Dorking Colts Whites v Shoreham Colts match report 1/10/23
Dorking Colts welcomed Shoreham to the Big Field on Sunday for what may have been the first fixture between the clubs. Following the exertions of last week’s National Cup game against Horsham, Dorking had the luxury of being able to fully rotate the squad and to demonstrate their impressive depth, with 50 boys now on the books.
On another perfect day for rugby, Dorking began playing up the slope, with a slight breeze behind them. Shoreham set their stall out early with a couple of strong runners in the forwards and one in the backs and a scrum-half who was to prove a constant nuisance at set-piece and breakdown. After a strong defensive set, where Dorking repelled waves of Shoreham runners, Dorking eventually forced a mistake on their own 5-metre line and were awarded the scrum. However, under pressure at the base, the ball squirted out and Shoreham were able to score out wide, taking an early 5-0 lead.
Dorking responded very quickly and in some style. Full-back Charlie Aldridge fielded a kick in his own half and split the Shoreham defence, carrying the ball into the opposition 22 before unselfishly feeding the ball on to the supporting flanker, Will Elkeles, who in turn fed man of the match Sam Cox to power over on the far right to bring the scores level.
The first half was proving to be a scrappy affair and Shoreham were proving to be stubborn opponents. Dorking missed a couple of opportunities to score, despite stretching the defence on a number of occasions. But after a couple of missed tackles, one of the Shoreham backs made a break and dotted down to the left of the sticks for a 12-5 lead.
Dorking responded on the stroke of half-time. Brilliantly executing a set piece move at the lineout, 10 metres from the Shoreham line, Dorking dummied the catch and drive to allow flanker Nick Humphreys to take the throw at the front of the lineout and power over. Josh Spooner added the extras with a difficult kick from the wrong side and out wide. 12-12 at the break.
Dorking knew they had left some points out there in the first half, but with the slope in the second half they hoped to pull away. That was not to be the case. Dorking were bedding in a new side who hadn’t played together before, so a slightly disjointed performance was probably to be expected. Shoreham were also starting to tire and more mistakes started to creep in. Despite the scrappy nature of the second half, the supporters were served up an exciting last 10 minutes. Shoreham regained the lead after a good, incisive break from one of their backs and added the extras. 19-12
With only 2 minutes on the clock, Dorking then camped in the Shoreham 22, hammering away at the line. A powerful Dorking catch and drive from the lineout was pulled down just short of the line and Dorking were awarded a penalty. After another set, Shoreham infringed again, this time in front of the posts. Dorking sensibly opted for the scrum, but were forced to use the blind side. After some slick hands, the ball found its way to Charlie Aldridge who darted over in the left-hand corner to bring Dorking within 2 points. However, from so far out it was a big ask for Josh Spooner to convert. He gave it everything but his kick fell agonisingly short.
Dorking were denied the grandstand finish but this was a great effort from a largely unfamiliar team. Shoreham are one of the stronger Sussex teams and to push them all the way was commendable. Focus now turns to the next round of the National Cup and a trip to Sevenoaks next Sunday.
