The Lion's bite the Crow's !

Crowborough’s troubled season stuttered towards it’s inevitable conclusion last Saturday with a comprehensive defeat by a resurgent Deal & Betteshanger XV that has had some impressive results to date including a win at home to title chasing Sevenoaks, five weeks ago.
From an optimistic start to the season with a sizable and developing squad, Crowborough’s unprecedented number of long term injuries; departures to the antipodes, and simply unexplained absences and unavailability’s has meant that selection has become somewhat of an experimental lottery.
For this match Crowborough managed to negotiate the closed A20, then the political protests that blocked the centre of Dover on their way to honour this fixture, but by 4:30pm probably wished otherwise.
Before Christmas Crowborough had inflicted a 22-5 defeat on fourth placed Deal but on their own ground, circled by the Army base, they are a different proposition as the much altered ‘Boro outfit were to find out.
Simply put Deal were too strong in every department as the eight tries, and five conversions to a Chris Yates penalty testified. However most of Deal’s points came in the first half where the half time score stood at 39-3, and after the break ‘Boro’s young charges, to their credit, continued to compete strongly, and could have edged a couple of scores had the rub of the green gone their way, but the more experienced and older Deal heads prevailed.

Tom Kent was Boro’s Man of the Match, with his go forward, never give-up attitude!

The Referee also deserves a mention, with her fitness & ability to keep the play going, Well Done and Thank You, Laura Pettingale.

This loss, combined with eleventh placed Thanet Wanderers losing bonus point, means there are only two points separating ‘Boro from the final automatic relegation spot, which places a huge emphasis on the result of the next league game against Thanet at home on 16th April, which may define the season of both sides one way or the other, unless of course, several of those injuries make Lazarus like recoveries soon!!
Next week, ( 9th April) Crowborough welcome neighbours and SE Division 3 title chasing Heathfield and Waldron in the quarter–finals of the Bob Rogers Cup, whose league loss last week to rivals Bromley for automatic promotion is unlikely to have too much of an impact in their chase for honours this season.

This week report was wriiten by Rick Howe, in the traffic at Dover !
With a little help from his remote friend's.......