The game was played in a howling gale on the top pitch across the road

4th October 2014. Friendly Match Report by Alex Ruddock
The game was played in a howling gale on the top pitch across the road with the wind diagonally across the pitch and there was incessant rain throughout, this greatly affected the game with the slippery wet ball going astray regularly with passes not reaching players and the ball being knocked on. Having said that both teams tried to play running attractive rugby, when really the ball should have been kept tight, and passes short and well weighted. The tackle count on both sides was high and in the tackle the ball was squirting out in all directions making it difficult for both Folkestone’s scrum half Ian “The Silver Fox” Spicer and his opposite number trying desperately to keep things in hand, something that Referee Mick Jones managed admirably, given the conditions.
The first half saw Folkestone with the slight advantage of the wind and there was some adventurous incursions by full back Paul Bartlett, and centres Jamie Curtis and Justin Lloyd-Cowden driving up the field but desperate tackling by Dover managed to stop the attacks before they got into the visitors twenty two. It was during one of these forays that Dover snaffled the ball and were able to return the favour by evading the tackle attempts from Folkestone and managed to score via a jinking run by their left winger who shipped the ball for the fly half to dummy his way through to score a well deserved try which was then converted. After 29 minutes while making an outside break Jamie Curtis injured a knee and was replaced by Terry Holt (who had been keeping warm running touch!)
In the scrums Folkestone were solid with the team’s “Elder Statesmen” Keith Packham, Gareth Webber and Trevor James all doing their bit in both the scrums and in the loose. They were ably backed up by locks Mark Rogers and Kevin Gurr who provided the powerhouse push and grunt but it was the back row of Peter White, Simon Petts and Tony Bass that put themselves about off the back of the scrums and in the rucks and mauls while also providing the lift in the lineouts. However their efforts were thwarted three more times in the first half when Dover crossed the line, with two tries being converted. In the furious defending of these tries Tony Bass was yellow carded in the 30th minute going through the middle of a ruck five metres out and picking the ball up, “first time in five years” was his comment!
However the team came back and a good play down the left with Ali O’Connor, Ian Spicer and Justin Lloyd-Cowden involved which ended with Simon Petts scoring wide out under several Dover tacklers. Unfortunately Jake Ellis failed with the conversion from wide out. Half time 5-26.
The wind and rain seemed to be even harder in the second half and with Del McDonough replacing Simon Petts, Chris Donovan-Bayley replacing Tony Bass and Jon “The Wanderer” Linden coming on for Peter White it was hoped that the fresh legs would put some zest into the game but they had been standing frozen and wet on the sidelines! It was at this time that Dover scored an unconverted try followed by a penalty and as time went on started to dominate the game and in the last ten minutes or so scored two converted tries to end the match running through some tired, wet and cold defenders.
As pointed out previously the game was played in the first rain for months along with a big drop in temperature that this reporters fingers could hardly hold the pen.

Team: Paul Bartlett; Ross Clark, Jamie Curtis, Justin Lloyd-Cowden, Ali O’Connor; Jake “Jiggles” Ellis, Ian Spicer; Keith “Chops” Packham, Gareth Webber, Trevor James; Mark Rogers, Kevin Gurr; Pete White (Capt.), Simon Petts, Tony Bass.
Subs: Chris Donovan-Bayley, Del McDonough, Jon Linden, Terry Holt.
Scorer: Simon Petts 5.