Drama as Millar holds his nerve
Debutant Harry Millar salvaged a draw for Maidstone with the last kick of the match.
The County Town club were heading for defeat after blowing a 13-3 lead in their London 1 South opener at Charlton Park last Saturday.
Four minutes of injury time were up when summer signing Millar slotted the penalty that squared the match and got Maidstone off the mark in their new league.
The visitors were muchchanged from the side who won the Intermediate Cup final at Twickenham in May.
They showed flashes of their potential with ball in hand but generally it was a match that lacked fluency.
Charlton Park, who beat Maidstone when the sides last Results: London 1 South: Brighton 15 Medway 22, Charlton Park 16 Maidstone 16, Chiswick 10 Sidcup 33, Chobham 55 Gosport & Fareham 24, Guildford 25 Tottonians 6, Havant 32 Dover 7, Twickenham 31 Sutton & Epsom 33. Women’s Premiership: Aylesford Bulls 5 Saracens 69, Bristol 24 Worcester 5, Darlington Mowden Park 20 Lichfield 31, Wasps 0 Richmond 34. Fixtures: London 1 South: Dover v Chobham, Gosport & Fareham v Guildford, Maidstone v Chiswick, Medway v Havant, Sutton & Epsom v Sidcup, Tottonians v Charlton Park, Twickenham v Brighton. Women’s Premiership: Aylesford Bulls v Wasps ( Saturday), Lichfield v Bristol, Richmond v Darlington Mowden Park, Saracens v Worcester. met in a promotion play-off a year ago, made the better start and took the lead with a penalty from just outside the 22.
Maidstone’s response was instant as Ben Pitkin kicked them level.
An attack down the right by Jonno Skelton led to the Stones’ only try.
A poor clearance was fielded by Pitkin, allowing Rory Beech to feed man-of-the-match Richie Bowen who outpaced the defence for a debut try. Millar added the extras, followed by a penalty as Maidstone led 13-3.
At a point when the visitors should have been able to play with more fluency, indiscipline cost them, with Joel Byford and then Jake Johnson sin-binned.
Park reduced the deficit with the last kick of the half and wasted a good chance for a try after the break having created a two-man overlap.
They did, though, close the gap to four points with another penalty.
Maidstone were then punished for missing a simple kick when Charlton Park went 16-13 up through a penalty try.
The hosts just needed to keep the ball to see out the game but Maidstone managed to regain possession and Park cracked and conceded the vital penalty. Maidstone: Williams, Doughty, Byford, Chandler, Knight, Johnson, Bowen, Cowan, Morosan, Millar, Webb, Skelton, Waring, Beech. Replacements: Debnam, O’Connell, Kannemeyer.