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Sat 25 Feb 2012
Maidstone RFC
1st XV
55
33
Tries: S Evans, T Squire (2), J EustaceConversions: S Fell (4)
Maidstone 55 FRFC 33
Phil Cooper25 Feb 2012 - 20:08
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The Twickenham Dream is Over
There are many many clichés in sport and here’s two to describe this match. Firstly, if it could go wrong for Folkestone it DID go wrong for Folkestone and secondly, this was a game of two halves.
Many Folkestone supporters made the trip along the M20 and at half time they were thoroughly depressed as Maidstone led 50-0 at the interval scoring 7 tries. I had a chat with some of the natives and they told me that driving to the Park end of the pitch was worth 30 points to Maidstone. They knew their stuff because Folkestone should have been able to stop at least 3 of the home tries and then in the second half to confirm the local knowledge Folkestone scored 5 tries for 33 points and should have scored at least 3 more.
Folkestone had the worst of starts as they conceded 2 tries in the opening minutes. They came from a combination of poor tackling from the visitors and good ball handling from the home team. Maidstone had all the territory and the majority of possession in that first half. Indeed in a torrid 40 minutes Folkestone managed only 1 penetrating attack which the home team dealt with. With Folkestone desperately trying to break out of their defensive shell Maidstone managed to pick off some interceptions. Folkestone’s ball handling and passing was poor as the ball was continually passed to the receiver’s back foot which almost stops any attack and makes it easy for opponents to put in big tackles. It also didn’t help the Folkestone cause when they conceded 9 penalties in the half compared to the home team’s 2. I’m not criticising the ref at all. He blew what he saw and I can’t argue with his decisions. In fact it was quite apparent that he tried to let the game run as much as possible. So after scoring some cracking tries in the first half Maidstone led 50-0 at the interval and it looked like the Twickenham dream was over for Folkestone.
In the second half we saw a rejuvenated Folkestone step back onto the pitch. The scored their first try in the 45th minute after a great break from my Man of the Match, Will Massey who released Michal Krizanek to score and the fightback was on. Deep down though we all knew that the game was lost and it was now an attempt to regain some pride and these Folkestone players didn’t let us down as they chased everything. Now the passes were going to the front feet for the ball receiver to sprint onto it and make the gainline which pushed the home defence backwards to their own try line.
On 50 minutes Scotty Evans charged down a Maidstone clearance kick and was first to the ball to score. Seyhan Fell added the conversion. 50-12.
A few seasons ago John Eustace was a 1st XV regular but slipped down to the 2nd XV when, because of work, he could not commit himself to 1st XV squad training. But this season he has been putting in some sensational performances for the 2nd XV so it was great to see him back in the 1st XV today. He is a powerful player with a lot of flair. On the 52nd minute he made the next try as he broke through and split the defence kicking the ball perfectly into the danger area. The Maidstone defence should have dealt with it but up came Trevor Squire to nip in and touch the ball down. Fell added another conversion. 50-19.
The Folkestone team were all working hard to cut into the Maidstone lead but in the 10 minutes following that 3rd try Folkestone managed to butcher 3 excellent try scoring chances even when they had at least 1 man on the overlap. If those 3 chances had been taken we may well have seen the Miracle of Mote Park but it was not to be. Eventually in the 65th minute they did score their fourth try when Eustace powered through to score out wide. Fell converted. 50-26.
The clock was rushing toward the 80th minute and Folkestone gave everything as they produced wave after wave of attack. The visiting supporters were right behind them appreciating the effort they were making as they threw caution to the wind. On the 70th minute they scored a terrific try when Jake Johnson broke out of the Folkestone 22 storming up the pitch before offloading to Jak Cox. Cox went infield as he moved up the pitch and with those clever few infield yards he soaked up the Maidstone defence creating a big gap for Squire sprinting up the pitch on the left wing. Fell added the conversion with a quickly taken drop kick. 50-33.
After such a calamitous first half Folkestone had put in an incredible performance after the interval. Most teams would have rolled over but these Folkestone youngsters found their pride with a courageous performance. It’s bad enough chasing a lead of just a few points so 50 is a mountain to climb but Folkestone kept fighting. But as if they were driving the last nail in the coffin the last score went to the home team with a pushover try. 55-33.
There were few highlights for Folkestone in the first half but in the second half they stepped up with Jake Johnson and Will Massey especially effective.
Hookers tend to be feisty chaps and Will Massey is explosively feisty. He and Johnson put in great performances doing their bit to motivate their team mates with bruising runs and mighty tackles.
Maidstone thoroughly deserved the win. In the first half they showed commitment and determination and they scored some excellent tries. Good luck to them in the next round. Two more wins and they’re off to Twickenham. It won’t be easy but they have the players to do it. At half time I was very concerned that I would not be able to write anything positive in this match report but I was so proud of these Folkestone players as they fought hard to get back into the match. If you’re going to go down, go down gloriously. Oh dear, there’s another cliché.
On Saturday Folkestone return to league action playing Horsham at home. Coach, Darren Molloy will be looking for a repeat of the second half performance here as his lads chase a 4 try bonus point victory. Horsham have a very good team and it’s going to be a tough match.
Squad:
R Lama, M Murray. W Massey, P Williamson, P Hodges, A Green, J McMurray, R Hudson, C Williams, M Krizanek, J Johnson, S Evans, C Petley, J Morton, B Page, T Squire, J Eustace, J Cox, S Fell
Many Folkestone supporters made the trip along the M20 and at half time they were thoroughly depressed as Maidstone led 50-0 at the interval scoring 7 tries. I had a chat with some of the natives and they told me that driving to the Park end of the pitch was worth 30 points to Maidstone. They knew their stuff because Folkestone should have been able to stop at least 3 of the home tries and then in the second half to confirm the local knowledge Folkestone scored 5 tries for 33 points and should have scored at least 3 more.
Folkestone had the worst of starts as they conceded 2 tries in the opening minutes. They came from a combination of poor tackling from the visitors and good ball handling from the home team. Maidstone had all the territory and the majority of possession in that first half. Indeed in a torrid 40 minutes Folkestone managed only 1 penetrating attack which the home team dealt with. With Folkestone desperately trying to break out of their defensive shell Maidstone managed to pick off some interceptions. Folkestone’s ball handling and passing was poor as the ball was continually passed to the receiver’s back foot which almost stops any attack and makes it easy for opponents to put in big tackles. It also didn’t help the Folkestone cause when they conceded 9 penalties in the half compared to the home team’s 2. I’m not criticising the ref at all. He blew what he saw and I can’t argue with his decisions. In fact it was quite apparent that he tried to let the game run as much as possible. So after scoring some cracking tries in the first half Maidstone led 50-0 at the interval and it looked like the Twickenham dream was over for Folkestone.
In the second half we saw a rejuvenated Folkestone step back onto the pitch. The scored their first try in the 45th minute after a great break from my Man of the Match, Will Massey who released Michal Krizanek to score and the fightback was on. Deep down though we all knew that the game was lost and it was now an attempt to regain some pride and these Folkestone players didn’t let us down as they chased everything. Now the passes were going to the front feet for the ball receiver to sprint onto it and make the gainline which pushed the home defence backwards to their own try line.
On 50 minutes Scotty Evans charged down a Maidstone clearance kick and was first to the ball to score. Seyhan Fell added the conversion. 50-12.
A few seasons ago John Eustace was a 1st XV regular but slipped down to the 2nd XV when, because of work, he could not commit himself to 1st XV squad training. But this season he has been putting in some sensational performances for the 2nd XV so it was great to see him back in the 1st XV today. He is a powerful player with a lot of flair. On the 52nd minute he made the next try as he broke through and split the defence kicking the ball perfectly into the danger area. The Maidstone defence should have dealt with it but up came Trevor Squire to nip in and touch the ball down. Fell added another conversion. 50-19.
The Folkestone team were all working hard to cut into the Maidstone lead but in the 10 minutes following that 3rd try Folkestone managed to butcher 3 excellent try scoring chances even when they had at least 1 man on the overlap. If those 3 chances had been taken we may well have seen the Miracle of Mote Park but it was not to be. Eventually in the 65th minute they did score their fourth try when Eustace powered through to score out wide. Fell converted. 50-26.
The clock was rushing toward the 80th minute and Folkestone gave everything as they produced wave after wave of attack. The visiting supporters were right behind them appreciating the effort they were making as they threw caution to the wind. On the 70th minute they scored a terrific try when Jake Johnson broke out of the Folkestone 22 storming up the pitch before offloading to Jak Cox. Cox went infield as he moved up the pitch and with those clever few infield yards he soaked up the Maidstone defence creating a big gap for Squire sprinting up the pitch on the left wing. Fell added the conversion with a quickly taken drop kick. 50-33.
After such a calamitous first half Folkestone had put in an incredible performance after the interval. Most teams would have rolled over but these Folkestone youngsters found their pride with a courageous performance. It’s bad enough chasing a lead of just a few points so 50 is a mountain to climb but Folkestone kept fighting. But as if they were driving the last nail in the coffin the last score went to the home team with a pushover try. 55-33.
There were few highlights for Folkestone in the first half but in the second half they stepped up with Jake Johnson and Will Massey especially effective.
Hookers tend to be feisty chaps and Will Massey is explosively feisty. He and Johnson put in great performances doing their bit to motivate their team mates with bruising runs and mighty tackles.
Maidstone thoroughly deserved the win. In the first half they showed commitment and determination and they scored some excellent tries. Good luck to them in the next round. Two more wins and they’re off to Twickenham. It won’t be easy but they have the players to do it. At half time I was very concerned that I would not be able to write anything positive in this match report but I was so proud of these Folkestone players as they fought hard to get back into the match. If you’re going to go down, go down gloriously. Oh dear, there’s another cliché.
On Saturday Folkestone return to league action playing Horsham at home. Coach, Darren Molloy will be looking for a repeat of the second half performance here as his lads chase a 4 try bonus point victory. Horsham have a very good team and it’s going to be a tough match.
Squad:
R Lama, M Murray. W Massey, P Williamson, P Hodges, A Green, J McMurray, R Hudson, C Williams, M Krizanek, J Johnson, S Evans, C Petley, J Morton, B Page, T Squire, J Eustace, J Cox, S Fell
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