After the previous week’s debacle at Folkestone, Crowborough got back to winning ways with a far more competent and focused display against Crawley, a team which in the first fixture of this season recorded their only win of the current campaign over this weekend’s hosts.
The pack as usual, contested every 50:50 ball and provided Tom West at #9 with quick clean possession. Unlike the previous week the ‘Boro backs line up was able to make the most of this almost unlimited supply of ball, moving the ball quickly through the hands, then committing their opponents to the tackle just before off-loading to Bertie Boast and Tom Boddy off the wings.
The first score came within five minutes when with everyone involved, the ball was recycled from left to right before a maul five metres out allowed captain Alex Purnell to sneak over for the first of his three tries which Chris Yates converted. 7-0
Crowborough spent most of the half in Crawley territory, adding two more Chris Yates penalties, before firstly Tom Boddy finished off a well-constructed backs move that Chris Yates unselfishly set up, and Tom West’s charged down try deep in the corner. 23-0
Needing all the points that they could get Alex Purnell then finished off a nicely constructed team move, that secured the fourth bonus point try, before finishing off his own scoring streak with his hat trick on sixty minutes.35-0
With Chris Yates at #15 constantly talking to his wings and marshalling the back three, it’s alignment looked solid for the first time this season, covering the backfield so well that the kicking options of the opposition #10 were severely limited, and when they did kick, it often gifted attacking possession to the ‘Boro back three.
In the end, Crowborough dominated both possession and the match for fully 60 minutes, but if a lesson needed to be learnt, ‘Boro were to be taught that this is a game of 80 minutes, played to the last whistle, and in taking their foot off the gas and underestimating the resolve of their opponents they leaked two simple scores in the last five minutes, which against sides in the top half of the table could seriously affect the outcome.
This ends the first half of the season, where several results against sides in the top half of the table could have gone either way, and if ‘Boro can get a settled line up, with players once more competing for places, then, if a few results can be reversed a top half finish will not be out of the question.
Currently Crowborough are in 9th position with 28 points just 7points ahead of 10th placed Park House who defied the pundits to beat neighbours Bromley at the weekend, and as an indication of just how close this league is, ‘Boro are only nine points behind fourth placed Bromley on 37. Roll on 2018!!