Dorking Colts Whites v Richmond Bs – Hampstead Bronze Final
Dorking Colts headed back to London Irish for the third time this season for a Quins Cup double header. First up were the Dorking Whites to face Richmond B in the Hampstead Bronze final.
After some protracted negotiations with the Richmond coaching staff, we settled on a 12-a-side game on the artificial pitch, with plenty of space for both teams to attack. This played into Dorking’s hands, despite having a number of forwards in the back line.
As the rain ceased, the Whites started in confident mood. Early pressure at the breakdown saw Dorking turnover Richmond’s ball. After a couple of penalties in succession, Dorking opted to run the ball and quick hands saw Asher Khan score in the left-hand corner. 5-0 Dorking
That was just the start of things to come. Prop Ayaan Agarwaal, who was popping up all over the park, linked up with the backs and fed Toby Mead on the left wing for his first score of the day. 10-0
The Dorking pressure was now relentless. Fly-half Matt Young was next on the score sheet, cutting back and breaking through a number of tackles to score under the posts. He then slotted the extras to put Dorking 17-0 up and Richmond had barely touched the ball.
Toby Mead was not to be outdone. After good work at the breakdown from Elliott Murray, the ball was moved left for Mead to score his second out wide. 22-0
Dorking then scored the pick of their tries. Attacking from their own 22, skipper Dan Gale found a gap and powered through the Richmond defence. He spotted second row/winger Jamie Mottashed out wide and threw a perfect 20-metre pass. Jamie received the ball 60 meteres out, without breaking stride. With one man to beat, he chipped the ball over the covering full-back and dotted the ball down in the left-hand corner, in front of the jubilant Dorking supporters. 27-0 at the break.
Normal service was resumed in the second half as quick hands saw Fin Fry power over in the right-hand corner to put Dorking 32-0 ahead.
Man of the match Toby Mead then rounded off the scoring for Dorking to mark his hat-trick. Quick thinking from Craig Sheffield saw him switch play and attack the blindside. A long miss-pass put Toby into space to score in the corner. 37-0
Richmond, to their credit, battled hard to the end. Dorking were determined to keep the visitors scoreless with some huge hits in a really committed defensive effort. But with bodies tiring after some end-to-end play, the Richmond 10 cut back behind the breakdown and stepped through a couple of weary tackles to score under the posts. Final score 37-5 to Dorking.
This performance typified the Dorking Whites. Fully committed and playing for each other, ferocious at the breakdown and strong in the set-piece, the boys were rewarded for their hard work since pre-season. The skill levels and handling on display would not have looked out of place in the top-tier of the competition. Winning some silverware on Sunday rounded off a great campaign.
Dorking Colts Reds v Old Reigatians – Quins Cup Bronze Final
Like all good trilogies, the final instalment was the best. Having faced neighbours Old Reigatians in an early season friendly and the pool stages of the Quins Cup, Dorking knew they were up against very strong opponents. The first two matches had fluctuated, with both teams in the ascendancy at times, but ORs had shaded parts 1 and 2. Both teams had also narrowly lost their semi-finals and Dorking knew they would need something special to prevail in the Bronze Final.
Something special was not what they served up in the first half. Dorking started really poorly. The ORs 10 put up a wicked kick off into the swirling wind. Dorking fumbled the ball and from the subsequent scrum, the ORS fly-half powered through some weak tackles to put them 5-0 ahead.
Dorking then compounded their errors and from an attacking ORs’ lineout, the centre waltzed over for a 12-0 lead.
Dorking had barely touched the ball in the first 10 minutes and were far too passive in defence, allowing the powerful OR forward runners to make good yardage in the carry. The Reds’ lineout was seriously misfiring although the scrum, with Scott Bloomfield making his presence felt on both sides, was starting to do some damage.
Dorking finally got a foothold in the game. From a penalty near halfway, Dorking kicked for the corner. Good drills saw the Dorking 8 walk towards the line before ORs collapsed the maul. With penalty advantage, centre Chris Styles broke through a tackle and a one-handed off load saw Will Darbishire in under the sticks. 12-7 and game on (or so we thought).
ORs responded almost straight away. Dorking infringed near their line and after the referee allowed them to retake a tapped penalty from short range, one of their forwards crashed over. 17-7
It was to get worse for Dorking before half time. From a seemingly not-straight lineout, the ORs 10 broke through the Dorking defence again and chipped ahead. The artificial surface proved very obliging and the ball popped into his arms and he strolled over to score under the posts. He added the extras for a 24-7 lead at the break.
Dorking knew they were up against it now. Playing into the wind in the second half against a rampant, confident ORs who saw an opportunity to finish Dorking off and win the final in style. The message to Dorking at half-time was to up the physicality and that the game was not lost yet – and so it proved.
Immediately from the restart, after good pressure from Chris Styles and substitute Tom James, it was ORs’ turn to fumble the kick. Dorking spirits were lifted and they began to apply some real pressure. ORs were starting to creak and after a quick succession of penalties near their line, their flanker was sent to the bin for deliberately killing the ball at a Dorking ruck. The Reds opted for a scrum and after yet another penalty, scrum-half Alex Power showed quick thinking to go on his own to score Dorking’s second try of the day. With fly-half Charlie Nichol in fine kicking form, the extras were a formality. 24-14
Still with a numerical advantage, Dorking made the most of the additional space on offer. From a scrum on half way, fullback Callum Powell hit the line at speed and skirted round the ORs defence. There was no stopping him as he ran half the length of the pitch to score. 24-21
Not satisfied with that, Dorking then scored the try of the day. The lineout was now clicking, with second row substitute Leo Rennie making a real difference. With decent ball, Dorking attacked up the middle and then down the right hand-side. However, Chris styles, now out on the left wing, held his ground. Callum Powell spotted him out wide and kicked from one side of the pitch to the other, judging his kick to perfection in spite of the blustery wind. This time the bounce from the artificial pitch went Dorking’s way and Styles gathered to score in the corner. Incredibly, Dorking now led 26-24.
Anyone who had watched the previous 2 games between these sides knew that this was not the end of it, and that fortunes would fluctuate again. Seemingly somewhat harshly, the outstanding Tom James was sent to the bin and ORs took full advantage, scoring down the blindside to lead 29-26.
That seemed to be the end of it. ORs were running down the clock and Dorking were unable to get their hands on the ball. With only seconds remaining, ORs took the ball into contact rather than kicking, wary of Dorking’s attacking threat. It was the defence they should have worried about as another big hit saw the ball dislodged on the floor. From the turnover, Dorking moved the ball quickly, flanker Calum Maddick making ground. The ball was then moved quickly to Will Darbishire who sliced through the ORs defence. It looked like he was about to be hauled down metres short of the line, but he stepped out of the tackle to score with the last play of the game. 31-29.
Cue chaotic scenes as the Dorking boys celebrated and the ORs players slumped to the floor in disbelief. This was an epic final, played in a great spirit with both teams giving their all. Fine margins, but Dorking shaded it given their second half turnaround. This was another full-squad performance but special mention to Ed Tyrell who brought his usual physicality to the pitch in the second half, helping to turn the ORs tide.
Great support as ever from the Dorking faithful, despite being kept behind the fencing round the pitch in scenes reminiscent of 1980s football. Parents and boys celebrated under the posts at the end to mark the culmination of an excellent season. Never-knowingly beaten and with skill levels off the charts, the future looks very bright for Dorking with this crop of players.
