Pointless display for misfiring Maidstone
COBHAM MAIDSTONE
What a difference a week makes as Maidstone failed to get on the scoreboard for the first time in years.
The county town side, so impressive against CS Rugby in their last London 1 South match, were brought back to earth with a bump at Cobham last Saturday.
The loss of Lucian Morosan and Rory Beech to illness and injury didn’t help but Maidstone should have pressed Cobham much harder.
A little more patience and application would have turned pressure into points, while the failure to take kickable penalty options in favour of seeking tries every time was also costly.
Maidstone were 19 points down inside 20 minutes and staring at a heavy defeat.
From the kick-off, a relieving boot to touch was charged down on the 22, with Cobham quicker to the loose
PW D L F A Ps Sidcup ............ 9 8 1 0 362 106 41 Rugby 1863 .... 9 7 0 2 273 144 33 Tun Wells........ 9 7 0 2 202 139 33 Havant ............ 9 6 1 2 378 160 32 Tottonians....... 9 6 0 3 312 178 31 Cobham .......... 9 6 0 3 245 148 30 Sevenoaks ...... 9 5 0 4 254 168 26 Chobham ........ 9 5 0 4 185 152 23 Maidstone....... 9 4 0 5 208 208 21 Gravesend ...... 9 4 0 5 221 230 21 Chiswick ......... 9 3 0 6 160 288 9 Dover.............. 9 1 0 8 99 426 5 Brighton.......... 9 0 0 9 131 301 4 Gosport & F..... 9 0 0 9 72 454 0 Results: Chiswick 17 Tottonians 14, Chobham 22 Tunbridge Wells 15, Cobham 26 Maidstone 0, CS Rugby 1863 27 Sevenoaks 15, Dover 24 Brighton 17, Gravesend 21 Havant 29, Sidcup 62 Gosport & Fareham 5. Pulborough ..... 8 8 0 0 266 135 38 Thanet Wndrs . 8 6 0 2 272 131 32 Haywards Hth . 8 7 0 1 209 84 28 Folkestone ...... 8 5 0 3 257 176 26 Lewes............. 8 5 0 3 233 205 26 Eastbourne ..... 8 3 0 5 167 191 17 G’ham Anch .... 8 3 0 5 189 214 17 Sheppey ......... 8 3 0 5 198 247 17 Park House ..... 8 2 0 6 145 224 12 O Dunstonian .. 8 4 0 4 208 267 6 Ashford ........... 8 2 0 6 140 244 2 Aylesfrd Bulls .. 8 0 0 8 111 277 2 Results: Ashford 24 Pulborough 25, Folkestone 48 Aylesford Bulls 12, Lewes 50 Sheppey 28, Old Dunstonians 30 Eastbourne 29, Park House 7 Haywards Heath 38, Thanet Wanderers 30 Gillingham Anchorians 12. Hastings ......... 8 8 0 0 259 48 38 Old W’sonians . 8 6 0 2 232 123 30 Cranbrook ....... 8 5 1 2 227 158 29 HSBC .............. 8 4 1 3 190 204 24 Beccehamian .. 8 4 0 4 137 161 19 Vigo ................ 8 3 0 5 160 179 19 Kings Hospital . 8 3 0 5 131 153 16 Sittingbourne .. 8 3 0 5 132 184 16 New Ash Grn... 8 3 0 5 157 174 15 Southwark ...... 8 3 0 5 138 239 14 Brockleians ..... 8 3 0 5 90 204 13 Snowdown...... 8 2 0 6 123 149 6 Results: Brockleians 20 Old Williamsonians 17, King’s College Hospital 10 Hastings & Bexhill 22, New Ash Green 10 Southwark Lancers 29, Sittingbourne 22 Cranbrook 24, Snowdown CW 10 Beccehamian 13, Vigo 25 HSBC 31. ball and scoring through winger MacDonald.
Maidstone tried to steady themselves but then an inside pass missed its target and allowed Cobham to Cranbrook won 24-22 at Sittingbourne in Kent 1 last Saturday. The sides were separated by two divisions last season but this was a close game, with Bourne on top in the scrum and Cranes dominant in the line-out. break from their own 22, centre Goddard finishing the move and leaving a simple conversion for fly-half Weir.
Goddard showed his silky running skills again five minutes later when he took the ball in his own half and eased past the defence for another converted try.
A rejig of the backline added more steel to the defence and as the half wore on, more of the play was in Cobham territory.
The game was still winnable but Maidstone’s strength in the tight was offset by a malfunctioning line-out and handling mistakes.
Maidstone just couldn’t find the right combination to pierce the Cobham shield and with the match moving into injury time, a kick was charged down and the hosts broke clear to score another breakaway try, MacDonald with the touchdown.
Maidstone host Blackheath in the Kent Cup on Sunday (2pm). Maidstone: B Williams, Pankhurst, Simpson, A Knight, Massey, B Knight, Lamb, Iles, Moore, Trudgen, Perica, Webb, Cooke, Clarke, Newton. Replacements: Stimpson, O’Connell, C Williams.