Ashford 12 FRFC 2nd XV 28

Folkestone senior sides are suffering from their success as Clubs are declining to play against them. Can it be the quality of their play, improved by the coaching they are receiving, for last Saturday THREE of the opposition declined to turn out and face Folkestone opposition. This meant that only Folkestone 2nd XV were able to fly the flag away at Ashford. Old Alleynians dropped out of the 1st Team Cup match, Whitstable didn't bother to turn up and Old Gravesendians didn't fancy a trip to Folkestone either!!! The day was overcast and it drizzled throughout the whole game. It didn't seem to have any effect on the first half but I blame the weather for the second half! Ashford opened the scoring after some nifty threequarter movements by both sides when it appeared the right wing had drifted into touch but the referee thought otherwise. He scored in the corner for an unconverted try. Ashford tried the aerial attack but Joe Satchell, up from the Under 18's coped admirably and and not only took the ball cleanly but made ground by running it. Folkestone were penning the home side into their own half for long periods and from a scrum near the line, the ball popped out of the Ashford scrum for Jakub Kopriva to pounce on it and nip over for a try which Chris Petley converted. Ashford hit back with a threequarter move which saw their centre draw two defenders to enable the overlap and his wing waltzed over for a try which was converted giving Ashford a 12 - 7 lead. Satchell started the next Folkestone attack by gathering the ball and sprinting up the right wing. He found Dave Ballard inside him, took the return pass to send Luke Simpson over for a try under the posts which Petley again converted. 12 -14. Kopriva had a hand in the next try when breaking from loose play, dived through two players to delay his pass which Petley picked up off his boots to slide over for a try which he then converted. 12 - 21. The front row of Daz Short, Adam Bloomfield and Peter White were more than holding their own against heavier opposition and Mike Gardner and Jamie Webb were in the thick of all the action. The second half lacked the enterprise of the first and moved from set piece to set piece with very little threequarter movement involved. The only bright spot was a cracker of a try which Kopriva conjured up by breaking up the blind side from a set scrum to take on the defence and pop the ball up to Jak Cox who crossed the line with players hanging off him.
Cox's try was converted by Dan Woolford. It's pleasing to see Dan back on a regular basis and he combines well with John Eustace as a centre pairing. By this time 'Moose' Murray had stepped up into the front row to give Peter White a rest. He is trying to emulate the great Gethin Jenkins (but he still has a little way to go yet). Mike Gardner and Jamie Webb played well in the back row and Ballard dominated the line outs. A good performance over all and the Second Team squad under Kieran Smith are now finding that they have choices and will have even more when the young guns from the Under 18' squad get into the thick of things.