Despite showing eight injury-

enforced changes, Dartfordians made East Grinstead struggle to climb to the top of the league table.

Although dominant in the scrum, the Sussex side lost most of the line-outs thanks to young locks Simon Laws and Peter Evans, and along the wings the speed of Tom Williams and Matt Hellyer, both just out of their teens, caused the home side all sorts of problems.

The home side took a first minute lead with a penalty but two towering penalties from fly-half David Byng gave Darts a 6-3 advantange.

The turning point came when the refreee completely ignored three home forwards were blatantly offside when their fly-half kicked forward 30 metres, and they caught the kick to score in the corner. as well as the conversion to give East Grinstead a 19-6 lead.

Moments later, a good interception enabled the home side to score again, before a penalty and third try gave East Grinstead a commanding 25-6 half-time lead.

The second period was virtually all Dartfordians, with No.8 Tony Cox and flanker Paul Gills both going close to scoring.

Eventually the pressure was rewarded when Byng combined with Williams to touch down in the corner, but the conversion was missed

But the try that should never have knocked the stuffing out of the Darts at that stage and the other first-half scores soon after left them too much to pull back, eventually losing

This Saturday, Darts entertain Old Dunstonians in the league at Bourne Road, Bexley. Kick-off is at 2.15pm.

A sterling defensive performance, laced with supreme opportunism in attack, saw Sidcup achieve a memorable 12-8 win at Worthing on Saturday.

Worthing went into the game as league leaders virtually at full strength, whereas Sidcup were still beset with injury absentees.

In the backs Richard Roddis returned on the wing and Richard Leamon at scrum-half, both having excellent matches; in the forwards Tom Ellis returned at lock, James Evans on the flank, while Mark Whitford made his first appearance of the season at No.8, all to contrbute impressively.

After a point-less first-half, Sidcup scored an early second period try from an attacking line-out in the home 22 when flanker Alex Ells went over after a well-executed maul and drive.

The conversion was missed and Worthing pulled back three points with a successful penalty before they took the lead with a well-worked try from a kick ahead to the corner one of the few occasions when their backs made the most of their stream of possession,

The turning point came when Richard Roddis, put clear by a good pass from his brother, rounded one defender and kicked over the full-back, but was impeded and the ref awarded a penalty try,

It was hotly contested by the home side, but it was converted by Mark Watson to give Sidcup a 12-8 lead which they defended brilliantly.

This Saturday, Sidcup entertain Crawley at 2.15pm.

December 4, 2001 13:12