Wells took to a relatively dry St Marks pitch with Matt Spicer starting for the injured Max Douch, with Hayden Pengelly returning to the back row after injury and with Dave Allen moving to the bench.

The home side proceeded to dominate this London and SE premier division game in the first quarter as they played up the hill defending the Sussex end of the ground. This period featured some sharp inter passing, great running angles at pace and some very effective defence as 5^th placed Westcliff looked to put their mark on the game after a great win against Barnes last week.

Wells had threatened on two other occasions before they got points on the Board as Shaydn Osgood and Mike Doherty interpassed on the left for Doherty to do a great job in getting the ball down as he dived into the left corner. Fly half Frank Reynolds bringing his usual accuracy to a conversion from the touchline 7-0 on 14 minutes.

Westcliff enjoyed possession during this period as well and Wells performed magnificently in defence close to the 20 minute mark as they defended 14 phases of play with Westcliff recycling accurately but never really getting over the gain line.

With 21 minutes gone and some accurate prompting from the boot of fly half Reynolds Matt Spicer and Reynolds exchanged passes at speed before setting wing Blaise Salle free to score the try again converted by Reynolds 14-0.

Wells created several other opportunities as the game progressed towards the 30 minute mark but Westcliff also saw action as their left wing was bundled to touch some 3 metres out with the defending side clearing their lines from the ensuing line out, as hooker Luke Hawkins left the field to be replaced by Kyle  McGarvie.

Wells came close on a number of other occasions most notably when No 8 Nick Doherty put in a brilliant break in midfield and then an inch perfect kick in front of the Wells backs. It looked as if Matt Spicer would score but he just failed to gather the bouncing ball 10 metres out. Wells also scorned kicking potential penalties as Reynolds kicked them to the corner only for Wells line out to malfunction as they were pulled up for not straight in promising positions. As it was halftime was reached with the home supporters thinking their side would have been value for another seven points and with Westcliff still just in the game at 14-0.

Wells came out of the changing room for the second half having to make changes as influential fly half Frank Reynolds suffered a recurrence of a shoulder injury with Ryan Taylor-Dennehy moving to 10 and Academy product Richard Webster assuming the full back duties.

With Wells now playing down the hill the side upped their pace with Man of the Match Mike Hathaway, returnee Hayden Pengelly and Nick Doherty outstanding and backed up by the pace of Christian Earle and Owain Withers putting Westcliff under pressure in their own half. It was all three of the back row who carried in a move instigated by Nick Doherty that saw Hayden Pengelly score try number 3 on 46 minutes which Taylor- Dennehy narrowly missed the conversion for. 19-0 on 46 minutes.

Westcliff then dominated the next 10 minutes of play working the left hand touchline and with their set scrum gaining some ascendancy as Dave Allen joined the fray on 58 minutes for Pengelly. Within 2 minutes of Allen’s arrival Wells had their try bonus as the side drove from the line out, held the ball in and then released with a delightful blind side pass to wing Matt Spicer (from skipper Chas Spence) who got in at the left corner for the fourth try. 24-0 on 60 minutes.

It was credit to Westcliff who had taken a bit of a battering and run mainly across the field that they competitively came back into the game in the last 20 minutes preventing Wells from any further score and picking up a converted push over try from their Man of the Match No 8 Joe Vandermolen. This was the last sniff on 68 minutes that Wells gave Westcliff of their line as they demonstrated sound game management  to bring home a very impressive 6th win of the season, despite the loss of their hooker and fly half for a fair proportion of the game.

Wells now need to keep this mini run of wins going as still in 7^th place they visit Guildford KO 2 00pm next Saturday as they look to see if they can force their way back into the top six.

Squad: Carl Straeche, Luke Hawkins, ( Kyle McGarvie,), Brendan Crosilla, Christian Earle, Owain Withers, Hayden Pengelly, ( Dave Allen), Mike Hathaway, Nick Doherty, Chas Spence, Frank Reynolds,  Blaise Salle, Shaydn Osgood, Mike Doherty, Matt Spicer, Ryan Taylor-Dennehy, Richard Webster.

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After three successive defeats, Head Coach Simon Whatling will have been seeking a response from his players when his Tunbridge Wells team travelled “up the road” to Sidcup and, simply put, he could not have asked more. This was comfortably Wells’ strongest all-round performance of their first campaign at this level.

A warm welcome off the pitch before-hand was always likely to be replicated by a “warm” welcome on the field of play despite a bitterly cold cross-field northerly wind. This was the second of Wells’ four Kent derby games this season and the team from St Marks were looking for revenge over Sidcup having lost both games last year when the teams clashed in London One South before gaining promotion together. Sidcup sat 7^th in the league two points ahead of Wells with the visitors in 10^th but by the time they left south London these positions had been reversed.

Wells were delighted to welcome back prop Brendan Crosilla and influential outside-half Frank Reynolds after injury, and on paper at least the squad looked as strong as any that had taken to the field this season.

Wells kicked off and the tempo of the game was set instantly with it being nearly 2 minutes before the first break in play. Crosilla and flanker Dave Allen (who was to be hugely influential all game) carried strongly and Reynolds was back orchestrating play. Max Douch looked for work off his wing position and a half-break by him led to a 40 metre territorial kick by Reynolds pinning the home team back in to their own 22. Wells soon forced an attacking line-out which was taken by lock Owain Withers and a maul was set. The carrying work of Crosilla was evident throughout and he and hooker Luke Hawkins were prominent again before a deft Blaise Salle pass popped Christian Earle into space and the athletic forward galloped 15 metres to the posts for a try converted by Reynolds on 6 minutes. An good start. 0-7.

Before long a searching 45 metre kick from impressive full-back Ryan Taylor-Dennehy had Wells on the front foot again and on 11 minutes Reynolds extended the lead with a penalty kick. 0-10.

Wells felt aggrieved when Allen was penalised from the re-start for not releasing in the tackle when he did not appear to be held but this only served to fire up the experienced campaigner even more. The visitors defended the ensuing line-out well but on 14 minutes Josh Twyford converted a penalty goal from 35 metres to make it 3-10.

A Reynolds kick and massive Shaydn Osgood follow-up tackle (and his powerful defence and carrying was another key feature of the game) gave Wells a scrum just inside the Sidcup half. Tyalor-Dennehy and Crosilla took the ball forward before Reynolds cleverly put Osgood into space. He beat two men making 20 metres before feeding Nick Doherty who easily brushed aside a tackle to score a try under the posts. With the Reynolds conversion Wells were 17-3 up after 22 minutes and this was a fair reflection of their excellent first quarter.

Wells continued to show a desire to be pro-active in attack with tip passes and strong counter-attacks making space and yardage. The line-out functioned impressively all day with Hawkins hitting Earle, Withers and Mike Hathaway with aplomb. The scrum was also more robust and with the pressure Osgood and Mike Doherty were exerting in midfield, Sidcup were hanging on at this stage. However, Wells could not quite turn their pressure into points and on 34 minutes it was Sidcup who scored next via a second Twyford penalty. 6-17. Wells now had one of their sadly customary discipline “lapses” as the referee awarded a series of penalties for breakdown infringements. Eventually, Twyford was back in kicking range again and on 38 minutes he made it 9-17.

The visitors needed another score to more fully reflect their first half superiority and it was to come as the game moved into stoppage time. A penalty was sent 40 metres into touch to set up an attacking line-out. Hathaway soared to catch the ball and after Crosilla and Allen were denied at close range it was Earle who powered over for his second try. With a fine Reynolds conversion Wells were able to take an impressive 24-9 lead into half-time.

What was needed now was more of the same to prevent a tenacious Sidcup team from getting back into the game. To the delight of the travelling support this is exactly what happened. When Sidcup fumbled the ball 35 metres out Withers was on hand to show excellent footballing skills and kick through. Douch flew forward to gather the ball but was thwarted just short of the line. However, quick recycling saw the ball in Allen’s hands and he crashed over for a well-deserved try on 42 minutes. It was converted by Reynolds and it also secured the try bonus point. 9-31.

With strong tackles from Salle and Douch, Sidcup could not get out of their own half and when they did try a speculative kick it was fielded by Taylor-Dennehy on his own 10 metre line. He broke the first two tackles before beating the next defender on the outside and then another on the inside to sprint clear for an outstanding individual try on 47 minutes. 9-36.

With a vocal home support Sidcup were determined to get back in the match and on 50 minutes a strong rolling maul eventually saw James Poland dot down for an unconverted try. 14-36. Shortly afterwards a fine combined tackle by Allen and Douch thwarted a Sidcup counter-attack but it sadly saw the latter dislocate his knee and leave the field. It was an unfortunate end to what had been an impressive display from the young wing. Matt Spicer entered the fray.

Sidcup were experiencing by far their best phase of the game now as Wells started to concede penalties. Messrs Allen, Earle, and Osgood engaged in some fine rear-guard defence but the pressure eventually told when home forward Luke Coughlan looped around a line-out to break two uncharacteristically weak tackles to cross under the posts on the hour. With Twyford’s conversion it was now 21-36.

However, the momentum that Sidcup had built came to an end just three minutes later. Allen intercepted a stray Sidcup pass and as he looked to stride clear he was adjudged to have been tackled high by Jack Dutton, preventing him from making a material advantage of his fine work, and the home lock was sent to the sin bin. Wells were to turn the screw in a very professional manner. Reynolds sent a long kick into the Sicdup 22 and whilst Wells were unable to take advantage of the line-out a powerful scrummage soon turned the ball over. Hawkins and Allen went close but were thwarted before a penalty was awarded. Taking advantage of the yellow card, the visitors opted for a scrum sensing that Crosilla, Hawkins and Carl Straeche now had the edge over the de-powered home pack and this was to prove the case as they marched back their opponents for Nick Doherty to secure his brace of tries at number eight on 67 minutes. 21-41.

Withers gathered the re-start and Wells were back on the attack. Skipper Chaz Spence must have been delighted at the way his team were playing and he had no small part in it himself with his mix of box-kicking, knowing when to bring his big forward runners into play and then when to attack wider with the final Wells try being a perfect example of this. Hawkins hit Hathaway at the tail of the line-out and Spence unleashed his forward runners with Allen and Crosilla again making good yardage. Sensing the opportunity, the scrum half fed the powerful Osgood who burst down the blind-side before feeding Taylor-Dennehy to coast home from 20 metres. A superb team try which deserved the excellent Reynolds conversion it got to make it 21-48 on 73 minutes.

Kyle McGarvie and Mac Popham now replaced Crosilla and Allen, who left to rapturous applause from the Wells faithful. Soon after another huge Osgood tackle dislodged the ball and Spicer kicked through. Just as he looked likely to gather and score, the ball evaded him and fine work by the covering Sidcup defender saw them set off on a counter-attack that brought an attacking penalty. Another series of penalties followed as the boys in navy and white tried to hold out but eventually home hooker Charlie Hopkins scored a third Sidcup try in the final play of the game. Full time. 26-48.

After narrowly succumbing to the new league leaders Hertford three games ago, Wells would have been bitterly disappointed at the way they lost to Dorking and Southend Saxons thereafter. What this game showed is that when they have their First XV available and play like this, they will be a challenge for all the sides in this league. This was a powerful team display epitomised by the efforts of Taylor-Dennehy, Osgood, Reynolds, Crosilla and Allen but everyone contributed to a cracking win. The key will be to keep up this level of intensity and skill, and to maintain this kind of performance throughout the season, especially when given the attritional nature of this league there will no doubt be injuries and absences to deal with along the way. However, the players have now set themselves a high benchmark and that is no bad thing.

This win moves Wells back to 7^th on 30 points – exactly 17 points behind table-topping Hertford and 17 points above Westcombe Park who occupy the final relegation spot. Mid-table but hopefully now casting an eye upwards rather than looking down at the relegation battle. The tough games keep coming though and next-week Wells host Essex side Westcliff, who have won 4 of their last 6 matches and sit 5^th. Kick-off is 2pm and all support will be gratefully received.

Squad: Ryan Taylor-Dennehy; Blaise Salle, Mike Doherty, Shaydn Osgood, Max Douch (Matt Spicer); Frank Reynolds, Chaz Spence (Capt); Brendan Crosilla (Kyle McGarvie), Luke Hawkins, Carl Straeche, Christian Earle, Owain Withers, Mike Hathaway, Dave Allen (Mac Popham), Nick Doherty.

Graham Withers

TWRFC – Sidcup – 25th November 2017

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On a grey and damp Saturday afternoon Wells welcomed Southend Saxons to St. Mark’s. With prolonged rain only stopping shortly before kick off, the players took to a wet surface for the 2.30pm kick off. A fit again Tim Collins came into the front row, Owain Withers started in the second row as did Charlie Dagwell in the back row with Mac Popham and the Doherty brothers returned to the starting line up along with Max Douch and Adam Webb on the bench.

Wells began with 15 minutes of possession with Southend getting little ball and relying on Wells giving away a flurry of penalties to relieve the pressure on their line. Wells needed to score during this period but the nearest they got was Hooker Luke Hawkins being denied a try after a deft crossfield kick from fly half Ryan Taylor – Dennehy fielded by Nick Doherty but the final pass was judged forward.

Southend gradually got back into the game with sensible wet weather tactics and Wells dominance of possession was gradually eroded as the visitors moved down the pitch and were rewarded after 24 minutes with a penalty from 25 meters kicked by fly half  Adam Dobson.

The visitors continued to dominate, as what possession Wells did achieve they kicked poorly out of hand back to the opposition, who then continued to apply pressure by concentrating on the narrow channels and not conceding penalties. This Southend pressure did not immediately reap points but after 32 minutes Charlie Dagwell was yellow carded for collapsing the maul and it did not take long for Southend to take advantage to score a driving maul try through No 6 Daniel Read close to the posts converted by Dobson to stretch the lead to 0-10  on 37 minutes.

With the wind and the slope in the second half Wells were now hoping to keep the score down to no more than this but a succession of penalties for offside and some more tactical errors as Wells were forced across the pitch saw Southend again on the Wells line deep into first half injury time. Despite a brave attempt to thwart the Southend battering of the line scrum half Tony Sprangers spotted a gap and was through at the posts to score a converted try from Dobson. This left Wells a tough ask in the conditions to come back from 0-17 at half time. To do so would require a lot more discipline, tactical understanding and technical delivery than had been shown in the first half.

Despite the slope in their favour the Wells untypically continued to run laterally in the third quarter with an occasional straightening by Christian Earle, Chas Dagwell and skipper Chas Spence. In general Southend maintained possession dominance despite the odd error at the lineout and it was not until substitutions around the 60 minute mark that Wells started to show more penetration particularly from a lively Max Douch on the right wing.

On 66 minutes Wells at last got some momentum into their game as the ever improving Christian Earle broke through and found Mac Popham on his shoulder to ultimately feed skipper Chas Spence for the try converted by Ryan Taylor-Dennehy  7-17. Wells now had the bit between their teeth and the running lines had straightened considerably. Max Douch put in a 45 metre break on 74 minutes to find Chas Spence on his shoulder who fed hooker Luke Hawkins for the try but Taylor- Dennehy could not convert. 12-17.

From the kick off Wells came roaring back down the right as Southend started to look deflated but sadly the lack of a game plan and lack of discipline at the offside line for much of the game cost them dear as the final whistle blew on a match which Wells in normal form would have secured early on.

Credit, however, must be given to Southend for cutting out the errors and adopting simple wet weather tactics to secure the winning points.

Next week is a league blank and the Wells coaches and players will need to look long and hard at how they get the bright early season start to this level of rugby back on track before visiting local rivals Sidcup in two weeks time.

Squad: Tim Collins, Luke Hawkins, Carl Straeche, Kyle McGarvie, Owain Withers, Christian Earle, Mac Popham, Charlie Dagwell, Nick Doherty, Adam Webb, Chas Spence, Ryan Taylor – Dennehy, Matt Spicer, Max Douch,  Shaydn Osgood, Mike Doherty, Blaise Salle, Olly Allman.

TWRFC – Southend – 11th November 2017

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Tunbridge Wells travelled to Dorking’s “Big Field” for a league match for the first time in 7 years. After the narrow home defeat to high-flying Hertford the previous week, hopes were high that Wells could get back on a winning track but with a much-changed team this was to be a tough day at the office against a robust and determined Dorking side.

Both teams had won half of their 8 games going into this match so were aiming for a win that would keep them looking up the table rather than looking down. With a number of experienced players unavailable Wells had to re-shuffle their squad. Tom Brunger made his first start at prop after a fine debut from the bench last week and Charlie Dagwell returned at flanker. In the backs Blaise Salle moved to centre which handed a First XV debut to wing Max Hobbs. The bench saw two further promotions from the Second XV with the elevation of skipper Adam Webb and a deserved first cap for talented Academy wing Jake Smith.

Dorking kicked off with the advantage of both the slope and the breeze. The initial phases saw a lot of kicking for territory but it was also clear that both sides were keen to play some expansive rugby once the opportunity arose. Whilst hooker Luke Hawkins largely combined well with locks Mac Popham and Christian Earle in the line-out, the visitors scrum was under pressure from the outset. Indeed, it was a collapsed scrum that led to the opening score for Dorking on 4 minutes with home skipper Matt Noble kicking a penalty from 45 metres. 3-0.

Wells came back with outside half Ryan Taylor-Dennehy feeding his forward runners with the irrepressible Hayden Pengelly and Brunger to the fore. However, a second kickable scrum penalty saw Noble double the Dorking lead on 9 minutes. 6-0.

With the scrum struggling Dorking looked to exploit their advantage here and from an attacking scrum the home side stretched their lead through a fine try. Full back Ed Carne made the initial incision on the left and when the ball was recycled right Noble and Fred Evans linked with impressive number 8 Harry Watts to send him crashing under the posts for the first of his team’s 5 tries. With Noble’s conversion it was 13-0 at a rate of a point per minute.

The travelling support were encouraged by the next passage of the game though as skipper Chaz Spence, Taylor-Dennehy, Pengelly and Hobbs made ground with both kicks and ball in hand. The catalyst for this was a thumping Shaydn Osgood tackle and the centre’s physicality was a feature all game. Dorking’s defence was very well-organised and effective throughout though and Wells could not turn their pressure into points.

On 27 minutes Wells were reduced to 14 men when prop Carl Straeche received a yellow card for persistent scrum offences and the boys from St Marks were certainly on the wrong side of the penalty count at this stage. Dorking looked likely to score soon after but the ball was lost forward as a result of a strong Hobbs cover tackle. Prop Kyle McGarvie now came on with wing Max Douch making way temporarily. Spence was kicking well in defence and it looked like Wells might see out the yellow card period without conceding more points. However, it was not to be. Watts scored a quality individual try when he took the ball down the blindside and chipped ahead before beating the Wells cover to the ball for the touchdown where the 15^th man might well have been. An excellent Noble conversion made it 20-0 on 37 minutes.

With the experienced Olly Allman having had to leave the pitch due to a serious cut, Smith now made his debut. To their credit it was Wells who finished the half the stronger. A powerful Osgood break took them deep into the Dorking 22 but support was not to hand quick enough. A period of sustained pressure ensued but despite an apparently late tackle on Taylor-Dennehy and valid appeals for offside, Dorking were able to steal the ball and clear to herald the half time whistle. Half time 20-0.

The visitors now had the hill and were back to 15 with Straeche having returned and McGarvie remained on for Brunger. They were very much in control in possession terms now but despite huge amounts of work from Mike Hathaway and Pengelly there was not a great deal of incision against a well-marshalled defence. This was to change on 48 minutes though. Salle put Earle into a gap and the athletic forward made 35 metres through the heart of the Dorking cover before a delightful popped pass to the supporting Hobbs who dived over between the posts. With Taylor-Dennehy slotting the conversion it was 20-7.

Hathaway and Earle now made further powerful runs but another Dorking turnover saw Smith pressed into defensive action and he covered well. Wells suffered a major blow on 57 minutes when the influential Pengelly had to be replaced by Webb after suffering a dislocated shoulder. Two minutes later Dorking extended their lead when Wells were ruled to have not released in a tackle and Noble slotted the penalty kick. 23-7.

Wells were keeping loyal to their attacking instincts and both Douch and Smith were eager for work. However, the game was to be effectively settled on 64 minutes. As Dorking attacked via a maul, Straeche seemed to be subjected to some careless footwork whilst on the ground. With the referee playing on to the surprise of nearby supporters, a disappointed Straeche received a second yellow card for dissent and Wells were now down to 14 players. The game got very tetchy for a period as tempers boiled over but resolute defence kept Dorking out. Brunger now had to return for Smith who should be proud of his debut efforts.

On 73 minutes Dorking extended their lead when a flowing counter-attack following Wells pressure saw Jasper King break clear and, despite another fine Hobbs tackle, the home side crossed for the try through wing Olly Rathbone. With Noble’s conversion the score was now 30-7.

Wells were still showing great ambition but they were now down to 13 when Brunger limped off and with the game going to uncontested scrums they were unable to replace him. Dorking attacks were thwarted with Webb and Osgood making important tackles but exploiting the extra men, the home team were to cross for the bonus point try on 78 minutes via Finn Osborne. To make matters worse Osgood received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle in the build-up. He walked off to make it 15 v 12 as Carne slotted the conversion. 37-7.

What happened for the next 10 minutes as the referee played a significant period of injury time should make all Wells supporters very proud. Dorking crossed again through Rathbone to make it 42-7 but thereafter it was all Tunbridge Wells. To quote club photographer Bruce Elliott…. “we camped in their 22 going phase after phase. Some absolutely fierce rugby from the lads, playing for nothing but pride by that point. Immense and impressive”. There were four successive penalties but no yellow card, and a good shout for a penalty try for a deliberate knock on, but the visitors were to get nothing but plaudits for these final efforts.

We knew there would be tough games this season where the score-line would not fully reflect the players’ efforts and this was one of those days. Real positives can be taken from the debuts of Hobbs and Smith and the leadership by example from the likes of Spence, Taylor-Dennehy and Hathaway at difficult times. Discipline remains key but now it is time to simply re-group, set the physio team to work and build ahead of another big game this week as Wells host Southend Saxons at St Marks. With the visitors having picked up their first win of the season their confidence will be up so another fiercely contested game is in store. Kick off at home is at 2.30pm and all support will be gratefully recived.

Squad: Olly Allman (Jake Smith); Max Hobbs, Blaise Salle, Shaydn Osgood, Max Douch; Ryan Taylor-Dennehy, Chaz Spence (Capt); Carl Straeche, Luke Hawkins, Tom Brunger (Kyle McGarvie), Christian Earle, Mac Popham, Hayden Pengelly (Adam Webb), Charlie Dagwell, Mike Hathaway.

Graham Withers

TWRFC – Dorking rfc – 4th November 2017

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After an excellent win last week against Westcombe Park- which was the town side’s third consecutive win taking them to 6^th place in RFU London and SE Premier Division – Wells faced 4^th placed Hertford at St Marks.

Frank Reynolds failed to pass a fitness test on his shoulder after a run of 46 consecutive games and Wells moved Ryan Taylor-Dennehy to fly half and brought in Ollie Allman at full back with Academy product Tom Brunger as a replacement prop on the bench. Jake Thompson also returning to the bench after injury against Barnes earlier in the season.

Both sides are known for their running style of play and none of the 200 plus crowd were to be disappointed on that score as the afternoon unfolded.

Wells started on the attack and reached the Hertford 22 playing up the hill only to lose the ball in the tackle and watch Hertford demonstrate the art of counter attack as they went the length of the field to the right for an ultimate score under the posts by centre Richard Streets.  With prolific full back Sean Taylor converting 0-7 after 2 mins.  Hertford continued to attack and Wells did well after 10 minutes to hold them up over the line but could do little about the penalty kicked by Taylor after 15 minutes for a home infringement on the floor 0-10.

Wells are a spirited and incisive side these days though and with the line out operating smoothly and enough control in the set scrum they set about occupying Hertford territory with player coach Dave Allen everywhere. On 18 minutes Wells countered and Mac Popham dived gleefully over the line for Taylor-Dennehy to convert 7-10.

With Wells continuing to occupy a high field position Taylor Dennehy brought the points tally to parity with a 35 meter penalty on 24 minutes 10-10 only for Taylor to restore Hertford’s lead with a penalty of his own on 26 minutes 10-13.

Both sides continued to play at pace but despite several 40 metre incursions neither side could add to their tally before halftime with Wells having to pull off some really effective tackles close to the line through Osgood, M Doherty and Taylor–Dennehy close to the line to keep Hertford at bay.

If the first half had been a pacy and relatively open game then the second half proved one of the best seen at St Marks for a long time. Taylor Dennehy hit a 38 metre penalty after 50 minutes to tie the score at 13-13 and the home side were hoping for more from referee Ben McNamara as their rolling maul was stopped close to the Hertford try line.

With 54 minutes gone Wells broke out of their 22 hacked on down the pitch and had Hertford at their mercy as Matt Spicer and Skipper Chas Spence bore down on the line only for the ball to bobble as Spicer reached down to pick up and the chance was gone.

Their followed two purple patches of play as between the 58^th and 67^th minutes Hertford opened up what appeared to be an unassailable lead as for the first time in many games the normally well organised home backs defensive line failed to materialise. On 58 minutes Hertford centre Aaron Lowe took advantage of a three man overlap on the left with Taylor kicking the goal points 13-20 only for the dose to be repeated as they got around the back of the Wells line this time on 62 minutes as fly half Ben Lloyd got an unconverted try 13-25. Taylor rounding off this three try assault on 67 minutes with a mazy run to the posts and a conversion of his own try to take the score to 13-32.

The crowd might have been forgiven for thinking that the game was effectively over but this Wells side never lies down and with the back row of N Doherty, Allen and Pengelly all over the pitch and the second row adding to the pace through a restored Christian Earle it was time for the St Mark’s boys to show what they could do as Nick Doherty surged through the middle to dive over for the try on 72 minutes. 18-32. At this point Hertford started to look a little disorganised themselves and Wells benefitted as well from indiscipline leading to a yellow card for the visitors. Spurred on by this on 74 minutes centre Shadyn Osgood who had been a thorn in Hertford’s side all game charged down the right touchline and put the perfect reverse pass to Ollie Allman who took the ball in his stride and dived over in the corner 23-32.

These two tries had come so quickly that everyone realised there was still time for a win and this looked even more possible when on 82 minute Nick Doherty rounded off a great team handling effort to dive over under the posts for his second try and for Taylor–Dennehy to add the conversion 30-32.

Deep into injury time Wells probed for the win as Max Douch – on for Blaise Salle – went 30 meters down the right touchline but was eventually stopped. It was a very relieved Hertford who gratefully booted the ball to touch after a great fight back from Wells who are  growing into this league. The five points were possible but the late points scoring flurry had earnt Simon Whatling’s side a try bonus for the sixth time this season and a losing bonus point for being within seven points and this allowed them to retain sixth place at this point in the season.

Next Saturday sees the Wells on the road to close neighbours Dorking where they will hope to have Vice Skipper Mike Hathaway in the squad and a repaired Frank Reynolds back in action. KO 2 30pm.

Squad: Kyle McGarvie, Luke Hawkins, Carl Straeche, Tom Brunger, Mac Popham, Christian Earle, Hayden Pengelly, Dave Allen, Nick Doherty, Jake Thompson, Chas Spence, Ryan Taylor-Dennehy, Blaise Salle, Shadyn Osgood, Mike Doherty, Matt Spicer, Max Douch, Ollie Allman.

TWRFC – Hertford rfc – 28th October 2017

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Storm Brian did his best to upset the first competitive meeting in 15 years between these two old Kent rivals in this London and South East Premier League match. The very blustery conditions failed to dissuade a healthy crowd of around 200 at St Marks and whilst the wind made it hard for the players no one could fault them for their effort.

Wells restored Matt Spicer to the starting line-up whilst Christian Earle and Mac Popham made up a new second row partnership.

The home side kicked off playing up the hill but with the advantage of the strong south-easterly wind. They immediately went on the attack with Blaise Salle and Nick Doherty carrying well. With Luke Hawkins and Popham linking well in the line-out, despite the wind, Wells had an attacking maul held up over the line but with the visitors having the stronger scrum throughout Wells were unable to capitalise. 

The side from St Marks were soon in the Combe 22 again and now had a man advantage after the excellent referee Matt Astle had yellow-carded Charlie O’Sullivan for holding a player back. After two attacking line-outs were countered illegally, the referee had seen enough when visiting prop Jimi Stanford pulled down a maul and awarded both a penalty try and a second yellow card on 12 minutes. 7-0

Wells had dominated the first 20 minutes but the second quarter saw the visitors gain the ascendancy. A combination of some poor kicking and indiscipline enabled Combe to gain a sustained foothold in the Wells half and back to fifteen men they started to turn the screw in the tight. However, one thing this Wells squad has in abundance is resilience and with Dave Allen and man of the match Hayden Pengelly to the fore they resisted several strong attacks. However, on 32 minutes a clever line-out saw Ryan Hackett cross in the corner but the conversion into the teeth of the wind was impossible (or so we thought until later in the game….). 7-5.

Home supporters held their breath soon after when Combe scrum half Miki Zanirato had a 30 metre penalty to take the lead but it was pushed wide. The visitors will still have been content with their efforts at this stage as they were to have the wind at their backs in the second period. However, as half -time approached a raking Frank Reynolds kick took Wells deep into the visitors half and from the ensuing line-out the robust Pengelly crashed over for a try which saw half-time. 12-5

The game was very much up for grabs now with the story likely to be the large Combe pack against the fitness and ambitious game-style of Wells. 

A fine piece of inter-play between skipper Chaz Spence and Spicer produced an early penalty but unfortunately the wind thwarted Reynolds shot at goal. On 48 minutes it was the visitors who opened the second half scoring with a fine 45 metre penalty by Zanirato. 12-8. However, this only served to herald the home side’s best period of the game. A cracking Pengelly turnover brought a penalty that Reynolds sent into the corner after the visitors were marched back 10 metres for dissent. From the line Doherty and Pengelly went close and when Spence switched the ball back to the blindside it was Doherty who was there to cleverly twist and stretch over the line on 53 minutes. 17-8. 

From the restart Pengelly embarked on another surging run. Soon after it was Earle and Popham who carried strongly into the Combe 22. A series of forward drives ensued and Carl Straeche was held up inches short but Wells were not to be denied and it was Popham who stretched through the ruck to dot down for the bonus point try. A well deserved score for the second row. With an excellent Reynolds conversion the home side had stretched into a 24-8 lead on 57 minutes.

Hawkins was injured at the restart to be replaced by Kyle McGarvie but his initial stay was to be a short one. After a long range Zanirato penalty kick went wide Combe soon found themselves in the Wells 22 again and after a number of penalty offences it was McGarvie who saw a team yellow. With veteran prop Tim Collins now leaving the field through injury and Hawkins unable to return Wells had to go down to 13 players as the game moved to uncontested scrums and on 69 minutes it was no surprise when Combe were able to use their numerical superiority to score a second try through lock Tom Clarke, well converted by Zanirato. 24-15.

The visitors now sniffed a chance to comeback but a Pengelly turnover and some surging runs took away their momentum. Subsititute Sam Catling arrived and made an instant impact. He broke through the defence and stormed clear before linking with Spence who fed Spicer to cross on the left wing for a cracking try. With Reynolds leaving the field through injury to be replaced by Max Douch, it was full back Ryan Taylor-Dennehy who took the touchline conversion into the teeth of the wind. Showing the golfing skills of his skipper’s father he hit a perfect draw using the wind to float the ball between the posts. 31-15.

Combe still had time to mount several attacks but Wells’ game management was proving superior with centres Shaydn Osgood and Mike Doherty showing steely resolution in defence. Indeed, it was the home side who went closest to scoring again with Salle and Spicer breaking clear but the chance was not taken. 

This was an impressive Wells performance by a team who are finding their feet at the highest level they have played at. The second half was as good a half of rugby as they have played in some time given the conditions and spending some of it down to 13 players. The players’ fitness and determination shone through. They now find themselves sitting in sixth place in the league on 22 points with four wins from seven and next Saturday they will face an in-form Hertford squad who are in 4th having only lost to Guernsey and Barnes. The kick off at St Marks is 3pm.

Squad: Ryan Taylor-Dennehy; Blaise Salle, Shaydn Osgood, Mike Doherty, Matt Spicer; Frank Reynolds (Max Douch), Chaz Spence (Capt); Tim Collins (Sam Catling), Luke Hawkins (Kyle McGarvie), Carl Straeche, Christian Earle, Mac Popham, Hayden Pengelly, Dave Allen, Nick Doherty.

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TWRFC – Westcombe Park- 21st October '17

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Tough day out for Wells….

Tunbridge Wells travelled to Hertfordshire to face Tring in the London and South East Premier Division. It was the first time the teams have ever played each other and Wells received a warm welcome at Tring’s Cow Lane ground. The home team have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season with three victories seeing them sit in third place in the league. They are seasoned campaigners at this level having spent most of the recent years playing in it and it was this experience that was to ultimately prove key.

Wells took a relatively settled squad to Tring but were forced to make several changes to the starting XV that had pushed league leaders Guernsey so hard last weekend. A rejigged front row saw Kyle McGarvie move to hooker and Carl Straeche start at prop. Charlie Dagwell started at 7 and Max Douch moved from wing to scrum half to replace injured skipper Chaz Spence.

Tring kicked off with the breeze and playing down a pronounced slope. This was a game where both sides defences would dominate but there was no lack of ambition with both sides looking to play open rugby.

Wells dominated the opening 20 minutes with Ryan Taylor-Dennehy and Richard Webster combining well after 5 minutes but the ball was split forward 5 metres from the line. Frank Reynolds and Taylor-Dennehy used a sensible kicking game to keep the visitors on the front foot but the line-out was having a frustrating day which meant there was little chance to build serious momentum. However, it was Wells who looked most likely to cross for a try at this stage with Blaise Salle looking dangerous and Douch taking on the home back row. Tring’s defence remained robust though but they did concede an offside penalty that Reynolds slotted on 11 minutes. 0-3.

On 20 minutes Douch made a searing break that saw him cover 35 metres but his pass to the supporting Hayden Pengelly went astray and it was a lack of precision, coupled with strong Tring defence, that meant Wells were unable to increase their lead despite dominating the opening quarter. On 27 minutes a ruck offence saw Tom Newton given the opportunity to level the game which he took. 3-3. He failed three minutes later with another penalty shot. but there was now very little between the teams as Tring started to come into the game.

On 35 minutes they took the lead after stringing together several phases of attacking play. The ball was transferred to lock Harry Green who crossed for the try and with Newton converting it was 10-3 and this was the score at half-time.

The second half saw the boys from St marks again start well with a Nick Doherty kick securing useful territory. However, Tring were using their line-out well and an effective rolling maul helped them to release the pressure. The game was now very tight with both sets of forwards working hard and the scrum was pretty evenly matched all day. Tring now grabbed hold of the game but in a mirror reversal of the first half passes went awry and poor options were taken when it looked like they might add a second try. They did extend the lead on 50 minutes though when Newton slotted a 40 metre penalty goal. 13-3.

Wells simply could not get their hands on the ball at this stage and when they did Tring worked very hard to snuff out any attacking threats. However, Wells were given a player advantage on 69 minutes when Tring had a player sent to the sin bin for repeated offences in their 22 and Reynolds took the three points that were on offer. 13-6.

The game was now up for grabs and there was also a potential losing bonus point at stake. However, on 78 minutes another penalty goal by Newton after a fine home attack extended Tring’s lead to 16-6 and this was how the game was to end.

Wells have had a tough start to their campaign playing three of the top teams already but they should be heartened by the fact that most sides thus far seem pretty evenly matched and that they can compete against all the teams they have yet to face. This was another strong defensive performance and were it not for some errant passes in the first half they could well have created a commanding lead. The margins are small at this level and they can feel unfortunate not to have secured at least a losing bonus point but overall Tring were good value for their win.

This week Wells host Towcestrians, again for the first time, with a 3pm kick off at St Mark’s. All support will be gratefully received as they try to get back into the winning habit.

Squad: Ryan Taylor-Dennehy; Blaise Salle, Shaydn Osgood, Mike Doherty, Richard Webster; Frank Reynolds, Max Douch; Brendan Crosilla, Kyle McGarvie, Carl Straeche (Luke Hawkins), Alex Burman (Mac Popham), Christian Earle, Hayden Pengelly, Charlie Dagwell, Nick Doherty (Capt).

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TWRFC – Tring rfc – 23rd September 2017

73 photos

A narrow defeat for Wells but an outstanding performance against top class opposition…

This London and SE Premier league game against the early and highly tipped promotion candidates Guernsey RFC had all the hall marks of the same outcome as the Barnes game the week before as Wells were hit for 14 points in the first 14 minutes as Guernsey came out of the blocks fast and physically.

The early onslaught leading to a brace of tries from visiting No 8 Doug Horrocks as Wells barely laid a finger on the ball. However, from the 14th minute on and despite losing hooker Luke Hawkins to another yellow card during this period Wells came into the game with a vengeance utilising the additional fire power and skills of Alex Burman and Dave Allen in the pack and the speed of Mike Doherty in the backs as they all made seasons league debuts for Wells.

As the home side started to get some ball- predominantly from turnover- after aggressive tackling they worked their way back into the game and after a passing movement on the right got behind Guernsey on the right after 21 minutes for the returning Mike Doherty to score with Frank Reynolds converting 7-14. It took just another 4 minutes for Academy star Richard Webster to score Wells’ second try as he showed pace and strength which was prominent all afternoon 12-14 and only another 5 minutes for Chas Dagwell to add to the list of try scorers as he took advantage of a dribbled ball down the right by backrow partner Hayden Pengelly. 17-14.

Wells had destroyed Guernsey’s early dominance with incisive back play and back row turnover ball but Guernsey always threatened danger particularly from strong running full back Anthony Armstrong and centre Ned Brown. With halftime approaching Frank Reynolds put Wells further into the lead with a penalty 20-14 but could not reach halftime retaining it as Armstrong outstripped the Wells defence to score Guernsey’s third try and for Owen Thomas to convert to give them a one point halftime lead of 20-21 and all to play for with win points and bonuses in the second half.

If the pace had been fast and furious in the first half then Guernsey had no intention of letting it drop in the second and neither had Wells. However, it was Guernsey who started the stronger and it was Thomas who added a penalty on 45 minutes to widen the visitors lead to 20-24. Again Wells spirit and belief shone through as the backs worked a good midfield position and young fly half Frank Reynolds ran a great line to score the bonus point for four tries and converted his own score on 48 minutes as the lead returned to the Home side 27-24. Guernsey came thundering back down the slope and after a succession of penalties were awarded a penalty try as they drove towards the Wells line on 53 minutes and the lead transferred again to the Channel islanders. 27-31. Wells were not done , however, as they produced the try of the afternoon as Dave Allen , back on the field, showed tremendous pace to run at the right corner offloading to Blaise Salle who ran strongly through the Guernsey defence for try number 5 converted by Reynolds and the lead back to Wells 34-31.

At this point it was still anyone’s game but Wells despite mounting further attacks could not quite get the continuity to turn it into points as they incurred the wrath of the referee at the set scrummage and found it difficult to secure tidy line out ball. Despite this and a fair amount of injury time it looked like the home side would win a famous victory but clearly this Guernsey side was not going to lay down and let the points go. Despite valiant defence from Wells particularly from centre Shaydn Osgood and from the back row and despite a very promising debut at scrum half for an injured Chas Spence from Max Douche Guernsey kept working the corner and on 77 minutes managed to get Anthony Armstrong on the overlap over in the corner for an unconverted try 34-36.

Wells just could not get out of midfield to threaten in the last few minutes but this game was a mighty close thing for either side as a relieved Guernsey kicked the ball out to end a game where Wells had an equal chance of the 5 points on offer. As it was they had to settle for 2 bonus points but they know the pace of the side and the ability to handle at this speed will catch a number of sides in this league out.

This Saturday Wells travel to Tring KO 3 00pm for another difficult away game against a side who won the London 1 North title last year.

Squad: Crosilla, Hawkins, Straeche, McGarvie, Earle, Burman, Pengelly, Allen, Doherty N, Dagwell, Salle, Spence, Reynolds, Webster, Osgood, Doherty M, Douch, Taylor- Dennehy

TWRFC – Guernsey rfc – 16th September 2017

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Hard day at the office for the 1st XV….

Wells five pointer start to life in London and SE last week vs Shelford this game in SW London against a side who have been playing National League 2 Rugby for 3 seasons was a hard dose of reality at this level for Wells.

From the off the home side -back to full strength after last week’s club wedding- showed good organisation and dominance of possession as they established an ascendancy in the line out and scrum in the first 20 minutes which they would never relax. Rolling maul tries by N0 8 and skipper C Smyth on 4 minutes and again by prop T McArthur after 17 mins both converted by fly half C Wicks put Barnes in the driving seat and made it difficult for Wells to get on the front foot.

The closest Wells came to scoring in the first quarter was from the boot of Frank Reynolds who was just short of the posts with a long range effort. Wells also came close down the right when winger Matt Spicer was ankle tapped close to the line after a 20 meter surge and could not get the ball down during a period when a Barnes back row had been sent to the bin. This,however, was a good period for Wells as they achieved close to parity in possession and pushed upfield due to the prompting of half backs Reynolds and Chas Spence.

However, with the Wells line out misfiring and an increasing control from Barnes in the set scrum Wells found it more and more difficult to achieve reasonable possession and when they did tended to kick it away often without advantage. As halftime approached on 38 minutes and after several phases of attack Barnes fullback T O’Toole breached the line at speed and converted his own try under the posts to take the halftime score to 21-0. With the rain coming down heavily from a local thunderstorm much work faced Wells if they were to get back into the game in the second half.

With the rain starting to slacken Barnes started the second half much as the first basing their dominance of possession on scrum superiority and dominance of the lineout where they increasingly stole ball. For all of that the Wells defence in midfield was standing up relatively well with Osgood and McLoughlin getting some good hits in and with wingers Douche and Spicer remaining wide with Taylor – Dennehy sweeping at the back. It was scrum ascendancy which saw the next score as after 4 successive scrums – two as penalty options Barnes drove Wells back over their line for a back row to dive in and for O’Toole to score the conversion for the bonus point try. 28-0 (48 mins.)

Wells entered the last 60 minutes looking to gain a greater share of the ball to get Nick Doherty and the rest of the back row moving forward and to give the backs some ball but the game at this point became more fragmented and when they did have the ball too often it was kicked away with little or no advantage. Credit to Wells that as they suffered a yellow card for a team offence awarded to Chas Dagwell on 60 minutes they were able to up the tempo. However, with Dagwell off and Wells under pressure from a succession of scrums close to the posts (two of which were penalty options), Barnes put on the drive and then released their backs with centre Matt Cornish going over and O’Toole ensuring a 100% record with conversions 35-0.

Unfortunately for Wells Osgood and Thompson clashed heads whilst trying to keep Cornish out and after a 5 minute delay Jake Thompson headed for Hammersmith and Putney hospital with a serious cut to his head. Wells momentarily went down to 13 men as substitutes were sorted out and just as the team thought it was back to full strength with Dagwell back on the pitch Kyle McGarvie was yellow card and Wells remained at 14.

Despite this Wells continued to rally as back row Hayden Pengelly spotted a misalignment in the Barnes defence and went in under the posts for a try converted by Frank Reynolds to make the final score 35-7 to Barnes. Wells return to St Marks with a number of aspects of their game to work on before next week’s visit to the town ground of top of the table Guernsey KO 3-00pm.

However, they can take consolation from a competitive second half performance against strong opposition and which they lost only 14-7 -despite playing one man short for the last 20 minutes of the game- and from their maintenance throughout when the ball went wide of a strong defensive game.

Squad: McGarvie, Hawkins, Crossilla, Lee, Popham, Earle, Dagwell. Pengelly, Doherty , Thompson, Spence, Reynolds, Spicer, Osgood, Mcloughlin, Douche, Newton, Taylor-Dennehy

TWRFC – Barnes rfc – 9th September 2017

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