Victory tonic denied late on
MAIDSTONE COBHAM
Maidstone went agonisingly close to a morale-boosting win in their London 1 South relegation fight – losing to Cobham by a point.
It was a game they should have won and a last-gasp catch-and-drive gave them a chance but the visitors withstood everything they could throw at them.
The Maidstone forwards couldn’t make the decisive break near the line and the decision to move the ball in worsening conditions resulted in a spilt pass.
The pitch was heavy after all the rain and as drizzle turned into a steady downpour, Saturday’s game was dictated by the ability to hold on to the ball.
Mistakes became increasingly common and, in the end, the Cobham three-quarters were too much of a handful.
A penalty to touch was the springboard for Cobham to release their three-quarters and a break in the centre set up a try for left-wing Fletcher.
Maidstone hit back within five minutes when Sam Pearson fielded a loose kick and combined with Rory Beech, who put man-of-thematch Lewis Stimpson away from 20 metres.
Beech’s conversion gave Maidstone a 7-5 lead and a second converted try followed five minutes later, Matt Moore intercepting on halfway and outpacing the defence. Maidstone were looking to get to half-time with the nine-point lead intact but the quality of Cobham’s backline shone through as Fletcher scored their second try.
The hosts defended strongly at the start of the second half but a penalty set up a lineout with Rodman finishing the catch-and-drive to give Cobham a 15-14 lead.
Maidstone went back in front with their third try after turning over possession from a Cobham line-out.
Stimpson made a break to the halfway line and with the ball recycled by the chasing pack, it was moved swiftly left with Ed Oram setting up Pearson for a 19-15 lead.
There were five minutes left when Brown touched down in the corner to restore Cobham’s edge.
They had hooker Murphy sent to the sin-bin for a tip-tackle but the hosts couldn’t make the man-advantage pay.
Maidstone can move off the foot of London 1 South with a win at secondbottom Gravesend on Saturday. Maidstone: Gibbons, Beck, Guero, A Knight, Massey, Bramwell, Stimpson, Waterworth, Morosan, Beech, Antoniou, Oram, Webb, Moore, Pearson. Replacements: Goode, Lane, Perry.