Sidcup U15s 10 vs. Old Elthamians U15s 12

Due to difficulties with pitch arrangements at Crescent Farm the Under 15's took to the road for a home match against Old E's.

Sidcup started brightly, pinning Old E's back into their 22 and driving towards the line time after time but some poor handling and good defence kept them at bay.

Some good moves from the back of the scrum almost saw Laurence Cooper score but the referee judged the ball to have been held up. Despite the constant pressure the defence held firm and the score remained level until Old E's finally got out of their own half.

Whether due to a lack of concentration or just because the lads had not had to defend at all to this point there was a distinct lack of shape and defence as the attacker breezed through a number of missed tackles. Finally brought to a halt, the ball was moved quickly and the ball was touched down in the left corner to put E's ahead 0-5.

Sidcup very quickly looked like they would be in front. A nice inside ball saw Ryan Livermore come into the line at speed and break through the defensive line. As he headed across the try line the E's winger somehow made a miraculous tackle to pull him down and dislodge the ball while the home side's parent's were celebrating a try that never was.

More basic errors in tackling then saw Sidcup fall further behind as E's ran in a try from distance to score under the posts and move 0-12 in front. It was feeling like one of those days!

People say lightening doesn't strike twice, but just before half time Connor Potter weaved his way clear and with only 10 metres to go and looking certain to score he was thwarted by another great tackle by the same winger as had stopped us earlier.

Despite a huge amount of possession and playing down the hill, half time came with Sidcup 12 points behind.

The second half began with Old E's attacking with a lot more purpose and making good ground into the Sidcup half. The lead was almost increased but a last gasp tackle from stand in skipper Scott Humphryes just short of the line kept E's at bay. Some good work on the ground by Samuel Foster then won a penalty and the lads cleared to touch to ease the pressure.

This seemed to create a turning point and some much more commanding play began. Conor Coakley again causing damage with the ball in hand, Ben Williams and Laurence doing tons of dirty work and the reshuffled midfield all getting a grip on the match.

Finally Sidcup got on the board as Lewis Bienek made a strong run and when finally caught by the shirt he found Scott in support to score wide on the right. The conversion slid just wide and the gap was closed to 5-12.

After a penalty was conceded by Old E's for offside (one of many), and the ball was kicked away down the pitch. Scott quickly ran the ball back for a tap and go, almost reaching the line and as E's were again penalised (this time for going off feet and killing the ball) he repeated the quick move and dived in for his second try. A moment of great jubilation for his Mum who was heard to squeal "I might even make him a rice pudding!".

A great attempt at the conversion was unlucky as the ball cannoned off the right hand post to keep the score at 10-12.

Old E's had an attempt to kick a penalty to increase their lead but to no avail and despite pressure for the rest of the half our lads could just not get over the line. E's finally kept their discipline to ensure there was no chance for a kicked penalty to win it and so took the spoils 10-12.

A man of the match performance for Scott Humphryes who led the team well in the absence of Captain Stocky. Special mentions too for both props, Samuel Foster and Ben Williams who both got through an enormous amount of work and played the entire match (not a common occurrence for prop forwards).
Also the consistent Laurence Cooper and Connor Potter, who I'm sure I saw play in 3 positions AND cover the full back!
Finally the Coakleys...Conor for another powerful run out and Debbie who gave up her lovely warm coat to her little boy when he came off the pitch!

All in all this was a really interesting and hard fought match. Sidcup were dominant almost throughout but in the end some basic errors cost the match. Better handling, ball retention when going to ground and making those all important tackles would have ensured a comfortable win.

KH