This was the third meeting this season between the two clubs, with the results being shared. However ninth placed Beccahamians have proved to be a handful on their own turf and this was a potential banana skin encounter for the fourth placed visitors.
As the teams finished their warm, up the discussion between the “travelling faithful “ turned to whether, after several yo-yo performances and their previous week’s solid result against Thanet, which team would turn up today?
Five penalties, four charged down clearance kicks, and 12 points conceded in the first fourteen minutes, was answer enough.
Shaken by this early onslaught from the home side, ’Boro’s patience to systematically unlock the opportunities was ignored as various individuals were determined to bring ‘Boro back into the game on their own ,often getting isolated with the ball that was turned over by the strong marauding Beccs pack, and solid backs defence.
The next score would be critical if ‘Boro were to get something from this match, and it was essential that ‘Boro took the initiative. This was left to Ali Main who from a ruck to the right of the field had the vision to exploit a marginal overlap possibility, and with Mitch Malherbe and Connor Hand in support, drew the first defender before off-loading the ball to Malherbe arriving at speed, and rather than committing to a 50-50 bulldozing of the defender, simply drew the man and off-loaded in the tackle to Connor Hand in the tram lines and forty metres out. Targeting his opposite number and gaining pace, he simply Lumo’ed the hapless #14 to touch down in the corner. Ali Main converted a superb kick from the touchline to get the visitors onto the score sheet. 12-7.
By now ‘Boro were well aware that they had a fight on their hands and that a win was far from a foregone conclusion. Beccs were proving to be a handful, putting pressure on the visitors from all angles, contesting up front and denying quick ball, then challenging the backs making it difficult for ‘Boro to establish a solid platform. Crowborough often reverted to illegal tactics that were penalised regularly by the official, and any sympathy that Crowborough may have hoped to generate from the official, rapidly vanished as the penalty count climbed towards the teens, and the 50-50 decisions favouring the home side. Fortune favoured the visitors that during the game only two penalties were to do any damage.
A rare penalty to ‘Boro saw Bertie Boast place a well directed kick towards the Beccs 22, and from the lineout, ‘Boro attacked the line but were held up. Recycling across the park and creeping slowly forward the maul appeared to collapse, but from the resulting ruck Tom Kent picked up to crash over to level the score. The kick was pulled. 12-12.
Having pulled the game back further indiscipline saw another converted penalty conceded in front of the posts on the half time whistle. 15-12 HT
Beccahamians started the second half determined to put daylight between the sides, and in spite of resolute defence by the visitors a long clearance by Ali Main was to be his last contribution of the afternoon as he was forced off the park to be replaced by Tom Boddy, with Bertie Boast reverting to the #10 spot.
Crowborough continued to press down the slope, but with a defensive line that looked continuously off-side it was difficult to release the backs. Some unsympathetic passing, that fizzed at the receiver, when a pop pass would have been more appropriate, restricted any consistent forward momentum to one or two runs, which made it more imperative that when in the red zone that any possession was made to count.
A certain ‘Boro try went begging when Rob Lester broke left supported by Gus Weir, who had come over from his right wing with Connor Hand, and as Lester fed Weir ‘white line fever’ set in when with five metres to go, the pass to Hand was held up and the moment lost, as two defenders stole the glory, and prevented ‘Boro from taking the lead.
Similarly two penalties, awarded within kicking distance that would have levelled the score, were ignored in favour of the scrum and a possible 7 points, both coming to naught.
Agonisingly, as ‘Boro raised their game, aggressively competing for the 50-50 ball and playing expansively across the field, a promising attack was halted on the Beccs 22. Spotting a five on three opportunity the Beccs #10 sent out a swift pass to his backs who cantered into the ‘Boro half committing the defence and off-loading in the tackle, and as ‘Boro ran out of defenders the touchdown was a formality. The try went unconverted ,but took Crowborough out of losing bonus point territory. 20-12.
With time running out ‘Boro continued to press to pull a score out of the bag, but their indiscretions in front of the official continued, and a penalty awarded in front of the posts was simply despatched. 23-12.
Crowborough had been encouraged by their last few possessions and even as the clock ran down they once more attacked deep into the Beccs half, and although the man for man cover seemed solid, when the ball came down to Tom West on the wing , he deftly side stepped the attempted tackle and covered the remaining 25metres in a flash, to score out in the corner, for an outrageous drop kicked conversion by Connor Hand, who had the presence of mind to get the kick taken quickly leaving a couple of minutes left to get the impossible win. Sadly this was not to be and the final whistle brought the game to an end 23-19.
This losing bonus point result leaves ‘Boro in 4th place on 44 pts one behind next weeks’ opponents Hove in 3rd, but with just 6 pts dividing 4th place and Gravesend in 8th place there can be no complacency or gifting of easy scores in their remaining fixtures, as all is still to play for in this most competitive of divisions.