Plate win gives Bulls a lift
AYLESFORD DOVER
Aylesford enjoyed a moraleboosting 41- 0 victory against Dover in the Kent Plate quarterfinals on Saturday.
Pete Webdale was among the scorers on his 250th Bulls appearance, gathering the ball on halfway and charging to the line.
Sean Marriott, Tom Bonwick, Rory Sutton and Ben Turner also chipped in with tries, while Gareth Cresswell, stepping up from the 2nds, slotted a couple of conversions.
Coach Jay Jenkins said: “It was mainly Dover’s development side but they had a couple of 1s playing who were back from injury and suspension.
“We had a good side out and started well. They got back into it for five minutes but we kicked on again. It was nice to see the players with smiles on their faces.
“We enjoyed the day but now it’s back to the reality of survival in the league.”
Bulls, third-bottom in London 3 South East, host fifth-placed Lewes on Saturday. Jenkins’ side are two points from safety with three games to play and need a win.
He said: “It’ll be a tough one. We need to step up and we’re capable of doing it. If we get our performance right, the result will follow.
“I just think we’ve had a mental disconnection at key times in games this season.
“We’d have expected to have won a couple more games than we have, so we’ve ended up in this dogfight for survival.
“Three from six or seven can still go down, so there’s a lot of us in the same boat.”
Lewes won 39-18 when the sides met last November and have plenty of quality.
Jenkins said: “They’re a strong side, well coached, with an athletic and powerful back row and good ball players.
“They can play from one to 15 – they’re a complete unit.”