Dorking 20-3 Gravesend

Playing at Kiln Lane on Saturday, Gravesend dominated the first half with eighty percent of the game played in and around the home twenty-two metre line. With the second half shared more evenly, Gravesend still deserved to get more than they did, out of this game.
Two missed early penalty chances from the boot of Dave McMurtrie, saw Gravesend continue in the same vein as their previous two games where missed kicks have cost the team dearly in league points.
Such was the dominance of the pack, that two further easily kickable chances were spurned to take a scrummage. Another six points turned away and nothing came from the set pieces.
When Dorking did manage to break out, that was precisely what it was, as they found themselves shackled and feeding on scraps.
The work rate from the Gravesend forwards was tremendous as they constantly picked and drove such was their possession that it was embarrassing not to see them get their just rewards before the half time whistle.
If there is anything missing in the Gravesend XV, it is a play-maker that can create the space for the struggling three-quarters to show their paces.
Two minutes in to the second half and Gravesend had the opportunity to put points on the board.
This time it was Chris Meddings who was passed the kicking duty, and he made no mistake from the tee for a 0-3 lead.
It was the flair of the home number ten, Cameron Pimlow, that kept the few opportunities, that were going to the home side, flowing.
The first time into Gs twenty-two, since the interval, and Dorking won the penalty as the tackler failed to release at the break-down.
Scrum half Steve Mumford stepped forward to pull the scores level 3-3.
The home backs were enjoying the ball when it came their way, but some resilient defending from the Gs threes, supported by their back-row, held firm until the end of the third quarter.
A penalty kick for a five metre line-out, paid off as home hooker Ross Grimstone was forced down for the score.
The conversion missed, Gs were still close enough at 8-3.
With their heads now in front, this seemed to give the home XV the impetus they needed as they quickly added a second try out wide as wing Mike Terelak evaded the defence to touch down.
This time Mumford added the extras to ease away to 15-3.
Two minutes later and Gravesend was reduced to fourteen player as Chris Meddings was sent to the sin-bin, having been adjudged not to have rolled away after the tackle.
If that wasn’t enough punishment, Jamie Forsyth followed him one minute later, again for not releasing.
Fourteen minutes remaining it was not surprising that Dorking made the most of the extra players, as Terelak ran in his second of the afternoon, 20-3 as the kicked missed.
Gravesend were not content to roll over and it was them that continued to take the game forward to the home twenty-two as they battled to get back in the game.
Several pick and drives, had the home XV on the back foot, but it was the final pass that went astray that allowed Dorking to clear their line.
Four minutes left on the clock as Gs came back to full strength, all credit must go to the herculean efforts all round from the Gravesend players.