Dover 15 Heathfield 19
Heathfield just held on under intense pressure in the last few minutes to secure their first ever win over Dover in a fiercely but fairly fought contest.
Conditions were excellent with a variable breeze across the pitch which was in fine condition for the time of year. Dover played with the slight slope in the first half and almost immediately it was apparent that their back division was going to be a serious threat. They were well marshalled by their fly half Martyn Beaumont who made few runs himself but whose accurate passes to his colleagues on good running lines often opened up the visitors’ defence.
One initial attack was just contained in the bottom left hand corner but the ball was turned over and Toby Simpson, after his clearance kick was charged down, somehow regathered the ball and made a great run nearly up to halfway before a chip ahead found touch in the home 22 thus giving a lineout to Heathfield. Sadly the lineout misfired so Dover charged back down the other end and soon opened the scoring with a straightforward penalty in front of the posts.
Simpson had a good all round game with a number of useful runs, solid tackling and most of his line kicking was decent. Heathfield were managing to build some momentum in the forwards with Sam Crichton in particular often making good yards in heavy traffic.
After fifteen minutes Dover had another good position in the left hand corner from a penalty and secure lineout ball was moved into midfield for a burly centre to break through a couple of tackles and score under the posts.
Next Lucas Cuming had to retire temporarily with a bloody nose – reportedly from a clash of heads with Ed Koops. Cuming soon returned and was one the best performers in the visitors back division with some useful carries often under considerable pressure.
As usual Heathfield were conceding too many penalties and the ref duly warned that a card was imminent but fortunately this was avoided – for now.
On the half hour Dover moved good scrum possession wide left and their winger dived into the corner for their second try. With a score line of 15-0 at this point the small band of visiting supporters were not feeling optimistic about a positive outcome.
However in the last moments of the half decent handling across the pitch finally reached Sam Williams on the right wing and he duly beat a couple of defenders to touch down behind the posts, converted by Simpson. This was the only score at that end of the pitch in the game and a significant psychological boost for Heathfield. Williams always looked dangerous when he got the ball – although he fumbled two interception chances when it is unlikely the defence would have caught him.
The set piece was a mixed bag for the visitors. Both sides lost a couple of scrums against the head but that phase was otherwise even. The Dover front jumper stole a couple of Heathfield throws and while Dylan Eames secured some good ball in the middle of the line, occasionally he tapped down to put Jack Brown at scrum half under some pressure.
Heathfield started the second half with some clinical rugby. A penalty provided an attacking lineout in the left hand corner and an efficient drive gave Tom Cornwall an armchair ride over the line. The momentum was now clearly with Heathfield and they soon had another promising position in the corner. However the lineout misfired and Dover cleared their lines. More Heathfield pressure into the same corner resulted in the home scrum half being binned for some malpractice at the breakdown in the red zone. Now it was the turn of the home side to be warned as their penalty count was rising.
Entering the last quarter another efficient lineout catch and drive appeared to have given Cornwall a repeat of his earlier try but the referee adjudged that he had been held up. From the drop out Cuming ran back cleverly before linking with Cornwall who in turn found Sam Brown who finished well in the corner, impressively converted by Simpson.
This prompted Dover to renewed efforts and for some minutes they took root in the visitors 22. For some reason, in spite of the good conditions for handling, there was now a series of energy-sapping scrums for knock-ons which will have tested the stamina of both packs but Dover could not find a way through.
Heathfield then broke out with some good handling which put J Brown away down the wing but the defence eventually just nudged him into touch when the bonus point try looked likely. The game was clearly in the balance and every decision was being greeted with enthusiasm by players and supporters alike. However a Heathfield penalty which would have given another good position in the now familiar bottom corner was acclaimed too enthusiastically by some Heathfield players and the referee unusually if quite understandably reversed the penalty.
For the last few minutes of the game Dover were hammering away on the visitors’ try line – the penalty count was rising against Heathfield and eventually skipper Tom Pritchard was binned. However Dover needed a try not just three points from a penalty so they kept on going for the corner and Heathfield kept on just keeping them out. Perhaps Dover overdid the forward drives when they often seemed to have numbers out wide. This was a real test of will and physical commitment for both sides from which both emerged with credit but in which Heathfield did just enough, even with a man short.
Dover will naturally feel disappointed at the outcome but they are playing some lovely rugby and will cause problems for visitors in their two remaining games including league winners Bromley. The uncertainty over the forthcoming league restructure means that it is unclear if Heathfield will meet them again next season.
The notable win by Aylesford over Cranbrook today means that a win next week by Heathfield in their rearranged game against Old Dunstonians (19 Mar 3.00) will lift them into third place in the table above Cranbrook. However the points situation remains very tight and every bonus point will be critical in the remaining weeks.
Stand in coach Dave Jones was delighted with the whole team performance, including the three replacements, and he was reluctant to single out anyone in particular. The commitment and attitude shown today will need to be maintained in the remaining three games.