Old Gravesendians 33 v 10 Medway

Powergen Rugby Leagues Kent 2

OLD Gravesendians ended their league programme on a high with an emphatic victory over Medway, writes John Oxotby.

They finished as unbeaten champions of Kent 2 having played and won 16 games, scoring 385 points and conceding just 136.

For the final match Dave Boyer and Michael Hodge returned to the side and the latter had a big impact on the match claiming a brace of late tries.

Against the run of play Old Gs opened the scoring from a set scrum in their own half and Marcus D'Cunha broke free to run in under the posts from 60m. Richard Oxtoby converted.

Old Gs launched attack after attack and Medway finally succumbed when Oxtoby did well to keep the ball in play and set up Mark Fenton-Smith for an unconverted try.

Despite a Medway rally the Old G defence, the meanest in the league, held firm and they led 12-0 half-time.

After the break Medway got a penalty score their pressure deserved but the Old Gs response was immediate.

Drive after drive was desperately defended by Medway but finally Old Gs forwards forced the score with prop Phil Boyer claiming the converted try.

Fortune then favoured Medway as some good pressure put them in drop-goal range and although their first attempt was charged down, the ball span back towards the try line and was touched down by a quicker-reacting Medway forward.

Michael Hodge then stepped forward to put the game firmly beyond Medway's reach scoring two tries in quick succession.

The first was delivered by fly-half Dave Rowland dummying an inside pass and instead slipping the ball to Hodge, who was coming on a perfectly timed run.

It was Rowland again who delivered the ball to the powerfully-built Hodge through a gap in the tight Medway defence and he brushed aside tackles to score the converted and final try of the afternoon.

Despite the tries run in by the backs, it was the pack's efforts throughout the season which was the key to success.

Alex Cave, Steve Rees, Iain Potter and Mark Lockwood were tireless in their efforts.

Flankers Matt Coomber and Mark Thompson were a thorn in the side of all opponents and key to the recycling of ball at the breakdown.

The front row of Phil Boyer, Rob McMillan, Omar Wahab with Matthew Pink from the bench hardly took a step back.

Rob McMillan's throwing and hooking were also exemplary and he added extra bite round the field and all were strong in defence.

The squad now has a few weeks off before May 7 when they face Kent 1 champions, Beccehamian in the final of the Kent Vase.