Old Elthamians 53 Tonbridge Juddians 0
Report from Geoff Pettitt
TJs visited Chiselhurst with some reasonable hopes of a win or, at least, of a good, solid performance. Regrettably, after a promising start when TJs dominated possession and territory but failed to score, they produced neither a win nor a solid performance.
TJs were without a number of senior, experienced players and therein lies the root cause for such a heavy defeat. It was not so much in the pack that experience was missing but in the backs. A wing and a full-back were playing at centre and a centre was playing at fly-half. With the best will in the world and with the most determined of efforts this arrangement was most unlikely to work at this level.
It was not long before their attacking capabilities were exposed because for the first ten minutes of the match the pack gave them plenty of ball and the opportunity to run with it. Sadly, neither the backs, nor indeed the forwards, could break through a well-organized and alert defence and turn the possession they enjoyed into points.
It was also not long before TJ’s defensive capabilities too were under examination. TJs lost possession in the middle of the pitch, conceded a penalty which was taken quickly and in a flash OEs had strung together a slick passing movement which sliced through for their No. 8 to score a try. The conversion was good and in their very first sally into TJ’s half OEs had taken the lead.
Undeterred, TJs returned to the attack and about half-way through the first half they were awarded a penalty which was kicked into touch in the right-hand corner. The ensuing line-out was won cleanly but instead of using their forwards in a driving maul the ball was passed wildly out to the backs where it was eventually turned over. This golden opportunity to score was therefore lost.
OEs ventured once more into TJ territory and forced a penalty for off-side which was turned into three points by a very fine kick. Thus, two visits by OEs to the TJ half had brought them 10 points.
There was still no indication of what was to come. Carlton, Wagstaff and Dawson all had promising runs at the opposition but without result.
A potentially serious injury to an OE’s played obliged a change of pitch whilst the ambulance attended and the last five minutes or so of the first half were played out on an adjacent pitch.
So, the score at half-time was OEs 10 TJs 0. Even with a weakened side TJs had shown much spirit, had played well in the scrums and, after a few nervous moments with the throwing-in, had won their fair share of possession at the line-out. What they had not managed to do was to break a resolute OE’s defensive line. For their part OEs had taken their opportunities well and had shown, in the scoring of their try, good handling, good organisation, good backing-up and speed.
The second half was a veritable nightmare for TJs whose early momentum and intentions had simply been blown away. After only four minutes OEs ran in their first try and there followed, every four or five minutes, four further tries three of which were converted. The scoring slowed towards the end of the game but OEs did nevertheless press their now considerable dominance and run in three more tries with one conversion to take the score to a devastating 53 – 0. Whenever the increasingly confident OE’s team had the ball in their hands they wanted to run with it and they seemed able to create gaps and cut through to TJ’s line almost at will.
TJs were had continued to win ball from the tight in the second half but they were unable to use it to their advantage. Indeed, on occasions winning the ball was a positive disadvantage because when the ball was lost in the tackle, or dropped or hurriedly kicked away, TJ’s somewhat makeshift three-quarter line was often already in disarray and out of position.
This was not the result that TJs were hoping for and it was most certainly not the score that they would have expected. TJs finished the match an understandably dispirited team but they must put this defeat behind them, turn the positive areas of their game into points and recover some belief in their own ability. They must re-group for next week’s Sponsor’s Day Match against Old Dunstonians.
Tonbridge Juddians 1st XV: Cheeseman; James Farmer, Burgess (Pierce 40), Davies, O’Shea; Dawson, Mitchell; Parrott, Kenny (Stevenson 65), Underhill, Fitzpatrick, Carlton (Ure 60), Wagstaff, Bournat, Carroll.
Next Saturday TJs entertain Old Dunstonians in their London South East Three League match at The Slade, kick-off 3.00pm. It is also the occasion for the Sponsors’ Lunch at the clubhouse when the club shows its appreciation of those who provide financial support.
