Sidcup (24) v (10) Dover 1st XV
Played 27th September 2008

Dover failed to display their form of recent weeks with a disappointing defeat at the hands of Sidcup. The players have no one else to blame but themselves in a game that they, as a team, lacked commitment and self belief. Sidcup on the other hand showed a character and determination that should bode well for them in the months to come.

Sidcup opened the game with greater vigour and after only six minutes a delicate chip over Dover's defence was collected and fed left with the overlap to score and the conversion to follow. Sidcup continued with the pressure and they certainly had the lion's share of possession in the first half hour. Martyn Beaumont struck the post with a penalty effort but there was little to talk about in terms of scoring opportunities. Numerous dropped ball and basic errors by Sidcup stemmed the score line which could have been much worse for the visitors. A penalty by Sidcup increased the score on 35 minutes following a neat move and again the conversion was added. Dover did increase the tempo at this stage and their pick and go was working well On the stroke of half time good work by the forwards was rewarded when the ball was spread wide and Beaumont found the space to touch down and add the extras.
The second half was a much better start for Dover with pressure on the hosts. Beaumont added the points of a penalty and they were now within a score of the homes side. For a 20 minute period Dover looked as though they would be in for a shout but Sidcup held firm and in the 75th minute their centre waltzed through Dover's defence for a simple but well taken score. The two points followed.
Sidcup held firm and they certainly deserved their victory. The referee for the game, Mr Manley, controlled the contest extremely well with a limited amount of penalties from either side.
Senior coach Graham Tonks commented "My players must realise that their commitment and attitude must be consistent week on week. We will learn from this and hopefully move forward for next week's home game against Tunbridge Wells".

Team : Lucas, Moore, Hewer, Robinson, Tonks, Collins, Foster, Surendorff, Murray, Beaumont, Tonks, L, Townley, Mackintosh, Charge, Close, Bowditch, McNamara, Dean.

Report by: Richard Collins
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