Home finale ends in loss

There was no winning sendoff for Tonbridge Juddians after a 43-36 National

League 2 East defeat to Barnes in their final home game of the league season, writes Adam Hookway.

A large crowd were treated to a fast start, Will Holling driven over from a lineout and then Luke Talbot finishing off a slick backs move to put TJs 12-0 up - Tom White adding the conversion.

Barnes managed to hit back immediately, but on 24 minutes Tommy Nicoll cut a line and as the ball was spun back, and then left, Ryan Munnely and Will Colderick were lurking on the wing and the latter dived over.

However third-placed Barnes were not going away and two tries and a conversion put the Londoners 19-17 to the good. They extended their lead to nine points on 48 minutes, Barnes’ left-winger scoring the first of his three secondhalf tries.

Tonbridge hit back and Duncan Tout shrugged off his would-be tacklers with White’s conversion cutting the gap to just two points. A Barnes penalty extended their lead again, though, and their left-winger’s second try kept the Judds in arrears entering the final quarter. Shadyn Osgood added to the Tonbridge try count and White’s extras made it 36-31 with 14 minutes still to go and on 70 minutes Holling was over again for his second try. But the visitors clinched victory through their leftwinger’s third second-half score.

Defeat drops Tonbridge to fifth ahead of the final round of matches with TJs away to Westcombe Park on April 27.

Maidstone were well beaten 54-19 at Old Whitgiftian in the First Round of the Papa

Johns Community Cup Counties 2 South Shield competition on Saturday. Cranbrook's inaugural entry into the Counties 1 competition saw them lose 49-17 at home to Kent rivals Thanet Wanderers.

Anthony Andrews, Tom Humphries and replacement Guy Crouchman dotted down while Finn Gibson put in a man-of-the-match performance for what was a depleted Cranbrook team.

Second-rower Rosie Galligan helped England to a 460 Women’s Six Nations win over Scotland at Edinburgh's Hive Stadium on Saturday. West Malling's Galligan started as the Red Roses ran in eight tries, despite hooker Amy Cokayne seeing red. England, now with three victories out of three, will take on Ireland at Twickenham this Saturday.