Folkestone win at Gillingham after a four week layoff because of the weather.

22nd February 2014 Report by Alan Schofield

Rugby resumed last Saturday, after a four week lay-off due to swamp like pitch conditions, and Folkestone travelled north to take on Gillingham Anchorians in a re-arranged fixture.
The Stones had narrowly won the first encounter last October but they were up against a team that had accumulated 15 bonus points in their season to date – nine more than their opponents - which accounted for their good 3rd place league position, 3 places above Folkestone and with a 5 point advantage. Moreover, Gillingham Anchorians had averaged over 30 points a game during the season to date.
Since their early season run of 7 straight wins, The Stones have found life more difficult as ground conditions became heavier and a soft pitch this day did not bode well for this nimble and more youthful looking squad.
Three players were making their starting debuts in a reshuffled Folkestone team who were missing Michael Gardner, Will Turner and Seyhan Fell. So it was a welcome for Ollie Walton at centre, Ollie Forbes at No 7 and the third Murray brother – Thommo, on the wing.
Added to this were Mark Bartlett and Liam Regardsoe on the ‘bench’, as substitutes.
In a tremendous team effort The Stones restricted Anchorians to just three points from one kick at goal and finished being worthy winners against a determined opposition.
But there was an early scare when the opposition fly half intercepted on his own try line and ran at speed for 80 metres with a 15 metre start on anyone – but Richard Dagger, with a superb sprint, brought him down and recovered a dangerous situation. Two minutes later a very similar situation occurred when Adam Tolman intercepted, but this time Gillingham had no-one fast enough to stop him scoring under the posts and providing a 7 point lead (kicker Ollie Walton)after as many minutes.
Anchorians have strength and weight in the forwards, but The Stones front row with Martin Murray, Warren Blandford and Tom Carvill have all this – and youth. So the forward battle in set pieces was equal. Line outs went with possession but in the rucks and mauls Steve Doughty, Kieran Smith, Kevin Murray and Olllie Forbes were harrying and tackling and nullifying everything that their opponents could muster, whilst Chris Petley at No 8 was unsurpassable in defence and imaginative in attack.
Break throughs were rare as both teams had excellent defences, but after 23 minutes of evenly balanced play Chris Petley broke through the wall and gained 40 metres with a brilliant individual jinking run and with Adam Tolman backing up to finished off with a short kick, collected and touched down unopposed leaving Ollie Walton with another easy conversion and a 0 – 14 lead at half time.
Coach Darren Molloy made three spaced second half substitutions, bringing on Mark Bartlett for Steve Doughty in the front row, and Liam Regardsoe (with his 6’4” and 15 stones) to add weight to the second row, Whilst Luke Simpson replaced Thommo Murray on the left wing.
The Gillingham backs posed a constant danger rightly so, as their record shows, but today they ran up against the proverbial brick wall in John Eustace and Ollie Walton in the centre positions. They not only thwarted any central attack coming at them – but were a formidable problem for their opposite numbers when they had the ball.
And involved almost every move, be it in attack or defence, was the ever present Lewis Howland, at scrum half, who was one of the many contenders for man-of-the match.
Players of both teams, and spectators alike, were detracted from fully enjoying the game by a very pernickity referee who awarded 24 penalties in the game fairly evenly distributed - and it was from one series of 5 successive penalty kicks awarded to Anchorians that they eventually decided that the Folkestone defence was too solid and took a solitary 3 points from a kick at goal.
Richie Bowen, strong and determined as ever, had an exciting 50 metre run to the line and a try denied, and a penalty awarded against him which left players and spectators confused. And at the other end Ollie Forbes made another try saving tackle after a rare break through the Folkestone lines.
This was one of the best performances of the season by a Folkestone team, but the match, as a whole, was marred by the constant interruptions. The whole team combined and supported each other to earn a well-deserved and creditable away win.
There were 18 players in contention for the man-of-the-match but it came down to picking between Lewis Howland, Adam Tolman and Chris Petley but I thought Chris Petley deserved it by tireless work in defence and attack. But a special note of credit must be given to the ‘new boys’ whose future with the team, on today’s performance, must be anticipated.
Team:Martin Murray(Capt), Warren Blandford, Tom Carvill; Kieran Smith, Steve Doughty; Kevin Murray, Ollie Forbes, Chris Petley; Lewis Howland, Adam Tolman; Thommo Murray, John Eustace, Ollie Walton, Richie Bowen; Richard Dagger.
Subs: Mark Bartlett, Liam Regardsoe, Luke Simpson.