Rampant Bulls back on form
Aylesford Bulls got back on track on Saturday with an emphatic 54-7 victory over Park House.
Last week’s frustrating loss to Pulborough seemed like a distant memory in the first half as the home side crossed four times to secure a bonus point within half an hour.
Aylesford’s game plan clicked into place and they produced some of the most clinical rugby that has been played at the Jack Williams Ground for several seasons to go into the break 33-0 up.
Dion Comerford, returning to fly-half for the first time this season, scored two and winger Jason Clarke opened his firstteam account. Flanker James Batstone crossed from a silky lineout move and full-back Chester Clough also bagged a try. Another disappointingly high penalty count and some tough refereeing decisions restricted Bulls to 21 points in the second half, with Park pulling seven back.
There were tries from flanker Sam Baker, winger Ollie Finn, who got on the end of a sublime offload by Batstone, and a hattrick score from Comerford. Scrum-half and captain Ben Ridout saw yellow for his blasphemous reaction to being denied a score of his own – touching down but being judged to have crossed the dead-ball line. Clough kicked seven of eight conversions.
The five-point win puts Bulls second behind Ashford in London 3 South East with four games played.
Head coach Jay Jenkins said: “I was very pleased with the performance and particularly the first half.
“Credit to Park House who kept playing and made some changes at half-time and asked a few questions of our defence which held strong.
“Refereeing decisions awarded them a try and prevented a brilliant breakaway of our own but ultimately there is no TMO at this level.
“We have four training sessions now going into what will be a tough test against Vigo. I am very pleased we are seeing significant improvements every week.” Bulls have a break next week before visiting eighth-placed Vigo on Saturday, October 19.
There was nothing between Aylesford 2nds and Medway, with the game finishing 7-7 and the only try coming from returning lock David Tenters.
There were 100 points scored in Aylesford’s 3rd XV game. A Bulls side crammed with promising young talent bagged the lion’s share, running out 74-26 winners against Canterbury. Tonbridge are five points clear in National 2 South after beating Taunton 68-31 in Saturday’s top-of-thetable clash.
This was a battle of the last remaining unbeaten records in the division but TJs had never lost to the Titans and that remains the case. It would seem in a game where 99 points were scored that the tackling wasn’t up to scratch.
But nothing could be further from the truth, with the excellent defences of both sides undone by some relentless attacking play in an entertaining match which was a credit to both sides. TJs held a 33-10 advantage at half-time through tries from Murray GalbraithLowe (2), Matt Walsh, Duncan Tout and Jack Nay, plus four Will Robinson conversions. Galbraith-Lowe crashed through for his hat-trick try after the break and later scored a fourth.
Nay added his second, with full-back Toby
May and Hugo Watson taking Judds’ total to 10.
Robinson converted all five second-half tries for a TJs side who travel to Worthing this Saturday. Struggling Maidstone conceded 10 tries in a 62-12 home defeat at the hands of Hove on Saturday.
The county town club are the only side in London 2 South East without a point after four matches.
Hove had their four-try bonus point in the bag by half-time, leading 33-0 at the turnaround. Maidstone scored the first try of the second half and later added a second but the hosts were wellbeaten by their in-form opponents.
Prop Will Fox was Maidstone’s man-ofthe-match.