Medway Rugby Football Club

Kent Festival

The Under 11s age group all travelled to Deal on Sunday for the group stage and quarter finals of the Kent festival on 9th March. It started out as a very wet morning but improved as the day went on.

Medway’s first game was against Beckenham and was scheduled to take place at 10.20 but due to the non arrival of another team it was moved forward to 10.00 before all the squad had arrived. Medway put up a strong defence and although Beckenham seemed to be dominating they were unable to break through until the end of the first half when they managed to score. The last members of the Medway squad had arrived by this time and in the second half things were much more even with Medway attacking more and coming close to scoring but never quite making it. Final score 1 try to nil.

The second group game was between Medway and Old Elthamians. Medway were much more dominant in this game constantly pressurising a god Elthamians’ defence. Having been held up on the line Medway were awarded a 5 metre scrum which they duly won. The ball was passed along the line and Daniel Kunrunmi looped into the line and dived for the line. Things turned slightly comical for a moment when the referee asked the players why they had stopped and it had to be pointed out to him that the line on the ground was the try line and Kunrunmi kept showing him the ball placed on the ground behind it. Whilst Medway continued to dominate the game they were not able to score again. Old Elthamians made a couple of breaks but a good defence pushed them back each time. Final score 1-0 to Medway.

Medway’s last group game was against Cranbrook who in the past have been one of the best teams in the county with an excellent passing game. In this game however they seemed to rely on a much more physical approach and were targeting Medway’s most agile players. One Medway player was substituted after the Cranbrook coach complained to the referee that he retaliated to a kick with a punch. The Cranbrook player who kicked him stayed on the field. Medway clearly dominated the contact areas of the game and a number of times drove mauls close to the opposition goal line but could never finish off and score. After what seemed a long and bad tempered game it eventually ended with no score to either team.

Other group results:
Cranbrook 1 Old Elthamians 0
Beckenham 4 Cranbrook 1
Beckenham 2 Old Elthamians 0

Beckenham therefore finished 1st in the group and Old Elthamians last. Medway and Cranbrook were tied on points with a win and a draw each but because placings are then decided first on total tries scored by each team rather than score difference Cranbrook were placed 2nd and Medway 3rd.

Medway therefore went into the quarter final for the Bowl competition which was played nearly 3 ½ hours after their last group game. Their opponents were Dover. Once again Medway dominated and pushed Dover back deep into their half. Near the end of the first half Dover were pinned back on their own try line but in possession of the ball and were desperately trying to move it up the field when Daniel Kunrunmi managed to rip it from a players hands and drop to the ground with the ball under him but over the line to put Medway in the lead. In the second half Medway continued as before and made use of a number of practised moves. Winger Matthew Gladwell made a fine run at one point and seemed to have scored but the unsighted referee adjudged the ball to have been held up when he arrived. The ensuing 5 metre scrum was followed by a ruck 3m from the line and once more Daniel Kunrunmi received the ball and charged over the line to make the final score 2-0 to Medway and book them a place in the semi finals next week.

Medway v Canterbury and Westcliff

Mixed fortunes for the Medway under 11s at Canterbury this week. The first game was against the other visitors from Westcliff RFC who had travelled from Southend to be there. In the first half things were going Medway’s way with the forwards dominating. The only score came when Thomas Josling picked the ball up at the back of a strong ruck drove through the Westcliff backs and ran 15 metres to score. Early in the second half Medway got a scrum deep in their territory. The ball was won but a slightly floating pass was cleanly intercepted by Westcliff and the scores levelled. For the rest of the game medway kept the ball in the Westcliff half. Towards the end winger Matthew Gladwell received a pass only to be immediately tackled. He stayed on his feet and the medway forwards drove him to the try line but the referee judged that the ball was held up and did not award the try. Final score 5-5.

Medway’s next game was against Canterbury B, with medway using mainly B team players with some A team players to make up the numbers. The first 5 minutes were fairly even with no scoring opportunities for either team. Then however Medway started to apply real defensive pressure and despite Canterbury retaining possession they were driven back half the length of the pitch. A handling error then gave medway possession and fly half Jack Cowdrey was driven over the line for the only score of the game. 5-0 to Medway.

Medway had a rest while Canterbury A played and beat Westcliff before the final game between medway and Canterbury A. In the first half the Canterbury attack put a lot of pressure on the Medway defence which finally told towards the end of the half with one try. Early in the second half there was some good passing from medway with Daniel Kunrunmi performing a well executed loop manoeuvre putting himself in the clear to run half the pitch to level the scores. Medway continued to perform well being very strong in the contact areas but with still some hesitancy going into rucks. Unfortunately this allowed Canterbury to again break through and retake the lead. Final score 10-5 to Canterbury.

Medway v Tunbridge Wells and Sidcup

Two tough games for Medway under 11s following a joint training session with Tunbridge Wells and Sidcup. The first game was against Sidcup who have always been very good at running and passing. Things seemed quite even between the sides with Medway tending to dominate in contact areas although they did lose the first scrum but made up for it later. The first score came after Tyler Oranu-Mills made a break but was ruled to have gone into touch about 5 metres from the line. Medway pressured the Sidcup Lineout causing a dropped ball which was picked up and passed to Declan Mills who went over the line to score his first ever try. Unfortunately Charlie Medhurst’s conversion attempt went just under the bar. Sidcup then used their passing skills to move the ball out wide taking advantage of a Medway defence that had clustered towards the centre to level the scores. In the second half medway were camped out in Sidcup’s territory when Sidcup put in a long kick downfield. Full-back Jack Wells got back to it first but was quickly tackled and unfortunately lacked any support in the form of a ruck as none of the forwards had made it back that far, the ball was lost and Sidcup again moved it to the wing and scored again. This time their conversion attempt succeeded to make the final score 12-5 to Sidcup.

Medway’s second game was against hosts Tunbridge Wells. In the first half Tunbridge Wells seemed to dominate with Medway seeming slightly disorganised. The only score followed a Medway line out where the ball was lost and Wells drove through and over the line. In the second half Medway had better control and kept the ball in the host’s territory but had difficulty getting it over the line due to a very strong defence. The closest they came to scoring was with an excellent driving maul from a line out; the ball was passed out to Charlie Medhurst, he switched to Tom Josling who was unfortunately held up on the line. Final score 7-0 to Tunbridge Wells.

Medway v Thurrock and Braintree

3 February 2008

A trip north of the border this week to distant Thurrock gave the mums an excuse to go shopping, and the team games against Thurrock RFC and Braintree RFC. The pitch was impressive, just the right size for this age group level and with posts at each end, unfortunately completely unsheltered from the wind.

The first game for Medway was against Thurrock and Medway took command early on. The first break of the game came from Tom Josling who was tackled at the line but his try was disallowed as a double movement (i.e. he had grounded the ball short of the line then placed it over). However Medway were awarded a penalty shortly after and a move that had been practised that morning sent fly half Charlie Medhurst over the line to make it 5-0. Unfortunately the Referee forgot to give the opportunity for a conversion and decided after he was reminded not to allow them at all in this game. The game continued with Medway dominating in almost all aspects. Some good passing and running brought Declan Mills close to scoring but the ball was held up on the line. Medway were awarded scrum 7 metres out and hooker Timothy Bourne did his job in getting the ball back for scrum half Archie Keep who passed to Alexander Sokolow who went over the line to make it 10-0.

In the second half Medway continued in the same vein but picked up the pace a bit. Another well executed penalty move in mid field allowed Tom Josling to break through the defence and make about 25 metres before he was tackled. Archie Keep picked up the ball and went the final few steps over the line to make it 15-0. Thurrock managed to get possession of the ball shortly after but Medway’s defence kept them pinned back in their own half and eventually caused them to drop the ball. Tyler Oranu-Mills pounced and charged through to make it 20-0. Thurrock then started to get things together taking advantage of a Medway team that had started to relax slightly and managed to take their attack deep into the Medway half and came close to scoring but were held up on the try line. This time it was Thurrock who put in to the scrum but Medway drove them back and Timothy Bourne again hooked the ball back. It was then passed out wide to Matthew Gladwell who shrugged off one tackler and took off down the wing for the full length of the pitch with only the referee keeping up to bring the score to 25-0. On the restart Archie Keep caught the ball cleanly went a few yards forward and off loaded to Tom Josling who, having come close to scoring twice, was determined to get this one and dodged and weaved his way through to make the final score 30-0 to Medway.

Medway then faced a stronger Braintree side and this time conversions were allowed. Medway were possibly over confident following their first game but soon found themselves on the receiving end of a lot of attacking pressure. In the scrums the Medway pack were up against greater pushing ability and were driven back regularly although after a couple they managed to win the ball despite going backwards. The Medway defence held firm for most of the half but eventually a long period of attacking pressure told and Braintree scored. This was followed by a successful conversion to make it 7-0.

Both teams made a number of changes at half time with Medway bringing prop Guillaume Dumont-Vandewinkel on to add strength to the pack which soon showed its worth holding their own in the scrum and driving forward. Early in the second half the Medway forwards won the ball form a Braintree line out and Tom Josling again weaved his way through a number of players to score. Fly half Charlie Medhurst scored the conversion to level the scores. Then Jack Wells one of the smaller players on the team made an excellent run down the right wing through 4 tacklers before the 5th managed to bring him down yards from the try line. Guillaume Dumont-Vandewinkel collected the ball from the ruck and went over the line to score. Charlie Medhurst again converted to make it 14-7 to Medway. Augustine Carnell caught the restart and took the ball through three defenders before passing to Tom Josling who once again made short work of the remaining defenders to score. Kicking duties were now being shared around and Tom Cowdrey converted this one to make it 21-7. Medway continued to keep up the attack and won 2 scrums in quick succession. From the second Archie Keep pushed through the defensive line and off loaded to Tom Josling who went over the line to complete his hat trick. Jack Cowdrey converted. Another period of attacking play followed culminating in Euan Simpson appearing to dive over 2 players to bring the score to 33-7. Unfortunately Alex Sokolow’s conversion attempt went just below the bar. On the restart medway failed to catch the ball cleanly which finally allowed Braintree an attacking opportunity in Medway territory. They managed to earn a penalty close to the try line and took a quick tap and drove through and over the line. The conversion brought the final score to 33-14 and a second good win for Medway.

Man of the Match Jack Wells for amongst other things his excellent run, focus and team spirit.

Medway at Sevenoaks

27 January 2008

A visit to Sevenoaks this week for the Medway Mini rugby teams. Which put the under 11’s up against last season’s Kent champions. The plan agreed between the coaches at the start of the day was to have about 3 games as Sevenoaks had enough players for 3 full squads. The intention was to put out the strongest team for the final game against the A squad with mixed ability teams playing the first 2 games.

In the first game Medway started off a bit untidily with some reluctance to move into the ruck and contest possession but this improved steadily throughout the first half with Sevenoaks having to fight more and more for the ball. By the time of the second half Medway were monopolising possession with the only score coming from Tom Josling steamrollering his way through a disrupted Sevenoaks defence following a good Medway ruck. Final score 5-0 to Medway.

Medway then swapped a number of players to face the Sevenoaks B squad. At first Medway seemed to be doing as well as the first game but then Sevenoaks got a line out in their half. They won the ball cleanly and it was passed out to their outside centre who took off down the pitch like a greyhound Catching Medway completely unawares with this unexpected turn of speed and opening the scoring 5-0. A short while later he made another run down the left side of the pitch outpacing most of the Medway team, however Matthew Gladwell was ready for him this time and came racing in across the pitch to make a superb tackle. In the second half Medway started badly and conceded 3 tries in about as many minutes but they then got their defence reorganised and held firm for the rest of the half despite a lot of pressure from the Sevenoaks attack. Final score 20-0 to Sevenoaks.

Medway were then prepared to put out their strongest side against the Sevenoaks A squad only to be told that they had in fact gone home.

Medway v Old Elthamians and Maidstone

Yet another away fixture for the medway RFC Mini’s section again back into South East London, this time to Old Elthamians Rugby club. Medway under 11s fielded one team with 5 substitutes, the hosts fielded two teams and the other visitors Maidstone had one. 2 pitches were available so that all four teams were playing at the same time reducing any standing around.

First up for Medway was the Old Elthamians A team and this was a very even game. Medway seemed a bit disorganised in the first half particularly at any break downs with rucks not working well. Hooker Timothy Bourne came off early in the first half having received a bang on the head when rucking with no support. Fortunately Medway’s defence held strong and some good tackling kept a determined Eltham attack out so that it was scoreless at half time. After a quick chat from the coach things started to come together a bit better in the second half with Medway winning more possession and finally prop Tom Josling managed to break through the last couple of defenders to open the scoring. Matthew Gladwell also looked like scoring with a run up the left wing but just as he looked to be in the clear a fast Elthamians player came in with a superb tackle taking him straight off the side of the pitch. Finally with the last play of the game Old Elthamians managed to put a few good passes together and create a gap in the Medway defence that they ten exploited to level the scores at 5-5.

Medway then faced Old Elthamians B having had another pep talk concerning rucks and it showed. This game saw Medway tackling very well particularly Charlie Faux who was later named Medway’s Player of the Week for his tackling. Medway were then contesting for the ball well after each tackle usually with Timothy Bourne, who had recovered in time for this game, driving in low into his opponents followed by 2 or more of his fellow forwards binding on behind him. A little bit more work needs to be done on their footwork in order to ensure the ball goes back to the scrum half rather than being taken forward with the ruck. Tom Josling again opened the scoring with a fine try in similar fashion to his earlier one. This was soon followed by scrum half Archie Keep when the Medway pack won a scrum from an Elthamians put in. Keep collected the ball and darted round the blind side ran towards the corner dived and went head over heels in what appeared to be a fine display of “showboating” but grounded the ball as he did so making it 10-0. He was advised by the ref to “do it properly next time”. The second half continued as the first had left off, some good passing brought the ball out wide to Matthew Gladwell in space and he used it to sprint ¾ of the pitch to make it 15-0. On the re-start Old Elthamians over-kicked and Medway (knowing the ability of their pack) opted for a scrum on the half way line. The ball was again passed out to Matthew Gladwell who this time ran through the defence to make it 20-0. Following a better re-start there was a scrum in front of the Medway try line. Medway won the ball but the scrum half’s pass was a little low on pace and a very good interception was made by the Old Elthamians fly half. Despite some very fast reactions from Medway to tackle him he was already at the line and grounded the ball to earn his team a consolation try and end the game 20-5.

Finally for Medway it was their most regular opponents Maidstone, these two teams having met up a number of times last season when other fixtures were cancelled. This game was more even than previous encounters with a better Maidstone defence however Medway continued to have the bulk of possession winning most rucks and mauls. I the first half the only try came from Matthew Gladwell with his third of the day following a good pass from Alexander Sokolow. In the second half the game continued in the same vein again with one try this time from prop Guillaume Dumont-Vandewinkel who drove through a number of defenders to make it 10-0 and allowing Medway to finish the day undefeated

Medway v Sheppey and Gravesend

13 January 2008

It was a very windy Sunday at The Ditch, Sheppey RFC’s ground, with teams coming from Medway and Gravesend. Medway had 19 players fit to play and so fielded one team but used 7 subs in each game. Sheppey and Gravesend also fielded one team each. Due to the high winds it was decided not to attempt conversions which are still optional at this age group. The first game played was Sheppey Gravesend which the visitors won by a couple of tries.

Gravesend were then given a short rest and then played Medway. The first half started with Gravesend dominating slightly and Medway being kept back in their half of a very muddy pitch. The Medway defence held firm for some minutes but eventually good handling skills enabled Gravesend to exploit a gap and they broke through to take a five point lead. Medway made a strong attacking restart but Gravesend came close to scoring again when one of their players made it half the length of the pitch only to be tackled into the corner flag by a good Medway defence.

In the second half it was Medway’s kick off and they continued to apply the pressure until eventually Tom Josling was able to power over the line to level the scores. Following the restart Medway were again struggling to get back out of their half until the ball came out to winger Matthew Gladwell who despite the very sticky surface used his pace to outrun every member of the Gravesend team to dive into the left corner and make the score 10-5. The Medway team held firm in defence for the last couple of minutes to come away with a very satisfying second win over Gravesend this season.

After a very short break Medway then faced hosts Sheppey. Sheppey had the kick off but Medway caught the ball and took the play straight back at them. There then followed a lot of slow ball in the middle of the pitch with Medway certainly needing to work on their rucking. However following a Maul in the Medway half the ball came out to Jack Wells one of the newest players on the team. He had a number of big Sheppey players bearing down on him but held his nerve and passed the ball out to Matthew Gladwell as he was tackled who once more set off down the pitch at the speed that earned him the nickname “Rocket” to score his second try of the day. Medway then started to apply more pressure to the Sheppey team and kept them pinned in front of their own line for some minutes when finally Tyler Oranu-Mills managed to dart into the corner to make the score 10-0.

In the second half Sheppey were clearly desperate to score and things started to get a bit heated with high tackles and raised elbows. The referee had to tell both teams to calm down as Medway were starting to respond. Sheppey were unlucky to have a try disallowed when their player was judged to have gone over the dead ball line before he grounded the ball. This was the result of some very intelligent Medway defence using his own momentum to keep him moving in that direction rather than try and push him back the other way. Medway used the resulting 15 metre drop out to get back to the other end of the field where Tom Josling managed to power his way through at least 3 Sheppey players to make the score 15-0. Where it stayed to give medway a second well deserved victory.

New Year Cup

6 January 2008

Back from their Christmas break the Medway mini rugby teams travelled to Beckenham RFC for the annual New Year’s Cup between those two clubs and Blackheath. Beckenham had sufficient numbers to field two teams whereas both Medway and Blackheath were able to field a full 12 man A team but only had 9 players each for their B teams. Because only the A team results counted for the cup it was decided that they would face each other on one pitch while the B teams played on the other pitch with Medway and Blackheath borrowing players from whichever club was not playing.

First match on each pitch was Beckenham against Blackheath and Beckenham managed to win both matches although the margin in the B team game was narrower. Medway players Euan Simpson, Liam Jessop and Tom Cowdrey played for Blackheath B in their game.

On the A team Pitch Medway then faced Blackheath a team they had never beaten before. This did not deter the players and they started to put pressure on the Blackheath defence from the start. The Blackheath pack appeared to be slightly heavier and stronger than Medway’s, however with Tom Josling (Capt.), Timothy Bourne and Guillaume Dumont-Vandewinkel making up the front row Medway won all of their own scrums and a few of their opponents. The first score was five minutes into the game when Josling looked like scoring but dropped the ball. Blackheath had the put in at the resulting scrum and on this occasion won the ball however the Medway players moved straight up on them to keep them pinned back by their try line. The ball was dropped due to some good tackling and Medway scrum half Archie keep scooped it up and dived over the line to score helped by a shove from behind by his forwards. Just before the end of the first half Daniel Kunrunmi made a break for the right hand corner and made the score 2-0 for Medway. In the second half Blackheath came close to scoring but Josling stole the ball from one of their players on the try line, took three steps forward and passed to winger Matthew Gladwell who set off at pace dodging and sidestepping through the Blackheath defence making it the full length and width of the pitch to the far corner where he was finally tackled and the ball knocked from his hands as he went over the line preventing him getting what would have been a glorious try. The game ended with the score still 2-0 with this Medway team celebrating their first ever win over Blackheath.

Meanwhile the Medway B team with 3 Blackheath players were playing Beckenham B. Captain Euan Simpson was playing scrum half and was working very hard in this game keeping his team organised and making a lot of the plays. Despite some very intense competition from both sides the game ended with 0-0 but with Simpson having to be helped from the pitch with an injured knee ruling him out of the next game.

Medway A then took on hosts Beckenham A and found themselves against a better team than in their first game. The difference between the two teams was very slim but Beckenham were slightly more disciplined than Medway with better handling skills and a greater ability to take advantage of opposition errors. Medway found themselves on the back foot more and by the end of the first half were 1-0 down. Prop Guillaume Dumont-Vandewinkel was injured in the first half and Alexander Sokolow as the next biggest player on the team took his place with Jack Wells being drafted in from the B team to play at full back. Unfortunately for Medway things continued as they had begun and the game ended 3-0 to Beckenham with the last try coming in the final play of the game.

Medway B having lost Simpson and Wells had to borrow 5 players from Beckenham to face Blackheath who had borrowed 3. Danny Brownett was captain for this match and played well and particular mention should be given to Liam Jessop who worked hard throughout the match and seemed to be all over the pitch and Charlie Faux for some excellent tackling. Unfortunately the better organisation of the Blackheath team told and the game ended 3-0 to them.

Medway U11s at Beccehamians

This week the Medway Rugby Club minis section travelled to West Wickham for some matches against Beccehamian Rugby Club. In the under 11s Beccs had enough players to make up two teams while Medway had enough for one team with 2 substitutes due to a number of players missing through illness and other reasons.

In the first game Medway started with their normal front row of Tom Josling, Timothy Bourne and Guillaume Dumont-Vandewinkel and a second row of Alex Davies and Declan Mills who was only playing his second match for the team and his first time in the pack. Early in the first half the Medway pack found themselves under pressure in the scrum losing the first two even on their put in but scrum half Euan Simpson proved to be very quick at tackling his opposite number as he tried to get the ball away keeping him under pressure. The pack soon got the measure of their opponents and were back to their usual ways of winning the majority of the scrums in the match. Despite a lot of pressure from Medway the Beccs defence held firm and Medway could not get through to score with play often ending in a maul that was little more than a group all wrestling for the ball. The ball was rarely played wide and wings Cameron Houghton and Liam Jessop, replaced by Charlie Faux and Jack Wells in the second half, did not see enough of the ball to give them a chance to cause Beccs trouble. The Medway defence was just as solid and when Beccs did get a chance to attack they also found they had no gaps to exploit. This first game ended 0-0.

For the second game Timothy Bourne and Alex Davies were both carrying injuries from the first and elected not to play unless someone was more seriously hurt. Liam Jessop stepped in as hooker for the first time and did very well, and Danny Brownett joined the second row of the scrum. Tom Cowdrey and Alex Sokolow made a good interchangeable pair at inside centre and full back both catching the ball cleanly and also kicking well although they need to remember to chase a kicked ball to put the rest of their team onside, a problem both teams had. In the first half of this game both teams came closer to scoring. Beccs first when one of their players made a good interception and got himself 5 metres clear however Charlie Faux and fly-half Jack Cowdrey both showed an impressive turn of speed and brought him down together about a metre from the try line. The Medway defence managed to quickly reorganise and prevent Beccs taking advantage of their position. Then Medway prop Tom Josling drove his way forward through a number of opponents to go over the line where a maul developed, when he finally managed to get to the ground the ball was held up by a Beccs player. The Referee (a Medway coach) then made his one mistake of the game awarding a kick to Beccs when in fact it should have been a 5 metre scrum to Medway. He apologised to the team at the end. This kick however was the last play of the first half with the score still 0-0.

The second half continued much the same as the first with both teams having a very solid defence and little scoring chances. About 5 minutes in Medway were awarded a line out in Beccs half. Medway won the ball cleanly and managed to play the ball down the line of backs to the winger in the first really good bit of passing play of either game. The ball was then passed back inside to Prop Guillaume Dumont-Vandewinkel who managed to dive over the line and ground the ball to give Medway the lead. Knowing there was not long left on the clock Beccs restarted quickly and attacked deep into Medway’s half. A maul developed about 10 metres from the try line with Beccs driving well. Suddenly their scrum half came off the blind side of the maul with the ball and made to dash for the line only to find himself knocked back nearly 2 metres by a brilliant tackle from his opposite number Euan Simpson who had been observing the maul closely. The Medway defence reformed behind the ensuing ruck and managed to keep Beccs at bay until the ball next went dead and the final whistle blew giving Medway a hard earned 5-0 win.

Medway v Thurrock and Vigo

18 November 2007

This week the Medway Rugby Club mini teams stayed home and entertained visitors from Thurrock and Vigo on a very cold and windy Sunday morning. Because of the strength of the wind it was decided not to attempt conversions today as kicking is still very new to this age group.

For the first game Medway played against Thurrock and dominated from the start despite playing uphill in the first half. Daniel Kunrunmi wasted very little time before picking up the ball from the back of a ruck and diving over the line for the first try. A few minutes later and Medway are again deep in opposition territory when a scrum was awarded to Thurrock. The Thurrock hooker was urging his pack to give a big push, but with the Medway pack consisting of front row Tom Josling, Timothy Bourne and Guillaume Dumont-Vandewinkel and a second row of Daniel Kunrunmi and Alex Davies there was little that Thurrock could do even on their own put in. They were pushed back a metre and a half and scrum half Archie keep collected the ball at the back and darted round the pack to dive over the line making it 10-0. Medway continued to dominate the game until the half time whistle but with no further score. In the second half Medway had made a number of changes to their team to give all players a game. Thurrock came out fighting and within a few seconds of the kick off had scored a very good try to make it 10-5. This seemed to only inspire Medway prop Tom Josling, who in the next 5 minutes managed to score a superb hatrick of tries to make the final score 25-5 to the hosts.

Thurrock then played Vigo who were one player short and borrowed Augustine Carnell from Medway. Despite his enthusiasm and the 100% commitment that he gave Vigo were unable to score and could not prevent Thurrock form scoring once in each half making the final score 10-0 to Thurrock.

Augustine Carnell stayed with Vigo for their match against Medway and seemed to relish the opportunity to play against his normal team mates and show his ability. His knowledge of the Medway game plan and set piece moves meant that he was often the first player from Vigo into any contact situation. However the rest of the Medway team were playing with equal enthusiasm and determination despite the cold. It was not long before Declan Mills making his debut for the team made a run down the centre to within 10 metres of the try line and passed when he was tackled straight to Daniel Kunrunmi who was running in support and was able to crash over the line to open the scoring. A short while later Archie keep also made a run down the field towards the right wing, he then offloaded to winger Matthew Gladwell who cut inside then changed direction and dived into the corner to make it 10-0. Tom Josling then made it 15-0 with the last play of the half. Vigo asked to borrow another player for the second half due to an injury and Liam Jessop agreed to play for them. The Medway forwards started the second half strongly and there was a long series of driving and rolling mauls pushing down the left hand side of the pitch with the ball coming out finally to Charlie Medhurst who scored. The forwards also dominated in the lineout with all of them seeming to have at least 6 inches height advantage over their opponents. Daniel kunrunmi caught the ball cleanly following a Vigo throw in and charged straight through the opposition to make the score 25-0. But it was left to Tom Josling, the top scorer on the day to put the finishing touches with one final try to give Medway a 30-0 win

I11s v Old Alleynians and Blackheath

Better weather than last week greeted the team that made it along the South Circular into Dulwich for this fixture today with Old Alleynians and Blackheath Rugby Clubs. There was a joint training session to start followed by a number of matches. 

Medway’s first match was against Old Alleynians B team and Medway were dominant from the start keeping OA’s pinned back in their own half. There was a period of good attacking play with the ball being passed down the line and then back again until an overlap was found and Euan Simpson wasted no time diving over the line to open the scoring. There were no posts near the pitches being used so there was no chance for a conversion. Euan was followed a short time later by Jack Cowdrey who scored a good try. Medway kept up the pressure with plenty of attacking moves and looked likely to score again but Augustine Carnell was forced into touch in the corner. Following the line out OA’s tried to ease the pressure kicking the ball down field however it was skilfully collected by Matthew Gladwell when it bounced a couple of metres in front of him and he ran straight into the right corner to make the score 15-0 at half time. A testament to the good ball handling that was employed in the first half was the complete lack of scrums however in the second half some errors started to creep in and OA’s were awarded a number of scrums. This however just gave the Medway forwards the chance to show what they can do with Timothy Bourne doing the job he loves best as hooker winning 2 out of 3 scrums on OA’s put in. From the first of these scrums Medway started to attack and Daniel Kunrunmi collected the ball in the middle of the pitch and charged through to score. Medway continued to keep up the pressure but OA’s defence started to hold firm and Medway were unable to score again so the final score was 20-0. 

Medway then moved over to a smaller pitch to play Old Alleynians A team. The first half was very bitty with the referee regularly stopping play however Medway were again applying the same attacking pressure they had used in the first game however they were not able to score until the end of the first half when a break was made and the ball was passed to Tom Josling who burst through 2 defenders to score. In the second half Medway started much quicker and it was only about a minute before Daniel Kunrunmi collected a loose ball and charged into the opposition back line he then came off the side of the subsequent mall and charged over the line to make it 10-0. On the restart Tom Josling caught the ball and charged through the opposition to within 10 metres of the line where he offloaded in the tackle to Matthew Gladwell who was running in support on his left and continued on those last few steps to score. Things then started to go a bit wrong for Medway and it seemed that at every ruck or maul they were getting penalised. Old Alleynians then found a move that worked for them and on any penalties in the Medway half they passed the ball straight to their biggest player who just barged his way through the Medway defence. Fortunately this only worked on 2 out of 3 attempts to make the final score 15-10 to Medway. 

Lastly Medway had to face Blackheath and had a much tougher time. They were kept back in their own half for the first 5 minutes putting up a good defence against a strong Blackheath attack. Some of the Medway forwards were showing plenty of enthusiasm and spirit in the rucks trying to win the ball for their team but were again incurring the disapproval of the same referee as the previous game. After 5 minutes Blackheath finally broke through the Medway defence on the restart Medway managed to get out of their own half but could not build up any rhythm in attack as the whistle kept blowing. This continued throughout the second half with Medway’s best attacking chance being stopped because a Blackheath player was lying hurt on the ground some way from where the play was taking place. Frustration was clearly getting to some of the team leading to even greater enthusiasm in rucks and mauls and resulting in more penalties being awarded to Blackheath which eventually led to them scoring a second try near the end of the game. The final score was 10-0 to Blackheath but it was good to hear the Medway players give a very loud three cheers to their opponents at the end.

U11s v Sittingbourne, Gravesend and Orpington

It was a wet and windy Sunday morning in Gravesend with a bunch of parents stood around getting cold. Who really wants to be out there on a Sunday morning in those conditions running round a rugby field? Well apparently 16 boys from Medway did want to and they played brilliantly winning all their matches against 3 different teams.

The first match of the day was between Medway and Sittingbourne. The work Medway had done in training the previous week on defensive play had clearly paid off with the Medway defence remaining solid throughout the game. The first try came some way into the first half from Daniel Kunrunmi charging into the right corner and managing to ground the ball just before his foot hit the corner flag. In the second half the Medway forwards dominated the play in both rucks and scrums keeping the ball well inside the Sittingbourne half. Eventually centre Tyler Oranu-Mills was able to break through to score the second and final try of the game. This was the first match the team had played that included conversions and unfortunately both Medway attempts passed just below the bar leaving the final score 10-0 to Medway.

Hosts Gravesend then played 2 matches in a row. First they beat Orpington 31-7 and then they beat Sittingbourne 12-0.

Medway then played Orpington and once again the Medway forwards dominated their opponents winning most scrums and rucking powerfully. Danny Brownett was the first to score following a set piece penalty move that the team had practised previously. This was Danny's first day playing following his return to the team having spent 2 years playing football and he showed the benefits of that time by neatly slotting over the conversion. Prop Guillaume Dumont-Vandewinkel then drove through the opposition shortly after to score a second try and Danny Brownett again scored the conversion. This was shortly followed by Matthew "Rocket" Gladwell showing his pace when he spotted a gap down the left wing to make it 19-0 going into the interval. In the second half the Medway defence remained solid and further tries came from Euan Simpson, following some very fancy footwork and dodging into the right corner, and Tom Josling using his pace and strength to good advantage. Unfortunately neither of the conversions were successful but the game ended 29-0 to Medway.

Medway then had to wait while Sittingbourne and Orpington played each other. The result was a Sittingbourne win but the actual score is unknown to this writer. Finally Medway were to face their hosts in the last match of the day. Due to matches having overrun it was now about 12:30 and a number of Medway players had to leave before the game leaving just 11 Medway boys for a 12 a side game. Gravesend still had a full team and substitutes. These two teams were clearly the most evenly matched of those present and this was the hardest fought game of the day with both teams giving it their all. The Medway forwards found themselves up against a pack that appeared on average to be bigger and stronger than themselves but they acquitted themselves well using superior skill to win all of their own scrums and some of Gravesend's. Both teams found themselves tested in defence and were regularly using kicks to touch to try and relieve the pressure. There was no score until a few minutes into the second half when Daniel Kunrunmi managed to make a break to the left side of the pitch and get through a gap to score. Danny Brownett returned to kicking duties to score the conversion. The Medway defence remained strong for the last few minutes to keep Gravesend out despite some concerted attacking pressure and the game ended 7-0 to Medway.

Upminster Festival, 14 October 2007

Upminster, the host side, again proved the nemesis of Medway’s Under-11 rugby team. Following a 10-0 defeat against this side in the semi-final of the Medway Festival last Sunday, this week the Rochester team lost by a single score in a keenly-contested opening fixture of the Upminster Festival. A single-score was also the margin of defeat against Colchester RFC who triumphed 10-5, with the try being claimed by full-back, Alexander Sokolow. Medway enjoyed much possession, but defensive naivety again proved the team’s Achilles Heel.

Freed from the expectation of success, Medway produced a 25-5 win against Bishops Stortford RFC, reserving its best rugby for this encounter. Daniel Kunrunmi broke the deadlock, supporting Tom Josling’s powerful charge, while a perfectly-executed “nine-ball” move let Jack Cowdrey in for a second. Matthew Gladwell added a final first-half score after a neatly-worked blindside move by half-backs Archie Keep and Charlie Medhurst. After the interval Tyler Oranu-Mills opened the scoring and Matthew Gladwell again showed his speed to outsprint the Hertfordshire team’s defence. On the other wing, Cameron Houghton made several good tackles and showed evidence of his rapid development.

Despite a 20-0 defeat against Chelmsford, the team finished third in the group, a creditable showing given that the boys were playing against some of the best teams in Essex and Hertfordshire. Certainly the lessons learned on our travels in Essex promise to strengthen the team when we return to the local circuit for our next encounters.

Paul Medhurst

Medway U11s at the Medway Festival 7 October 2007

Medway’s Under-11 rugby team made a splendid start to the season at the Festival hosted by the club at Priestfields last Sunday.  Emphatic wins against Maidstone and Sevenoaks and an assured performance against Sittingbourne saw the team top their group to claim a semi-final berth against Essex visitors, Upminster.

In the first match of the season, Medway scored six tries without reply, Charlie Medhurst opening the floodgates, before Tom Josling, Archie Keep, Daniel Kunrunmi and Tyler Oranu-Mills, twice, brought a premature end to the game.  Forward domination underpinned the success, while the backs moved the ball deftly.

Sevenoaks were similarly put to the sword with second-rows Alex Davies and Daniel Kunrunmi adding to tries from half-backs Archie Keep and Charlie Medhurst, while debutant Tyler Oranu-Mills secured his third score of the day.

Sevenoaks offered a sterner test, but a 10-0 victory faithfully reflected the home team’s domination.  Captain Tom Josling and Daniel Kunrunmi registered scores, but the 17-strong squad deserves credit for its disciplined performance.

Upminster put an end to Medway’s hope of securing the trophy, but the 10-0 defeat did little justice to the team’s efforts.  All tackled determinedly, but injuries disrupted the side and the superior bulk of the visitors denied Medway the possession which the team had enjoyed hitherto.

Certainly all the boys can be proud of their achievements in this, their first experience of the 12-a-side genre of the game.