Deal and Betteshanger VS Bromley RFC

BROMLEY WIN AT DEAL BUT WHAT WAS THE SCORE?

After a pretty low key pre season with only one very competitive friendly fixture against a combative  Walcountians side, resulting in a 42-29 win, it was difficult to tell how Bromley would fair in a difficult away game at Deal and Betteshangar. The away side had four players making their debuts with Milne in the back row, Young at fly half, Fothers at outside centre and Ruston on the bench. On a baking hot afternoon, the home side started off full of intent and had Bromley on the back foot for the first ten minutes and they struggled to get out of their twenty two. Pressure told and a penalty was coughed up but Deal’s very good number ten pushed it wide. The siege was only lifted when a mighty Bromley scrum shoved the home side backwards and they coughed up a penalty to take the impetus out of the Deal side. Bromley now got into their stride and produced a number of swift counterattacks but, as was to be the story of the game, they could not make them count.

After seventeen minutes Bromley coughed up another penalty when seemingly in control of the ball and this time it was nailed and Deal were 3-0 up. Following ten minutes of midfield crash bang wallop Bromley had their own shot at goal from an infringement and Young instead of hitting a cruise missile engineered a scud which hit the post. However, Bromley kept knocking on the door and produced an excellent move with the ball being spread wide, overlap created and then a deliberate knockdown stopping a potential try scoring opportunity. Penalty, yellow card – no just the penalty which Young, radar adjusted, knocked over. Halftime 3-3 and Bromley probably wondering how they had not scored more points.

Words said at the break and the away side came out full of intent. Forty four minutes in and Bromley were awarded another penalty which Young knocked over with aplomb. This seemed to galvanise the black and ambers and two minutes later after a clean break by Young the ball was rapidly recycled and second row Pullen released the onrushing fullback Rice who evaded a couple of tackles and slipped the ball to captain supremo George Scott who scuttled over the line for a try that Bromley had been threatening for quite a considerable time. With the conversion, the score went to 13-3. For the next ten minutes or so Bromley were the dominant team and after numerous powerful forward surges they were convinced they had scored again but the referee deemed otherwise. Deal penalty 13-6. Bromley penalty 16-6. Ten minutes to go and Deal, having no option, threw everything at Bromley. Roared on by the home support they tried to batter their way through but Bromley defended heroically but they finally cracked on eighty minutes when yet another powerful surge resulted in a try close to the posts easily converted and it was 16-13 with substantial injury time to come.  

Bromley somehow negotiated this to secure the all important away win, 16-13 and not 19-16 as has been officially posted, in the first game of the season and Deal were very deserving of the bonus point. There were a lot of encouraging signs from the boys from Barnet Wood Road. Forward play was solid and occasionally dynamic. The backs looked very threatening but a number of moves which should have led to much more were stifled by inaccuracy or being too frantic when clearer thinking was required. Overall good but lots to work on. Next week the firsts are at home to Beccehamians in a huge local derby which will be preceded by a vice president’s lunch hosted by new President Glen Ralph and we wish him well. Back at base, the second team were playing their first ever game in the Kent leagues and they did themselves and the club proud with a convincing 37-3 win over Greenwich. Next week they are away at Askeans in another league fixture.