Early penalty sets the tone
SEVENOAKS MAIDSTONE
Maidstone lost to Sevenoaks for just the second time in more than a decade.
It’s been a good fixture for the Stones over the years but Oaks shook off the hoodoo with their record victory over the County Town club on Saturday.
The visitors, making several enforced changes from their opening-day win in London 1 South, trailed to a first-minute Barker penalty.
Euan Caborn missed a penalty at the other end and with Maidstone losing Pat Sykes to a harsh yellow card, a thwarted catch-and-drive from the resultant line-out led to a penalty try, kicked by Barker for a 10- 0 lead.
Desperate defending on the flanks kept Sevenoaks at bay until the half-hour, when a good break up the middle by scrumhalf Goodhew created a try for winger Short, Barker adding the conversion. Sevenoaks had a try disallowed for a forward pass just before half-time but, from the scrum, poor decisionmaking saw Maidstone turn the ball over and gift Short his second score. Barker’s conversion made it 24- 0.
Half-time changes saw Jamie Farris on for the injured Ben Brill and Lucian Morosan replace Ryan Copp on the wing.
Maidstone were on the scoreboard when Josh Pankhurst reacted quickest from a line-out and scored.
But they were soon back on defensive duties and while Sevenoaks lost Barker to injury, they made it 29-5 when Gumbleton went over.
Stones responded in the final quarter when, from a line-out on the left, Pankhurst combined with stand-in skipper Adam Knight for his second score.
But the visitors were again under pressure when Max Guero was sin-binned for an offence at the breakdown, with Derricks slipping off a maul to score another Sevenoaks try, Floyd adding the extras.
Rory Beech scored Maidstone’s third try after beating two defenders, Caborn with the conversion.
But Sevenoaks completed the scoring with the try of the day, with play moved left to winger Short who broke a tackle and committed the last defender before slipping the ball to Goodhew. Floyd converted.
Maidstone host Tottonians at The Mote on Saturday (3pm). Maidstone: Guero, Pankhurst, Mount, A Knight, Iles, B Knight, Lamb, Brill, Leech, Beech, Moore, Sykes, Perry, Copp, Caborn. Replacements: Baker, Farris, Morosan.