Check all the action from the weekend.
Bishop’s Stortford 29 (Tries: Lotter, N Doyle, Haysom, Butler. Cons: Gibson 2, Haslam. Pen: Haslam.)
Camberley 22 (Tries: Allen, Davies, Wellings. Cons: Hughes 2. Pen: Hughes.)
Camberley, who needed to win to avoid relegation, came out with all guns blazing and battled hard throughout, as epitomised by their ferocious tackling especially around the fringes. Despite this, Stortford registered the first score after 8 minutes when the visors failed to clear a kick ahead and Jacques Lotter was driven over for a try from the resultant maul. Fly half, Dave Gibson kicked a difficult conversion. It took only 4 minutes for Camberley to narrow the deficit, when their fly half kicked a penalty for a scrum infringement. On 25 minutes the stand-off made an even more telling impact when he cut back behind his pack some 25 metres out and wove his way through the home defence to score a tremendous solo try under the post, which he duly converted to take a 3 point lead. Stortford fought back, but in an increasingly strong crosswind Gibson was unable to convert a penalty 2 minutes later for preventing release of the ball. It was, in fact, well into first half injury time before either side was able to break down the other’s strong defence again and it was the home team that was able to score another try. Nick Doyle, returning from international duty with the England deaf team and making his first appearance of the season for the 1sts was the scorer following a good dummy and half break by Stuart Haslam. Conditions again defeated Gibson’s kick at goal, leaving the score a very tight 12-10 at half time.
Eight minutes into the second half saw Stortford extend their lead when Gibson made a good break and, after good support from Haslam a couple of forward drives sucked in the defence and when the ball went out again to Gibson he moved right and fed Dom Haysom cutting in to the left to go over under the posts. Gibson made no mistake with the conversion. Camberley seemed undeterred by the 9 point margin and after 55 minutes capitalised on a dubious scrum award on the home 22, when Julian Floyd was adjudged to have knocked on a speculative kick ahead. From the set piece their scrum half put a testing grubber kick through for his right winger to dive through for a try wide out despite number 8, David Rose’s desperate effort to smother the ball. The visitors now seemed determined to risk all for the vital win and threatened on more than one occasion to break through the home defences. Their adventure backfired after 64 minutes, however, when a short 22 dropout by their second row and captain fell directly to Stortford’s Nick Harlock making a welcome return to the side on the wing. He set up a position on the Camberley line, from which a penalty for preventing release of the ball was forced. Haslam kicked the three points to widen the gap again to 7 points. Three minutes later and the home lead was extended to 14 points when a tremendous surge from the back of a scrum by number 8, Alex Colenso put the defence on the back foot and quickly recycled ball was fed to second row, Tom Butler who burst through the last line of defence and ran 22 metres to touch down under the posts. Haslam added the conversion. A lesser team than Camberley might well have conceded the match at this stage, but they continued to play aggressively and were rewarded with a further try only a couple of minutes later following a penalty for a ruck offence. When the drive from the resultant lineout was halted, the ball was moved in a couple of phases out to the opposite wing, stretching the home defence to breaking point. The conversion was kicked, bringing the visitors within one score. This was the signal for Camberley to embark on all-out attack and after 79 minutes it took a desperate tackle from Gibson covering back to halfway to halt a threatening burst out of defence. Unfortunately, the player tackled hadn’t quite received the ball and Gibson was yellow-carded. Several minutes of injury time remained but the home defence was able to hold out without any undue alarms to secure a well-deserved and hard earned victory.
Harlow 14 (Tries: Johnson, Eynon. Cons: McFerran 2.)
Sutton & Epsom 48 (Tries: Wallbank 2, Newman 2, Richens 2, Endersby. Cons: Frost 5. Pen: Frost.)
Sutton secured third place in London One with this win at bottom of the table Harlow.
The visitors were quick off the mark and found themselves 24-0 up after just 13 minutes with flanker Scott Wallbank bagging a brace and winger Will Newman getting the third, Simon Frost converted all three to add to a 3rd minute penalty goal. With Newman completing a double on 26 minutes and the lft winger Colin Richens also crossing the line they were romping away at 36-0. By half time though Harlow had managed to breach the home defence with scrum half Tom Johnson going over and James McFerren converting.
There were just the three tries in the second half with Harlow getting the first through No 8 Paul Eynon before Sutton added two more to their total as Richens completed a double and replacement Endersby went over.
Havant 58 (Tries: Molyneux 3, Morris, Archer, Cruddas, McGovern, Stapleton, Archer . Cons: Claffey 4, Molyneux. Pen: Claffey.)
Thanet Wanderers 0 (.)
Comprehensive win for Havant and with Hertford coming unstuck at Old Albanians it sets up an end of season finale at Hertford with winner taking the Championship and automatic promotion and the runners up looking at a match against Cinderford or Clevedon for the other promotion place.
Havant ran in nine tries in this comfortable win with winger Keith Molyneux running in a hat trick to move to 13 for the season and when he completed his hat trick in the 76th minute he also slotted over the conversion.
They were 24-0 ahead at the break and well on their way to victory with three tries and although Steven Claffey did not convert any of those tries he did add three penalty goal.
Havant ran in six more tries in the second half to take their points difference for the season to an impressive 600, 243 better than the next best in the division.
London Nigerian 38 (Tries: Essian 2, Obuaya, Penalty try, Shelling, Olufunwa. Cons: Kidd 4.)
Worthing 12 (Tries: Cox, Stevens. Con: Quirk.)
London Nigerian won this match in the opening 25 minutes as they opened up a 19-0 lead. Back row man David Essian bagged a brace after Chi Chi Obuaya got the first early.
They were awarded a penalty try with half time approaching as Essian, going for his hat trick, was illegally impeded and Jason Kidd converted to go in 26-0 ahead.
In the second half Worthing staged a mini revival with the next two scores. To get it back to 26-12.
The Nigerians though took control again and centre Ali Shelling and centre Wola Olufunwa scored tries to wrap up the win.
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Old Albanians 5 (Try: Turner.)
Hertford 0 (.)
Amazing result but all credit to Old Albanians for keeping out Hertford and sneaking it was the only score of the match.
The winning score came in the 65th minute with talisman Paul Turner scoring the all important try which he was unable to convert but in the end it proved enough and the home side took two very valuable points.
Hertford now have a winner takes all match to end the season hen they host second placed Havant who are two points behind them in the table but with a huge advantage when it comes to points difference.
Staines 5 (Try: Terrey.)
Canterbury 31 (Tries: Pilcher 2, Walmsley. Cons: Pilcher 2. Pens: Pilcher 4.)
A comfortable victory on a breezy afternoon cemented a fourth place league finish for Canterbury but plunged the home side into serious relegation difficulties. The man who did most personal damage to Staines fading hopes was centre Sean Pilcher. His two tries, four penalty goals and two conversions earned him a tally of 26 points and underlined his position as the leading goal kicker in London Division One. However, this untidy win owed just as much to the Canterbury front row of Matt Vick, Baden Meeuws and Carl Ambrose who destroyed their opposite numbers, despite the efforts of a referee who had problems grasping the mechanics of the set scrum. The only question left unanswered at the end of the game was how Canterbury failed to score a mountain of points. By half time they should have been out of sight but squandered so many chances all they had to show was an eleven-point advantage. They did the preliminary work efficiently enough but at the vital moment turned their noses up at clear cut opportunities.
Pilcher's early penalty goal set them on their way, but after 10 minutes Staines sneaked into the lead after Andy Harris had been shown a yellow card for a minor misdemeanour. Home fly-half Shaun Terrey took advantage of the extra man to score an unconverted try. With the forwards in control it was pretty much one-way traffic after that, but Canterbury repeatedly failed to put the final touch to their attacks until Pilcher muscled his way over for try by the posts. His accurate boot gradually stretched the lead to 16-5 while everyone hoped for a second half improvement. Frustratingly, it barely materialised as the bad habits persisted and Staines, starved of possession, even managed a five minute period of pressure themselves. By that time Pilcher had kicked his fourth penalty but it was not until the late introduction of Jeremy Walmsley from the replacements bench that things changed. The young wing burst through three tackles from 40 metres out to score a good try but it was that man Pilcher who had the last word. In the final minutes Jose Pereira hoisted an accurate cross-kick to the left hand corner and it was Pilcher who snaffled the ball from under the nose of a pressurised Dirk Lotter to round off his day with a second touchdown. |
