On a an afternoon when wood fires and old ale in a snug of a local hostelry would have been a sensible way to while away the time, a much changed Tunbridge Wells side faced up to third placed Cobham at St Marks.

 

Tun Wells kicked off down the slope with the northerly wind behind them and were soon on the attack, carrying the ball into their opponents 22. However, their inborn anxiety at crucial stages of a match once more surfaced and a possible scoring opportunity was spilled forward. Cobham came back strongly but their efforts were continually thwarted by giving away a string of penalties which enabled Ollie Rogers to keep Tun. Wells on the attack, with long raking touch kicks.  From one such an attacking position on the right the ever combative Mark Wilson charged round the blind side to feed new boy Chris Richards who bullocked his way over the line for a try. 5-0.

 

Unfortunately neither side found place kicking easy in the swirling wind and the conversion and a subsequent penalty 38 metres out went wide. A

 

fter thirty-five minutes play the roles were reversed a penalty against the home side for not releasing took the ball into the Wells 22 and from the resultant line-out, the much heavier Cobham eight caught the ball and drove to the line. In desperation Mark Wilson pulled the maul down and apart from being trampled on was also given a ten minute sin-bin penalty. This only delayed the inevitable and Cobham drove again and Paddy Seymour touched down. 5-5. With a man
down Tunbridge Wells found it hard to hold the Cobham forwards and close to half time they increased their lead from another rolling maul to allow the other prop Alexander to go over wide out. Yet again the conversion flew wide. 5-10

Half time came and Tunbridge Wells were faced both literally and metaphorically with an uphill task but as in the words of Henry V they needed to " stiffen the sinews and summon up the blood" this they did and after continually harassing the opposition with some ferocious tackling were awarded a penalty 30 meters out, which James Warren slotted over 8-10. In the face of growing confidence by the Cobham team, Wells were constantly having to defend and the although work rate of the whole team was exemplary, the pressure however began to tell and finally 'Disco' Dave McCallum increased Cobham's lead with a fairly straight forward penalty 8-13.

 

Tunbridge Wells continued to break out on occasions and produced some excellent back moves with David Coombes and 'Siti' punching holes in the Cobham defence but the final telling pass was never quite there. In the last fifteen minutes the Cobham pack drove the ball relentlessly to the Wells line and tries were inevitable and soon Malcolm Handly had increased the lead to ten points.

 

It was typical of the home sides spirit that with five minutes remaining they tried to run the ball out of their 22 when a relieving touch kick may have been the better option. The Cobham forwards pounced on a loose pass and the centre went over in the corner. The kick failed and the final score was 8-23 This was possibly a little flattering in what was a good game played in the right spirit under the quiet guidance of referee Phil Bowers.

 

Jim Sculley, who was coach on the day can be pleased with the effort shown by all the players and with some regulars back in the fold next week, there is every chance of testing Sidcup away in the next match.

 

  

 

Reprt to follow

 

TRY: Tom Pithouse

CON: Mark Goff

PEN: Mark Goff