Blackheath 15 Esher 20

A 19th win of the season for league leaders Esher as they march on in their quest for a quick return to The Championship but Blackheath pushed them hard all the way.

And had the Club taken their chances, and not gifted away points, they might have taken what could have been an unassailable lead. The hosts started at a furious pace, and when Dave Allen burst through the visitors’ defence, the open-side finding a delightful off-load for wing Tyson Lewis to finish, Blackheath held a 7-0 lead on just four minutes.

A charged-down kick enabled Esher centre Neil Taylor to level the scores with a converted try seven minutes later, but Blackheath’s line-out was superior throughout and continued to give them an attacking platform. Club fly-half Paul Humphries made up for two missed penalties with a drop-goal to briefly restore the lead, only for it to be quickly cancelled out by a Sam Ulph penalty, but it was the moments either side of half-time that ultimately determined the result.

Ulph stayed prostrate just long enough to see Club full-back Tom White trotting to the sin-bin for his alleged late challenge, before nipping to his feet to convert the penalty, and then insightful play from David Slemen just after the interval stamped Esher’s authority on the score-line. With Blackheath short of a man the visitors took a quick-tap on their ten-metre line and Esher’s fly-half judged his kick to perfection to find Jonny Hylton in acres of space, the left-wing running round under the posts for an easily converted score.

Blackheath still enjoyed plenty of possession but the visitors’ defence proved too robust to allow any sustained pressure. However, as Esher camped on the opposition goal-line in the final minutes, Matt Vaughan’s intercept was enough to provide Lewis with a late second-try, some anxious closing moments and the consolation of a losing bonus point.

“We took Esher to places they haven’t been this season and really tested them” said Blackheath of Director of Rugby Yusuf Ibrahim. “I’m very proud of all our boys today”.

Next Saturday Blackheath travel to the Midlands to take on Nuneaton.

Scorers: Blackheath Tries: Lewis 2. Conv: Humphries. DG: Humphries. Esher Tries: Taylor, Hylton. Conv: Ulph 2. Pens: Ulph 2.