Bromley RFC VS Deal & Betteshanger

BROMLEY DELIVER STUNNING PERFORMANCE

On Saturday, President Glen Ralph hosted the first Vice President’s Lunch of the season. After being wined and dined the assembled throng walked or stumbled out to watch the first team take on Deal Wanderers. In the past these fixtures have been close, hard fought encounters with not much to choose between the two sides. By all accounts, both teams had issues with selection. I don’t know the extent of the Deal problems but Bromley had ten or eleven front row players not available to play last weekend and a number of the regular squad injured or not available including George Scott, Harrison Pullen, Alex Griffiths and George Rice to name a few. There are others. This meant that Steve Griffiths had to enter the fray at prop, there were welcome returns for Mike Haisell and James Powell and a completely different bench from last week of Harry Taylor, Aaron Godden and Callum McFarland. So a bit of a mystery as to what was to unfold.

Bromley started at a lively place and were awarded a penalty in front of the posts after three minutes duly kicked by number ten Johnny Griffiths. Six minutes later after a great break by Haisell led to the ball being transferred at pace along the backline for James Powell to ease his way over the line and this was complimented by a super conversion by Griffiths. Bromley kept the pressure on and a few minutes later hooker Aydan Godden made a powerful surge towards the line and captain Robbie Brown was on his shoulder to take the offload and go in under the posts with Griffiths converting. Wanderers had been under the cosh for the first quarter but now began to show their teeth with a long period of sustained pressure during which they showed excellent ball retention and were eventually rewarded with a deserved try to the left of the posts but not converted.

However, Bromley were far from done and Godden again showed his strength on twenty seven minutes when he burst through a couple of tackles and he was left with one defender in front of him and two support players to his left. The pass, if held, was a certain try but he took the defender on and perished. This did not escape the attention of his team mates after the game. No matter five minutes later there was a lineout in midfield duly won and number ten Griffiths launched a crossfield kick pass leaving McCracken a lot to do to catch it but he soared into the air and grabbed the ball, eluded his opposite number and passed inside and from there a bewildering reverse behind the back pass was delivered to Powell to score a wonder try. Again a superb conversion.

On thirty eight minutes from a lineout Deal tapped the ball but unfortunately for them, it went straight to Godden and he needed no second invitation as he was over the try line in a flash. Another wonderful conversion. In the last knockings of the half the home side were awarded a penalty for a trip on Hawkins. From the resultant lineout, the forwards executed a tight catch and drive sucking in defenders. Scrum half Tom Powell saw a gap down the blindside and he scampered away drew the cover and released McCracken for a simple run in. Another conversion and the half time score was 38-5. It was great entertainment for the home support with Bromley playing a dashing and exuberant brand of rugby which Deal found hard to contain. Thirty plus points to the good and the bonus point secured seemed a very strong position. However, Bromley had been in a similar position two weeks previously against Charlton Park and struggled to impose themselves in the second half. Lesson learned and that was not going to happen this time and what unfolded was an unrelenting tidal waves of attacks involving all the Bromley players.

Bromley deployed their whole bench for much of the second period and they all left their mark on the game. Taylor was muscular and strong around the fringes, Aaron Godden flew around the pitch causing mayhem wherever he went and McFarland seemed to be enjoying himself immensely in the front row. After eight minutes of the second half Griffiths put in a deft kick behind the Deal defence in their twenty two. Three or four Bromley players harried the defenders and all of them forgot about the ball and Griffiths strolled through them all and picked up his own kick and sauntered over to score. Three minutes later George Hawkins made an amazing retrieval of an opposition kick, the ball was recycled several times ending with Laws walking in under the posts. Very shortly afterwards there was quite brilliant interplay by the backs up the right hand side of the pitch involving Hawkins, Powell J and Pillow leaving the latter to finish the move in style. Standing ovation all round and another wondrous conversion.

Fifty eight minutes Hawkins and Powell combined to split the defence and Powell rounded off the move with a trademark powerful run and finish to complete his hat trick. Shame he forgot to wear his number ones for the game. Came up later. Six minutes after that from a lineout the forwards punched several holes in the Deal defence and second row Brown stormed over for his second try and again it was converted. It would be fair to say that Wanderers had been run pretty ragged for nearly twenty five minutes. To be fair they now showed some spirit and started to take the game to Bromley and after another period of sustained pressure their big number twelve, who had made several strong carries throughout the game, barged his way over to the right of the posts and with the conversion the score was 69-12.

A couple of minutes from the end good play by Carroll, who played well throughout, Godden and Powell saw Hawkins ghosting past a couple of defenders and he plonked the ball down between the posts. In the last play Pillow finished proceedings with a beautifully crafted try fittingly converted by Griffiths. Astonishing performance by Bromley leaving the final score at 83-12. Quite rightly Steve Griffiths was named man of the match for stepping up and helping solid up the front row in a bit of a crisis but I am sure he will not object in my naming Johnny, his son, as my man of the match as he gave a quite astonishing performance at ten displaying a whole range of skills and knocking over 10 out of 12 conversions many of them from out wide – terrific. Also shout out to three of the forwards who never stopped working and drove themselves to make a huge contribution to the team effort namely Oscar Gray, Tommy Scott and George Harding.

Considering all the issues with selection and disregarding the score there was much to admire in this performance namely the unrelenting nature of it, everybody on point, excellent support play, players encouraging each other, no backchat or negativity and glory of all glories a low penalty count. Those not involved will have to work hard to get back in making attendance at training a must. Two weeks before the next game and a well earned rest after four hard games. Fifteen points out of twenty is a good return and I believe Heathfield and Waldron are top of the pile at present. Good for them a proper grassroots rugby club like Bromley.

The seconds were away at Footscray and they, like the first team had issues getting a side out but they got a good squad together and had a heck of a battle and, a bit like last week, lost in the dying embers 32-36. They have settled in well in Kent 4 picking up points in all four games played and are developing into a formidable unit. Good luck to them. The next scheduled games are on 12^th October with the firsts away at Dover, the seconds are at home to Kings College Hospital and the thirds play Dartford Valley.