EASTBOURNE RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB – MATCH REPORT – 25.08.07

TRIANGULAR TOURNAMENT: EASTBOURNE v SIDCUP v BROMLEY

The Blue and Golds got their season off to a morale boosting start when, despite being 5 players short of last season’s successful squad, they disposed off both Sidcup and Bromley in successive, short 40 minute games.

EASTBOURNE 33 SIDCUP 17.
Newly promoted to London League 2 South, Sidcup provided the first opposition and, given its more senior league status and the fact that the visitors had already played several warm up games, it was expected to provide a stiff challenge. This proved to be the case when Eastbourne succumbed to a penalty goal and a converted try in the first 10 minutes to go 0 -10 down. However, even at this stage the Eastbourne players were moving the ball well and made a number of incursions into the Sidcup 22 only to be denied by resolute defending or the final pass going astray. Once the hosts picked up the pace of the game the challenge became more confident and authoratitive. Aided by good ball from the pack and a marauding back row, the backs, well marshalled by a good half back partnership, began to threaten the Sidcup defence. In the space of 25 minutes the Blue and Golds scored a sequence of 33 points through tries from Jon Oakey, James Bremer two, and Paul Keen two; Nathan Ring was in fine kicking form converting 4 of the tries. Sidcup responded in the final minutes of the game to provide a final score line of 33 – 17. A great team effort, with all players responding to the challenge.

EASTBOURNE 19 BROMLEY 14.
This win against old opponents and friends, sadly not meeting in league fixtures this season, was less convincing. After an early try by Matt Crane to put the Blue and Golds into a 5 - 0 lead, Bromley gained a deserved 5 – 14 lead by scoring two good converted tries in quick succession. The hosts looked to be feeling the effects of the previous game from which they had had only a brief respite and made defensive errors on which Bromley capitalised. However, to the Blue and Golds credit they repeated the ability of last season to strike back in the last stages of a game. Matt Thompson forced his way over the try line after Eastbourne mounted sustained pressure within the Bromley 22 and Nathan Ring kicked a fine conversion which brought the score to 12 – 14 and atoned for Paul Newell’s failure to ground the ball over the try line just before hand. With the final whistle looming a sloppy pass back from a Bromley line out was pounced on by the ever alert Jon Oakey who intercepted and dived over the line for a try, another good conversion from Nathan Ring gave the team a 19 – 14 win and a 100% result for the day.

The players and coaches alike must be pleased with this curtain raising performance and it bodes for good competition for 1st XV places.