Having assured themselves of a third season in the London & South East Premier League, the remainder of the Tunbridge Wells campaign is focused on securing as high a finishing place as possible and develop momentum into the fast-approaching off-season.

Wells travelled to Surrey to take on a Dorking side who whilst sitting in 6th (compared Wells’ 11th position) were just four points ahead of them illustrating how competitive this league is. Three players came into the squad with player-coaches Aston Croall and Dave Allen coming in at loose-head prop and flanker and highly promising Academy product Lucas Scully making his First XV debut on the wing. Other changes saw last week’s substitutes Stuart Nicholls, Matt Symonds and Max Hobbs starting at hooker, second row and wing respectively.

The warm sunny afternoon and dry ground conditions at Big Field were in stark contrast to the wet December day at St Marks when Wells had won the reverse encounter 18-3. In front of a large crowd the scene looked set for an exciting and open game and it was the visitors who kicked off playing down the slope.

Wells had a terrific start. Nicholls connected well with his jumpers most of the game and smooth line-out ball set up an attacking position which Dorking could only halt with a penalty. Scrum half Charlie Rigby took a quick tap to set his backs moving and after a typical strong run from the highly-impressive Mike Doherty it was Allen who was in support to power over for the opening try after just three minutes. the conversion from Frank Reynolds slipped wide but it was a heartening way to begin. 0-5.

From the re-start Dorking attacked with gusto and powerful wing Jospeh Mogaji made the first of several runs bursting tackles as he did. However, the Tunbridge Wells cover defence was a feature throughout and all the home team were able to get was a Killian Wilson penalty for offside on 8 minutes. 3-5.

The scrum was proving to be an early bone of contention with refereeing inconsistency sadly contributing much to this. A penalty to Dorking for wheeling put them back on the attack but when they chipped over the cover the ever-reliable skipper Ryan Taylor-Dennehy was there at full back to cover it. Shortly afterwards though the men from St Marks found themselves down to 14 men much to the delight of the home crowd when Wells talisman Nick Doherty was red-carded. The prospect of playing 65 minutes without such a key player produced an ominous feeling for the visiting supporters (especially when Wilson added a second penalty on 17 minutes) but instead they were to be rewarded with an outstanding performance combining committed defence with some periods of exciting attacking play. 6-5.

Wells seemed to be incurring the frequent displeasure of the referee but were holding firm with Mike Hathaway, Josh Hawkins and Brendan Crosilla very prominent in defence. In fact, it was the visitors who were next on the scoreboard on 23 minutes when a high tackle was penalised and Reynolds slotted a penalty to make it 6-8.

The next 15 minutes was to prove the pivotal period though as Dorking dominated possession and territory. Wave after wave of attacks saw the home side exerting immense pressure on Wells and despite some excellent clearing kicks from Rigby and Reynolds, it seemed just a matter of time before the lead changed hands. Dorking’s forwards hammered away at their opponents but Allen, Nicholls et al held firm despite being a man down. When the home team then looked to use their backs, clever defence from Mike Doherty and Hobbs, in which they flew up to smother both man and ball, thwarted the hosts. Hobbs also earned a ruck turnover penalty, before Taylor-Dennehy had to make a brave last-ditch tackle which left him with a dead leg but the line kept in tact.

As half-time approached Dorking were still camped on the Wells line and had an attacking scrum. Could the 7-man Wells pack hold firm? The answer was a resounding yes with the experienced Croall earning his side a crucial penalty. A fine kick from Reynolds saw the ensuing Wells line-out take place just 15 metres from halfway but it needed a determined Allen to secure scrappy ball. The ball was moved into the centre for what was to be a magnificent solo try. Mike Doherty first burst through his opposite number, then side-stepped the full back, before accelerating away to complete a 60 metre run and dive over. A simply superb score which deserved the additional two points when Reynolds kicked the conversion. 6-15. HALF TIME.

Wells had already exhibited immense character to rebound from the disappointment of the red card but it seemed inevitable that the mental and physical exertion would take its toll. Yet, amazingly, it was they who were to look the fresher and stronger team in the second half. Hathaway and Hobbs did a lot of important work carrying balls in different manners – one all power and the other with dancing feet. George Montgomery now also started to exert a more significant influence over proceedings.

On 45 minutes Wells stretched their lead further with a fine team try. Crosilla, Symonds and Hobbs carried before Mike Doherty again found space. He fed Taylor-Dennehy 30 metres out who evaded the first tackler before charging into the Dorking 22. He had Montgomery and Scully in support but then realising he also had the pace to beat the home full-back he dummied and went over himself for a cracking score. Reynolds conversion faded wide but it was now 6-20.

Before long Wells were back on the attack again when good hands from Scully gave Montgomery some space on the outside. His clever chip was gathered by a defender but unfortunately the late tackle on him was not seen and Dorking were able to clear their lines. The game was now opening up but was becoming imprecise in nature. When Dorking went forward Wells’ robust defence was thwarting them and unlike the first half the home side were not able to build momentum and possession. Despite being a man down, Wells were looking increasingly comfortable but their determination to win was going to be even more severely tested when Hawkins received a yellow card for a late tackle on 56 minutes.

It was now 15 against 13 and it must have been demoralising for Dorking that they could not take sufficient advantage of this. One shuddering Hathaway hit and Taylor-Dennehy clearance kick epitomised the visitors efforts although Dorking did cross for one try on 61 minutes when centre Ryan Jeffrey forced his way over. 11-20.

Indeed, Wells themselves came close to scoring when a powerful rolling maul that saw backs join their forward pals was only halted on the line. Ben Isbell joined the fray replacing Hawkins as they were restored to 14 men. Wells were now looking the more likely side to score and whilst an intelligent Rigby kick was collected by Dorking’s Wilson it resulted in an attacking line-out 5 metres out. Could the boys in blue turn the screw? Sadly, there was an accidental offside at the maul but Dorking were simply unable to relive the pressure. Scully (on his way to being awarded Man of the Match) linked well out wide with the industrious Nicholls and when the ball was passed to Reynolds he was tackled high by Rory Mitchell and the Dorking replacement received a yellow card. With Reynolds kicking the penalty it was now 11-23 on 73 minutes.

Wells soon put themselves back into Dorking territory as Allen and Mike Doherty made forward thrusts, ably supported by Symonds and Isbell. Carl Straeche replaced Crosilla. Time was now running out and Wells were on top. An excellent phase of play saw Taylor-Dennehy in space again. With an overlap out wide the bonus-point try looked on but an interception 15 metres from their own line set Dorking away and despite valiant covering efforts from Scully and Hobbs home flanker Josh Grant scored a try that was converted by Wilson. 18-23. There was no nerve-jangling ending though as the final whistle was blown.

Given the circumstance of playing 65 minutes with 14 men (and 10 with 13) this was a superb effort from Tunbridge Wells, and a performance from which Head Coach Simon Whatling and his players can derive an immense amount of pride. They now move up to 8th in the league ahead of the final home game of the campaign this Saturday when they host Kent rivals Sidcup. Like Wells their opponents have hit a rich vein of form, winning their last 4 matches to avoid relegation and move up to 9th. Having lost by a single point in a bruising game at Sidcup when they last met, the home team will be looking for a win in front of their home support and kick off at St Marks is 3pm.

Squad: Ryan Taylor-Dennehy (Capt); Lucas Scully, Mike Doherty, George Montgomery, Max Hobbs; Frank Reynolds, Charlie Rigby; Aston Croall, Stuart Nicholls, Brendan Crosilla, Josh Hawkins, Matt Symonds, Mike Hathaway, Dave Allen, Nick Doherty. Subs: Carl Straeche, Ben Isbell, Rich Murray.

Wells travelled to Chiswick on a very windy Saturday afternoon to try and right the wrongs from the week before, when they threw a 17 point lead away in the last 5 minutes of the game. The squad had worked hard during the week knowing that CS Stags would be a very tough opponent. On the very open sports field the wind was howling down the pitch and Wells chose to play into the wind first half. The game kicked off and was stalemate for the first 25 minutes before back rower Nick Doherty was sin binned after a team warning. Stags took advantage of the extra man and 3 minutes later scored between the posts after the ball was fumbled at the back. They converted making it 7-0 and soon after scored again off a lineout which they converted taking the game to 14-0. Doherty returned and Wells were soon on the attack, with wave after wave, though pick and drives, Hathaway powered over the line which Reynolds successfully converted. Wells came out for the second half playing with the wind and they came out of the blocks very quickly. A quick line out between Crosilla and Pankhurst, saw the ball go through quick hands with Montgomery taking a straight line which split the Stags defence for him to be driven over the line by his pack. Again successfully converted by Reynolds. 14-14. Soon after the physical and attacking defence took its toll on Stags, with the Stags second row, their most influential player taking a head knock and having to leave the field, soon followed by the scrum half and a back row player. This soon told and Wells started to take a hold of the game and they scored further tries through Taylor-Dennehy and Mike Doherty.

The back row of Doherty, Hathaway and Isbell were immense, making driving runs and putting up a solid defence, with strong carrying by Crosilla making scrum half Rigby’s afternoon mainly on the front foot. With 5 minutes to go Stags broke through what had been a solid defensive wall and scored out wide taking the score to 19-24. Wells had learned their lesson from the week before, they kicked off, Rigby turned the ball over and the forwards took control once again. From 10 phases of play and excellent possession of the ball, it was spun wide for Mike Doherty to round off an excellent team performance and score between the posts for Reynolds to convert. Final score 19-31.

Wells will take a lot of positives from this game and now look to secure their place in the London & SE Premier League when Chingford visit St Marks in two weeks time on 23rd March. 3pm KO. Wells will need 5 points from that game to secure their place for next Season.

John Crees
Tunbridge Wells RFC Chairman

Tunbridge Wells hosted Chingford at St Marks in their penultimate home game of this season’s London & South East Premier League campaign. There has been close recent history between the two clubs with Wells winning a promotion play-off at Chingford in extra time two years ago by 2 points and then losing by the same margin when travelling to Essex before Christmas.

Added spice was provided by the fact that Wells knew that a victory, coupled with results elsewhere, would guarantee their place in the league for next season and subject their visitors to the disappointment of relegation. Whilst Chingford had lost 7 of their last 8 games, five of these had been by just one score and they had also drawn against Wimbledon who sit second in the league so this was unlikely to be an easy game. However, this is a resurgent Wells team who bounced back from conceding three late tries in a home draw against Bedford Athletic to record a crucial win at CS Stags two weeks ago. The home starting XV was unchanged form that which had won in Chiswick with the only change being Matt Symonds coming onto the bench.

The home team kicked off playing down the hill with the strong cross-breeze behind them and were immediately on the attack. Initial thrusts were thwarted but when Chingford were penalised (which was a recurring theme of the day) Wells gained a new foothold and opened the scoring on 8 minutes. Good carries from prop Brendan Crosilla and wing Jake Caddy took Wells into the visitors 22 before outside half Frank Reynolds scythed through the defence and passed to the ever-excellent Mike Hathaway. The flanker touched down under the posts making Reynolds’ conversion a simple one. 7-0.

The nerves stemming from the importance of the match were evident throughout and were typified by a Wells knock-on and penalty from the restart. To the relief of home supporters Scott Meakin’s penalty attempt went wide. The strong running Number 8 David Ogufere broke tackles for the visitors but a knock-on halted progress. However, Chingford’s pressure was to be rewarded on 16 minutes. A powerful run from centre Sam Kendall put the Essex side on the front foot and when the ball was spun wide prop David Banfield stepped a defender and showed great pace to score the try. However, the conversion was missed. 7-5.

Wells bounced back immediately. Caddy, Nick Doherty and George Montgomery combined well but an excellent last-ditch tackle thwarted the men from St Marks. The ensuing defensive scrum proved to be something of a turning point though. The Wells front-row of Carl Straeche, Josh Pankhurst and Crosilla had the edge in the scrums throughout and when Ogufere tried to drive from the base of his scrum he was upended by Charlie Rigby and Hathaway and not only was a scrum awarded to Wells but he suffered an injury that was to hinder him thereon in. From the attcking scrum Nick Doherty and Hathaway drove onwards before the impressive Crosilla plunged over between the posts. Reynolds’ conversion made it 14-5 on 24 minutes.

Chingford missed another penalty before a clever kick by scrum-half Rigby put Wells into the Chingford red zone again. The match was becoming something of a clash of styles with Wells looking to put the ball through the hands and use width whilst Chingford’s game was much more direct in its approach. Ill discipline was costing the visitors and at one stage three successive penalties saw Wells make 65 metres. Despite a fine Christian Earle catch and drive Wells could not stretch their lead and frustration was evident. It needed a thrusting run from skipper Ryan Taylor-Dennehy to settle his team down. The injured Caddy was replaced by Max Hobbs, who was to have an exhilarating second half.

As the game moved into stoppage time the home support were desperate for another score down the hill and they were to be rewarded by an excellent team try. A Montgomery kick pushed Wells forward and patient play, highlighted by runs from Straeche and Hathaway, saw the ball spun out and good hands from Rigby and Montgomery put second row Josh Hawkins into space. The athletic forward galloped over for the try. Unfortunately, Reynolds’ conversion attempt hit the post but it did result in a more comfortable 19-5 half time lead.

With the visitors now playing down the St Marks hill and with the wind at their backs, the game was still very much up for grabs. The first half has been staccato in nature and Wells had benefited from some imprecise play by their opponents. What Wells needed was a strong start but it seemed ominous when they were turned over from the kick-off. However, this was not to set the tone for the half though as Wells were to see off the threat posed by Chingford relatively comfortably.

The irrepressible Hathaway earned a turnover penalty as the penalty count against the visitors rose ever upwards. It was, therefore, very much against the tone of the game when Crosilla received a yellow card on 53 minutes for what was deemed to be a dangerous tackle. Stuart Nicholls came on as a temporary replacement for wing Rich Murray to cover for Crosilla. The game had now became very scrappy which did Wells no harm given they were ahead and it took two thrilling counter-attack runs from Hobbs to elevate the standard of play. Chingford were determined in their efforts as they tried to save their season but one particularly fine Mike Doherty run took away their momentum.

On the hour Chingford were awarded a penalty 30 metres out and, with Wells a man down, the attacking line-out that looked destined to follow set alarm bells ringing. Much to the relief of home fans the kick was sent dead and this was to be the key moment in the game. Shortly afterwards a 35 metre Hobbs run took Wells into the Chingford half. The brothers Doherty made strong runs to set Wells back on the attack and after another “typical” Nick Doherty break and offload, Reynolds linked superbly with Montgomery who cruised over for the very popular bonus-point try which Reynolds converted. 26-5 on 64 minutes.

Matt Symonds and Nicholls now joined the fray for Earle and Straeche who could be satisfied by a job well done. Chingford continued to make one-out attacks but nothing more came from them with both Murray and Ben Isbell making crucial tackles. Taylor-Dennehy and Hobbs linked well to gain territory but despite a series of good attacking positions the home team were not to cross the line again. Beating off strong competition Charlie Rigby was named man of the match.

Full time was reached with a 26-5 win and with Brentwood losing to Sutton & Epsom, Tunbridge Wells had secured their place in the league for 2019/20 with three games to spare. Now the aim is to achieve as high a league position as is possible in a highly-competitive division to gain momentum into the off-season. This quest begins on Saturday (30th) with a trip to Dorking. Kick off is 3pm and all support would be gratefully received by the players.

Squad: Ryan Taylor-Dennehy (Capt); Jake Caddy (Max Hobbs), Mike Doherty, George Montgomery, Rich Murray; Frank Reynolds, Charlie Rigby; Carl Straeche (Stuart Nicholls), Josh Pankhurst, Brendan Crosilla, Josh Hawkins, Christian Earle (Matt Symonds), Ben Isbell, Mike Hathaway, Nick Doherty.

Scorers: Tries – Hathaway, Crosilla, Hawkins, Montgomery; Cons – Reynolds (3).

Graham Withers

TUNBRIDGE WELLS RFC 1st XV. 31. BEDFORD ATHLETIC RFC 1st XV. 31.

Bedford Athletic made their first visit to Tunbridge Wells in this London and SE Premier League game and chose to play up the slope with the wind in the first half. This looked like a good choice as they took a 7-0 lead after 9 minutes as Wells fluffed a clearance kick. It took four further minutes for Wells to be back on terms as a handling move including returning skipper Ryan Taylor-Dennehy saw the ball into the hands of Matt Spicer who took his chance well to score in the corner with fly half Frank Reynolds pulling off a great conversion against the wind from the touchline.

By this time Wells had established a scrum dominance which they were to maintain for the rest of the game with Croall, Pankhurst and Crosilla turning the screw. Wells despite being against the wind handled well and occupied a high field position and increased their score on 16 minutes as Christian Earle finished a rolling maul and Reynolds again added the points 14-7. The game see-sawed from end to end for the next 16 minutes with both sides defences to the fore but Bedford drew Level on 31 minutes with a fine midfield passing movement which culminated in centre Sawford-Smith scoring under the posts and Mortimer converting 14-14. Soon afterwards the visitor’s skipper Rob Watkins got a yellow card and spent 10 minutes out of the game.

Wells though came straight back as the visitors made a handling error in midfield picked up by back row Josh Hawkins and continued through several hands to Nick Doherty who scored Wells third try with Reynolds getting the conversion for a half time lead of 21-14 and with the wind to come in the second half.

The general conclusion at halftime was that Bedford had not tactically used the conditions and Wells immediately on the restart put the ball in the top right hand corner of the pitch through fly half Reynolds and scrum half Charlie Rigby and kept the opposition trapped there for long periods. This territorial advantage saw Reynolds increase Wells lead on 52 minutes with a simple penalty 24-14. The period between that score and the 75th minute saw Bedford unable to get into the Wells half but apart from a slick handling move which looked like George Montgomery had scored a fourth try but pulled back for a marginal forward pass Wells could not breach the Bedford defence.

It took until the 75th minute for a fourteen phase ‘pick and drive ‘ battering of the Visitors line for the ball to move wide to Christian Earle who took his second try and the bonus well with Reynolds again adding the extras. 31-14.

This remained the score until injury time when the game took a completely different character with Bedford running the ball almost it seemed in desperation. It proved not to be desperation as a tiring Wells side with no ability to bring on fresh players from the bench were stretched wide with Bedford scoring unconverted tries on 80 and 83 minutes before scoring another right on full-time. Mortimer who had not until then had the best afternoon with the boot adding the extras to tie the game with time up.

Both sides gained 3 points for a draw and a try bonus but for Wells this was two points lost as they turn to their next game against CS Stags in West London this Saturday KO 3pm. The town side will look forward to getting some of their injured and unavailable back as they seek to play towards mid table by the end of the campaign.

Roger Clarke

BRENTWOOD 17 – 38 TUNBRIDGE WELLS

Wells travelled across to Brentwood this week following the loss to Guildford the week before knowing that they had to win this game to avoid the relegation zone. Brentwood on the other hand were extremely confident quoting that this match would be an easy win for them. They were in for quite a shock as the Wells were fired up for this match and were not going down without a fight.

Wells started the game against the wind and up the slope and soon found themselves under a lot of pressure from Brentwood who used their big forwards to punch holes in the Wells defence. Wells were camped on their line for several periods of time but managing to keep them out with solid defence from Hathaway, Doherty and Isbell. After 13 minutes however Wells found themselves offside at the ruck and were penalised with Brentwood converting to make the score 3-0. Straight from the kick off Brentwood piled on more pressure pinning Wells back down in the corner and it was on 32 minutes when their bulky centre punched through a gap and scored between the posts which was converted making the score 10-0. Wells then started their comeback with a great break from Doherty at the base of the scrum, feeding Caddy who skipped through a couple of tackles only for the last pass to go to ground. Just before half time Wells pressured Brentwood again and after several phases lively scrum half Storkey danced his way over the try line, between the posts for Reynolds to convert taking the half time score to 10-7.

The second half started the same as the first with Brentwood taking the game to Wells and scoring first with a try which was also converted, making the score 17-7. This woke Wells up and they soon started playing more territory and using the wind. Some strong running from the front row of Straeche, Nicholls and Crosilla tested the Brentwood defence and this eventually paid off with Man of the match Crosilla crossing the line between the posts, again for Reynolds to score. Brentwood never got out of their half again with Wells now firing on all cylinders. Excellent lineout work from Earle and Hawkins secured solid ball and another strong driving phase saw Earle power his way over between the posts for Reynolds to covert. 17-24. After another strong lineout, a catch and drive saw the returning Pankhurst finish off a rolling maul for Reynolds to covert again. With only a few minutes remaining Talbot replaced Isbell and Clough replaced Storkey. Wells however were not finished and some excellent handing and interplay involving the lively Montgomery, Reynolds, Hathaway, N Doherty feeding his brother Mike Doherty to finish off with an excellent try between the post converted by Reynolds making the final score 17-38.

Wells will take a lot of positives from this game particularly their dogged defence and take it on to their next game in two weeks against the league leaders Sutton & Epsom at home at St Marks. KO 2-30pm.

John Crees
Tunbridge Wells RFC Chairman

Wells kicked off the first game of 2019 in calm conditions and with a near perfect pitch to play on against bottom side Shelford in this London and SE Premier Division game.
Dave Allen and George Montgomery both remained on the injured list with Luke Hawkins and Jake Caddy replacing them.
The home side started the slower of the two and for the first few minutes found it difficult to generate pace or space as a result. Shelford for their part were quicker but a little lateral in their movement. Nevertheless it was the visitors who looked more like scoring missing a relatively simple penalty on 2 minutes and then scoring a try down the left as Wells lost possession and then completely misjudged the kick ahead to see Lewis Cracknell go in for an unconverted try after 5 minute 0-5.

Wells then had more of the ball but had a tendency to lose possession in the collision.
However, they did occupy a higher field position and on 16 minutes Nick Doherty made a telling burst on the right to feed Mike Hathaway who took the perfect line to score and for Frank Reynolds to convert. 7-5.
Wells continued to create chances going close before a knock- on in the 21st minute and dominating the line out and scrum. Scores would not come, however,due to the spirit of the Shelford team and an inability to keep possession in the loose.
It was not until the last 10 minutes of the half that the town side found some continuity and cohesion as they first took advantage of a poor kick ahead to counter attack with the ball being moved smartly to centre Mike Doherty who carved the perfect outside break and then cut into the posts for the try with Reynolds adding the extras on 39 minutes 14-5.
Finally in the 41st minute Wells countered from even deeper as they turned the ball over in their own 22 with Nick Doherty carrying for 40 meters before passing onto Christian Earle in space who got to five metres before handing the try to the supporting wing Richard Webster in the right corner for an unconverted try and a halftime lead of 19-5.

With Wells playing towards Frant in the second half many on the touchline expected play to be in that direction but the cohesion achieved prior to the break seemed to have been lost in the changing room and despite dominating the set pieces Wells continued to lose the ball in the loose. An attempted clearance kick down the right was executed poorly in the 52nd minute which allowed Shelford to get up steam and feed the ball to their outstanding young second row Fred Betteridge who got over for an unconverted try 19-10.
This try seemed to sting Wells who enjoyed a period of play where with the back row and the pack in general driving forward they pinned Shelford on their line. First Mike Doherty was hauled down 6 inches short of the line and Wells were then awarded a penalty within seconds which they opted to scrummage. The Wells 8 drove over the line for No 8 Nick Doherty to get the touch down and the bonus point try on 64 minutes. 26-10.

At this point most felt the job had been done despite the spirit of the Shelford side.
However, that old friend indiscipline cropped up again with second row Josh Hawkins getting a yellow on 72 minutes. This did not prevent substitute Scrum half Anthony Storkey making a supercharged run down the right touchline to be hauled down metres short of the try line by an outstanding tackle from Shelford full back Shingai Chiwanga.
There was still time for Wells to go down to 13 men for the last 4 minutes of the game as Matt Spicer took an offside yellow for the team as they successfully kept the visitors at bay until the final whistle.

Wells now have to make sure that the all of the ring rustiness from the Christmas break has gone in order to bring back points from third placed Westcliff next week KO 2 00 pm. To do this they will have to play in more than patches as they seek to continue the move towards the top half of the table.

Roger Clarke.

On a very wet, cold and windy afternoon, the Wells visited Wimbledon who are currently leading the London & SE Premier league. Earlier in the Season Wimbledon beat the Wells comprehensively by 52-8 and Wells were adamant that this type of result was not going to happen again. Wells saws the return of Ben Williams, Richard Webster and debutant James Catt strengthening the pack.

Wells kicked off with the wind and pressurised Wimbledon with immediate effect. Only solid defence from Wimbledon thwarted Wells from scoring, with strong running from Catt, Hathaway and Doherty. Good handling in the backs threatened Wimbledon phase after phase. Against the run of play Wimbledon made their way downfield and after 12 minutes saw them score their first try through pick and drives from their bulky pack.

Wells fought straight back through good phase play, direct running and great handling given the conditions. They were rewarded quickly after a 5 metre scrum saw George Montgomery dive over the line to level the scores.

Just before half time Wells were on the attack again pressurizing the Wimbledon line and testing their defence. With an overlap looming, Taylor-Dennehy’s pass was intercepted by the Wimbledon winger, who sprinted away only to be caught on the 22 by Taylor-Dennehy, who was adjudged to have seat belt tackled the player, then sent to the bin for 10 minutes. Wimbledon kicked to the corner and from the ensuing lineout, drove over the Wells line to take the half time score to 10-5.

Second half and the conditions got worse. Wells immediately went into attacking mode and pressurized Wimbledon continuously for 40 minutes. Some strong running by Webster drove Wells forward and Wells found themselves camped on the Wimbledon three times, unable to convert the points by either knocking on or sealing off the ball. The solid defence of Wimbledon held out and the final whistle went, leaving the final score at 10-5. Given the conditions the standard of rugby from both sides was excellent and Wells left, feeling that they let this one slip through their fingers again.

Wells now have a two week break for Christmas and come back in the New Year to face Shelford at St Marks on 5th January.

John Crees

TUNBRIDGE WELLS RFC 1ST XV. 18. DORKING RFC 1ST XV. 3

Wells faced visitors Dorking- one place above them in L and SE Premier league- at a rain soaked and windswept St Marks. Pre match changes both planned and unplanned saw Chris Pentney, Ben Isbell, Richard Murray and Jake Caddy starting with Luke Hawkins joining the bench.
Wells kicked off up the hill with the wind advantage in the first half and immediately established a territorial dominance they would not relinquish all half. Within 5 minutes Frank Reynolds had missed a penalty goal which he made up for only 2 minutes later to give Wells the lead 3-0. Wells from the kick off were immediately back into the Dorking 22 and after a neat dribble by several Wells players kept the pressure on as they drove at the visitors line. Eventually patience was rewarded as No8 Nick Doherty went over between the posts on 14 minutes and Reynolds converting for a 10-0 lead.
With a number of changes already to the side Wells did not want further disruption but got it when key prop Ben Williams and back row Ben Isbell collided with each other and played no further part in the game being replaced by Carl Straeche and Luke Hawkins.
This made no difference, however, to Wells dominance as they continued to occupy a high field position which earnt them a further Reynolds penalty and a near miss from 45 metres from George Montgomery. The halftime whistle seeing Wells 13-0 up having had close to 80% of the possession in difficult conditions.

With the conditions the same in the second half Dorking supporters could have reasonably expected to gain an advantage particularly from the wind but this never happened as tenacious tackling and some sharp break outs kept Wells on top.
Dorking suffered their own injury as a back was carried off with a suspected ankle fracture soon after the restart. If Dorking were to come back they needed to do so early and at around the start of the last quarter it looked like they might as first they were held up over the Wells try line and then had two successive penalty awards in front of the posts but chose to scrum. Wells withstood this onslaught as the pack led by skipper for the day Mike Hathaway won the turnover and got the ball some 35 metres up the field.
With Richard Webster replacing Richard Murray Wells made 50 metres on the left through a pacy touch line run from Mike Doherty. Maintaining the position the Wells pack then put in a succession of pick and drives before Anthony Storkey spotted a mismatch in defence on the right. Quick hands to right wing Matt Spicer saw him in for the try at the corner to seal the game in the 73rd minute.

This was a very good performance from the Wells with special mention for Chris Pentney and for Carl Straeche who stuck to their roles well. Stuart Nicholls throwing in the line out is becoming an art form in wild conditions and backs and forwards can take credit for their aggressive and often offensive tackling. Skipper Hathaway took the Man of the Match award for a huge tackle count which exemplified the Wells performance.

This Saturday Wells visit Kent rivals Sidcup KO 2 00 pm as they look to get higher in the league positions before the Christmas Break.

Roger Clarke.

Chingford RFC 23 Tunbridge Wells RFC 21

With a thick covering of dark grey cloud and a stiff cold breeze coming across the pitch it was never going to be a comfortable afternoon. The last time these two sides met was in the incredibly close playoff match which led to us being promoted into this league two seasons ago with Chingford following us up at the start of this season.

Wells started brightly putting together a lovely passage of play with the ball going through hands to Richard Webster who went in at pace and scored in the far corner after 2 minutes. Unconverted. 0 – 5 to Wells. Another 7 minutes and Frank Reynolds made no mistake with the penalty, taking it to 0 – 8. From the restart Chingford’s fullback landed awkwardly damaging his knee and leading to a pause in play for some minutes. When play restarted it seemed Chingford were energised and they came back with a powerful attack which led to a score in the corner. 5 – 8. Both sides continued to work hard in the middle of the field but there was no further score for 15 minutes. With Wells conceding too many penalties in the danger zone Chingford took advantage converting two taking the score to 11 – 8 just short of half time. But then with a Chingford infringement around 20m from their line Frank Reynolds kicked a penalty to the corner for a lineout. The ball was successfully spun out to the backs and after a few probing attacks fed out to Ryan Taylor-Dennehy who took it in for the score in the corner on the stroke of half time. 11 – 15.

Chingford started well in the second half and after some sustained pressure the ref determined that Mike Doherty had his hands in the ruck and was sent to the bin for 10 minutes. Chingford capitalised with a try taking the score to 18 – 15. Three minutes later Wells replied with another penalty drawing the scores level. 18 – 18. And ten minutes later, another. 18 – 21. With the light well and truly fading, and the clock moving slowly towards full time Wells found themselves back down to 14 again after further pressure on the Wells line resulted in a yellow for Josh Hawkins. Chingford piled on the pressure and eventually went over for their final try. 23 – 21 Full time.

Head Coach, Simon Whatling, said “Clearly we were all disappointed at the end of the game. Discipline let us down and we weren’t as accurate as we should have been. We go again next week with the arrival of Dorking.”

TWRFC v Dorking RFC Saturday 1st December 2pm.

Bruce Elliott

TUNBRIDGE WELLS 24 CS STAGS 18

This week saw Wells entertain CS Stags 1863 at St Marks on a sunny but chilly Saturday afternoon. CS were promoted last year and had already taken the scalp of Wimbledon, the league leaders, early on in the Season. They sat in 11th spot in the league, one position below Wells, so this game was important for both sides and the game certainly showed this.

Wells started strongly putting CS under pressure from the kick off. Only the final pass going astray or silly errors preventing Wells from scoring. However after 5 minutes CS made a break and Wells were penalised for offside in front of their posts which CS converted, making the score 0-3. Wells fought straight back and after several attacks, they were awarded a penalty which Frank Reynolds converted with ease. Strong running from the backrow of Allen, Hathaway and Doherty finally paid off when Nick Doherty picked up from the base of a ruck and powered over for Wells’ first try, converted by Reynolds. 10-3.

Soon after, on the brink of half time, strong phases of play, with Stu Nicholls hitting Earle in the lineout, Wells scored their second try with George Montgomery skipping his way around the defence to score under the posts. Again converted by Reynolds, taking the score to 17-3. The referee then added another 8 minutes of extra time much to the bemusement of the supporters and players, CS Stags scored a try in the corner in 48th minute taking the half time score to 17-8

Cs started the second half much stronger having been boosted by their extra time try and put Wells under a huge amount of pressure testing the defence of the home side. Wells held strong and it was not long before they were back in attack.

From a lineout on the 22 they caught and drove in a unit and could not be stopped, Dave Allen touching down from a magnificent forward effort. Reynolds again converting to take the score to 24-8.

CS were not going to give up, however, Wells lost prop Ben Williams to an injury and this was a key point in the game. Cs pressurised Wells in the scrum and were finally rewarded with another try which they converted following on with another penalty taking the final score to 24-18.

Wells will be happy with another win under their belts following a disappointing result against Bedford a couple of weeks ago. A great all round performance and a debut appearance from Anthony Storkey at scrum half, who also had an excellent game.

Wells travel to Chingford next week (KO 2 30pm)whom they last played in the promotion play off 2 Seasons ago, coming out victors by 2 points after extra time. Wells will be looking for a further victory on the road as they look to close a 4 point gap to the sides above them.

John Crees