and unavailability.
They started as they finished last week immediately taking territorial advantage with Mike Gardner and Steve Doughty putting their opponents into defending their own 22 metres line – and there they were forced to stay by some energetic play by the Folkestone pack until they came offside and conceded an easy penalty for Seyhan Fell to convert into 0 – 3 lead.
The Bulls were forced again into defending after Jake ‘Jiggles’ Ellis worked his way into their half and Jon Morton pegged them back further - into their own 22 metre zone. After a loose forward pass, Ollie Walton picked up the ball with a clear 20 metres to go when the referee very unfortunately brought play back but awarded a scrum to Folkestone. Hmmm ! But the let off for the Bulls was short lived as from the scrum The Stones broke clear moving the ball quickly down the left with a swift passing movement through Jake Ellis, Jon Morton, John Eustace, Kyle Deakin and finally out to Ollie Walton who, with the opposition outstretched and outpaced, touched down in the corner, 0 – 8, after only 10 minutes of play.
The erstwhile league leaders were rattled, and came back strongly – Mike Gardner rescuing a difficult bouncing ball from a long kick. But now it was Folkestone’s turn to defend and when they conceded an off-side the penalty kick allowed The Bulls gain a line-out and to move the ball from one touchline to the other- Folkestone ran out of defenders allowing a try that was well converted from the touchline.
The game was becoming a battle between two large sets of forwards, neither side giving much ground, but The Stones seemed to have more ideas of using the ball from these pieces with Tom Carvill, Will Melia and Fraser Hendy always looking for chances. And this became a pattern for long enough – the backs, on both sides, when in possession tending to kick downfield for the forwards to resume their struggles against each other.
Doug Wood, Will Melia and Chris Petley combined well, in centre field to give The Stones an attacking platform. Seyhan Fell just drew a penalty shot at goal wide and Aylesford took a long drop kick from their 22 mts line - collected by Doug Wood who kicked it back long and high and Aylesford had the misfortune to see it bounce wildly sideways and gently into the hands of Seyhan Fell running at pace – and no-one could stop him from scoring near to posts – and easy conversion and a slightly lucky try, but a well-deserved 7 – 15 lead.
There was no doubting the talent and the training of The Bulls when they immediately took the play back into the Folkestone 22 metre area, and looked a quality team when they combined forwards and backs – to the right and left field before scoring a beautifully worked try , but far out on the left wing, too far away to convert. 12 – 15.
But in this equally matched game Folkestone showed they had their own qualities, especially in the forwards. The slightly heavier Aylesford eight had to muster all they could to contain them – not always in conformity to the laws of the game. Seyhan Fell does not miss many opportunities, and when he put a 38 metre penalty kick straight between the posts – the score went out to 12 – 18.
Kyle Deakin intercepted a long pass and hoofed the ball to the other end of the pitch to halt an Aylesford attack, but they came straight back at them and this time it was Ollie Walton who made a try saving tackle. The Bulls were rewarded for their attacking rugby when an off-side decision in front of the posts gave them an easy three points and a 15 – 18 score at the half time break.
The home side came out for the second half with tactics possibly conceding that The Stones pack had the measure of them and they perceived that their best opportunities lay with their speed and strength out wide. Folkestone were hard pressed by another series of retaliatory attacks on both wings that were only thwarted by some heroic cover tackling by their irrepressible forwards and centre backs.
John Eustace and Kyle Deakin linked again to redress the territorial balance and Jon Morton crashed through the middle too before John Eustace used his weight and strength to get within a whisker of the try line – and Tom Carvill repeated the action before a desperate kick to touch gave the home side a breather.
Chris Petley’s high jumps in the line out was forcing The Bulls to throw in aslant – which played to the advantage of The Stones whose pack was now beginning to dominate the contest both in the set pieces and loose play. Seyhan Fell took a penalty kick from 45 metres which just went under the bar.
In the last quarter The Bulls, always behind in this game, could not break down the Folkestone team defence and try as they did they ran up against some very good and solid tackling – whilst having to do the same themselves to defend their own line. A few lost balls in the tackles gave away possession, but the penalty count was increasing as were the mistakes. Interestingly The Stones now were electing to take scrums rather than penalty kicks – even in their own half!
Jiggles Ellis released Mike Gardner - with Doug Wood in support - feeding Kyle Deakin and Ollie Walton in a concerted attack, only failing when the ball was again lost in a tackle. Aylesford, in a free flowing counter-attack, took play downfield to put Folkestone under pressure and a mistake in the loose gave them an easily kickable penalty in front of the post duly taken to level the scores. 18-18.
There was now a sense of kakorrhaphiophobia amongst the home spectators in the final minutes of the game as The Stones’ forwards, fit and strong as at the beginning of the game, again pressed. But in spite of a couple of forays by The Bulls’ backs the game ended with honours even.
The game was lucky to have yet another excellent Kent referee – Mr. Davis Riorden, who kept the game flowing whilst maintaining discipline by both sides, in a sporting contest.
Next Saturday Folkestone entertain Park House who both Heathfield and Bromley failed to beat, and who beat The Stones last October. They are one of the top five, just below Folkestone, striving to make promotion in a very tightly contested division – especially after this weeks’ results.

Team: Seyhan Fell; Ollie Walton, Kyle Deakin, John Eustace, Thomo Murray; Jon Morton, Doug Wood; Will Melia, Steve Doughty, Tom Carvill; Jack Barton, Jake Ellis; Frazer Hendy, Chris Petley, Michael Gardner.
Subs: Cameron Seagrove, Kieran Smith, Lewis Howland.
Scorers: Seyhan Fell 3, 3, 5, 2; Ollie Walton 5;