Westcliffe 18-20 Gravesend
Gravesend travelled across the Thames to old rivals Westcliffe on Saturday, knowing that nothing less than a win would help their chances of staying in the National League for next season, and the hope that Dorking would take the points from their visit to Tring.
At the end of the game, Gravesend left the park with the four points from the narrow victory gained in the dying embers of the match as Dave Dorton added a second successful penalty kick in the eighty eighth minute of play.
What looked like an encounter that Gs would come away with the try bonus in addition to the win, turned in to a farcical exhibition of incompetence from an official that was way out of his depth at this level of competition.
Falling behind after the first minute of the game to a well struck Ben McKeith penalty, Gravesend had the opportunity to level on fourteen minutes but the ball fell from the tee twice, and Dorton’s attempted drop goal edged wide.
With the pack completely dominant, it was not surprising that when awarded a penalty, at the end of the first quarter, they opted for the scum.
When this collapsed a second penalty scrum saw them pick and drive and despite a strong line defence from the sea-siders, Jamie Forsyth touched down.
Dorton added the conversion to put Gs in front 3-7.
An uncontrolled game, with numerous offences, going unseen and unpunished, it was a scrappy that was being served up to the large audience on the touch-line.
Westcliffe finally got their act together to press the Gs line, and were being kept at bay by some resolute defending from the whole of the visitors team, unfortunately the inexperience of Junior Rocket allowed his enthusiasm to get the better of his judgement as he dived in offside.
The yellow card, one minute from the interval, gave the home side the extra man which saw them spread the ball beyond G’s defence to go over in the corner.
McKeith’s kick from the tee went wide leaving the interval score 8-10.
The game in the second half seemed to be played away from the Gravesend pack set pieces as fewer scrums were awarded and the pattern of play disrupted.
McKeith added a penalty to edge the home XV into the lead on fifty-six minutes then follow this up five minutes later with a successful conversion of a Dudman try to extend the advantage to 18-10.
Gravesend’s forwards who had put on a herculean display throughout the game, to the play back under their control and despite losing Dorton to the sin-bin Gs forward pressure was beginning to tell.
Forsyth forced his way over for a well deserved second try of the afternoon, taking his tally for the season to fifteen, and the returning Dorton added the conversion for 18-17.
Time wasting tactics from the home XV were countered by the referee adding on time, perhaps his best decision of the afternoon.
As the watch went towards the fifty minute mark Gs earned a penalty in front of the posts, Dorton added this to his earlier successes to but Gs in front 18-20, but still the game went on.
A total of twelve minutes of added time was played before the victory was confirmed, but not the bonus point that was also needed.
Dorking’s narrow loss to Tring, 14-8 was the last result that Gs wanted and only some exceptional results from the final game of the season would be enough to keep them from London One next season,
Team: Dave Dorton, Junior Rocket, Stuart Douglas, Ashley Moorey (C), Alex Buller, Gary Gray, Tony Nolan, Charlie Cutting, Nathan Moorey, Jamie Forsyth, Tomas Ford, James Newman, Ziggy Stevens, Ross O’Loughlin, Matthew Powdrell, Rep:, Junior Rocket, Nathan Lines, John Luck.