Beckenham travelled to Gravesend to play a top three side for the second week in a row as they tried to put their recent run of disappointing results behind them. Despite a very poor start, Beckenham almost pulled off a surprise victory against a side that are now joint top of the table.

Having been forced into two late changes in the backs due to injury within hours of the kick off, Beckenham were further frustrated to lose prop Tom Hixon within the first 5 minutes. Despite this setback, Beckenham started the brighter, attacking the home side out wide, pinning them back in their own half and almost took the lead only for Gary Thomson’s penalty to strike the upright. Gravesend cleaned up and dominated the next few passages of play and with their scrums dominant they took the ball into the opposition half. With a gaping hole in the visitors defence Matt Weighman broke through and released Gary Gray who crossed for a fine try which he converted.

Beckenham were soon under pressure again and with Gravesend being awarded a scrum under the visitor’s posts, the home crowd were anticipating a pushover, only for Beckenham to steal the put in. However, Beckenham’s joy was short lived as number 8, Pete Scullion, broke from the base and tried to spread the ball wide only for Gray to intercept and score an easy opportunist try under the posts, again adding the conversion himself and giving the home side a 14 to 0 lead.

But as we found out in recent weeks, Beckenham are made of sterner stuff than this and on 30 minutes Dan Airey turned the ball over in midfield and it went through several pairs of hands to find Scullion out wide just inside his own half. He beat his marker and pinned his ears back to go fully 50 metres to score a remarkable try. Gary Thomson added the conversion from wide out and Beckenham were back in the game, anticipating a second half playing with the elements and only one score down.

But this was not to be, as poor concentration let Gravesend put several good phases together and as the visitors ran out of tacklers, skipper, Martin Wilkinson, went over in the corner and Gray added the points with an extraordinary drop-kick conversion from wide out to give the home side a 21 to 7 lead at the break.

Gravesend started the brighter in the second half and were rewarded when Gray slotted over a penalty on 50 minutes after indiscipline at the breakdown to take the score to 24 to 7. Beckenham upped the ante and with Joe McLatchie and Reed Goosens pressurising the home side, they won some quick ball at the breakdown. Ants Hill quickly fed Thomson who put in a perfect cross kick to find Craig Hulls, who took the catch at full pace and sprinted to the corner to score. Thomson added the points from the touchline and 5 minutes later added another penalty to take the score to 24 to 17 and the game was back on.

With the home side under pressure from the speed of the visitors play they used their heavier forwards to work the ball up the field. Good ball handling by their forwards eventually led to Dan Abbey releasing James Newman to power over near the posts and Gray completed a fine individual performance to add the conversion and take the score to 31 to 17.

Beckenham now attacked at every opportunity and with Captain Jamie Pinn and substitute Seb Rose securing good lineout ball, the home side were forced into conceding another penalty which Thomson slotted over from wide out. Gravesend were now being stretched in every direction, Pete Thorn, Dan Fealey and James Cleverley were now dominant in the tight and this gave substitute Andy Glason, on for the injured Reggie Rayner, the opportunity to show off his distribution skills.

With only minutes remaining, prop Christian Scade, chased a kick ahead 40 metres and charged down the attempted clearance kick only to be beaten by the bounce of the ball as he followed up. After several good phases of play, Beckenham spread the ball wide and Liam Blake went over in the corner in what was effectively the last action of the game. The conversion was missed; the final whistle blew leaving the final score at 31 to 25. Beckenham were left pondering what might have been had they not given away two easy tries in the first half.

On the plus side, this was a game Beckenham could have won against a team that are now joint top of the table and if the recent improvement in form continues, a charge up the table will not be far away.