Folkestone takes the glory

Folkestone travelled to Eastbourne for the first time in several years and recorded a well deserved victory on a desperately cold afternoon on Martins Field. Their XV was a blend of youth and experience and size was certainly on their side. Despite this, it was the Eastbourne scrum which dominated the set pieces and never, for a minute, threw in the towel. The result was a most enjoyable game in which the four Folkestone tries in the first half sealed the result.

The slope and the wind always play a part at Hampden Park and so it was from the kick off. A five minute patch midway through the half saw 2 tries to the green hooped visitors. The first followed a clever box kick that hung in the wind to deceive the home defence; the second resulted from a deceptive inside pass to the hooker who saw an easy route to the line. By half time, two tries had become four; the visitors` right wing scored in the corner and almost on the whistle, a beautifully judged penalty to the corner led to a forward try from the resulting line out. Between times, Eastbourne had strayed offside at a ruck and 3 points had been added. Eastbourne 0, Folkestone 25 at the interval.

Although the second half started badly for the Blue & Golds, they quickly realised that they now held the advantage. Substitutions had brought on fresh legs and it was not long before the home score sheet moved after scrum half Matt Pysden scuttled round the back of an attacking scrum and fed flanker Ed Sinclair who was on his shoulder. From the restart however, Folkestone drove upfield and added a further 5 pointer of their own.

Many Eastbourne supporters felt that the best try of the afternoon came on 20 minutes into the half. Several passages of play and the ball continuously passing through Eastbourne hands before Tom Shuttleworth got over to record Eastbourne`s second. This try was magnificently converted from wide out by Ben Barter. Folkestone however had the last laugh when a fortuitous bounce allowed their full back to score his second of the day.

Chairman Fraser Brooks thanked both sides for an entertaining and hugely physical encounter. In particular he paid credit to the visitors for keeping the ball alive at all times; in the wintry conditions this was no easy task

Eastbourne:- Imich, Shuttleworth, Webb, Farley, Mottram, Redman, Van Bentham, Sinclair, Pysden, Barter, King, Clarke, Cheater, Hiremutt, Smith, Goldsmith, Skidmore