Late try burst decisive
GOSPORT MAIDSTONE
Maidstone put bottom side Gosport to bed with five tries in 20 minutes during the second half.
There were five changes to the team who beat Brighton, including four in the pack and that explained the slow start to Saturday’s London 1 South clash.
It was clear for much of the game that Maidstone played below their potential but they still left with a bonus-point win.
A radical reshuffle of the pack at the start of the second half was key to the improvement, while the late introduction of Felipe Perica in the back row made a big difference, the new man showing pace and power and scoring a try.
Gosport missed two early penalties before Maidstone had Ross Cooke yellow-carded for a high tackle.
They got the scoreboard moving on Cooke’s return with two Euan Caborn penalties for a 6- 0 lead at half-time, the second while Gosport were a man down.
Gosport received their second yellow card in the second half – and it might have been red – after a high tackle on Brendan Trudgen.
Maidstone’s reshuffled pack began to find an extra gear, stretching the home defence and making the breakthrough when quick ball led to Caborn taking the scoring pass on the left.
Nathan Simpson scored the second after Ben Williams’ tap penalty, then No.8 Perica picked up at the base of a scrum to stretch the lead to 21 points.
Two more tries followed in added time. Simpson scored the first – and his second of the game – after Maidstone stole line-out ball.
Then, a move from their own half went through mu l t i p l e hands before mano f - t he - ma t c h Ben Knight took the final pass, Caborn adding an easy conversion.
Maidstone, in ninth, visit 12th-placed Dover in their final game of the year tomorrow (Saturday). Maidstone: B Williams, Pankhurst, O’Connell, A Knight, Chandler, C Williams, B Knight, Iles, Morosan, Trudgen, Clarke, Webb, Cooke, Moore, Caborn. Replacements: Perica, Simpson, Pearson.