Dorking RFC

Pre Season Dorking v Bishops Stortford

Dorking 2's 67 – 7 Bishops Stortford A

Dorking 1's 48 – 31 Bishops Stortford 1 

Dorking 2's

Dorking Senior Men closed out their pre season fixtures by continuing where they left off at Taunton as they ran in 18 tries to 6 in total across the two games played at The Big Field on Saturday. 

The A’s played first and within minutes were on the board as Kas Lee dabbed down for a pushover try. Stortford looked to have replied by return but Sir decided that he had seen an infringement (possibly a knock on in the grounding? No one really knew) and disallowed the score, awarding instead a scrum 5 to the Red & Whites. Having already demonstrated superiority up front, retaining and clearing the ball was a formality and latching on to a long pass, wing Theo Williamson scorched away to score in the corner. Joe Andresen was next over the whitewash for Dorking before Stortford were able to muster an attack and put their lively 7 over for a converted try. 19-5 at the drinks break. 

It was pretty much one-way traffic for the rest of the half, and indeed on reflection the game as Dorking’s forwards and backs combined intricately and at speed to deny Stortford any meaningful possession with Ben McKenzie and Woody Aldridge both touching down for converted tries to make it 33-7 at the end of the half.

Pleasingly with changes of personnel as befits a pre-season fixture it continued thus in the second half. Firstly, with Tom Nairn bludgeoning his way over after a prolonged session of pick & drives and some skilled backline moves, then scrum half Aaron Linfield sniping over the line as only a scrum half can and finally Woody Aldridge bagging two more to complete his hat trick and close out the match. With Ben McKenzie and Woody Aldridge on target with the conversions it was 62-7 at the final whistle, 10 tries to 1.

Dorking 1's

The 1’s kicked off immediately after the A’s and were quickly on the scoreboard (so quickly that your scribe was still getting refreshment at the bar and missed the score) with George Head over the line in similar fashion to Kas Lee in the previous game. 5 – 0. 

However this was to prove a sterner test than both last week at Taunton and the A’s game as a very well drilled Stortford back line opened up the Dorking defence by return and their dangerous looking 15 had a simple run in with the created overlap. With the conversion good it was 5-7. With both sets of forwards straining every sinew to go precisely nowhere in the set piece and backline attack and defence countering each other it was very nip and tuck until Dorking’s Max Coyle showed what a game changer he can be by scoring twice in quick succession to give the home side a 17-7 lead. 

I won’t say comfortable as Stortford replied in very similar fashion to their first try, this time the beneficiary of the overlap being the outside centre, another player looking very dangerous with the ball in hand. A fine conversion from Stortford’s fly half put them very much back in the game at 17-14, before the returning Finn Osborne, playing a powerful driving game barrelled over in the corner for Dorking. Again, Stortford’s reply was swift and clinical with 15 over for his second, converted from out wide to make it a 1-point game at 22-21, and then for his hat trick to take them into a 22-26 lead. On the stroke of half time, Finn Osborne was on hand for a second, this time under the posts giving Jack Thorn an easy conversion and Dorking a slender 29-26 half time lead.

The second half started as the first with George Head over for his second, which seemed, again with a change of personnel to knock the stuffing out of the Stortford pack who were decidedly second best for the remainder of the match. It wasn’t the one-way traffic of the A’s match previously, but playing downhill Dorking seemed to find that extra yard (or meter for the younger readers) of pace and as such the final result never felt to be in doubt. 

Dorking’s defence was immense, and this along with aggressive rucking, counter rucking, strikes against the head and deft handling with the forwards and backs combining led to two further tries, both for debutant scrum half Murdoch Lock. In between Lock’s brace the Stortford’s 13 crossed the line in reply, but it wasn’t enough making the final score 48 – 31 and 8 tries to 5.

Director of Rugby Armand Roux commented:

I thought both teams played good rugby today. We spoke about achieving a few targets after the Taunton game and worked hard on them last week.

We also had a fair few changes in both teams, as we are looking for players to put their hands up for the 1st league game. The performances in the Bishop's Stortford games were very pleasing for the coaching team as progress was made.

It also certainly was not the most perfect display as we are still sharpening our understanding around certain areas of our game and a few skill errors.

I thought Bishop Stortford also played some great rugby so credit to them for making the effort to come across to us.

All round great day at The Big Field with good support and good weather.

Let the season commence.

Match Report: Kevin Beal
Photos: Edward Payne

SQUADS

A XV Match
Archie Caldicott, Callum Watson, Bryan Karimanira, Jo Hole, Tom Nairn, Daragh Chambers, Eddie Clifford Jones, Kas Lee, Aaron Linfield, Joe Andresen, Theo Williamson, Tom Isles, Callum Powell, Ben Mackenzie, Woody Aldridge, Lamar Sinclair, Max Sheldrake, Miley Chatfield, Finley Candlish, Tom Dobson, Kieran Davies, Edward Bowden, Swabiru Salim, Freddie Fownes-Walpole, Arlo Copp.

1st XV Match
Zak Stephenson, George Head, Jimmy Litchfield, Will Goodfellow,Dom Sammut,  Jasper King, Harry Elbrow ©, Finn Osborne, Tom Newman, Jack Thorn, Harry Barker, Oli Shepherd, Bryan Hotston, Will Sanders, Max Coyle, Archie Caldicott, Olly Rawlinson, Nick Barry, Tom Bloomer, Kas Lee, Daragh Chambers, Murdock Lock, Joe Andresen, Tom Isles