Medway 13 vs TWRUFC 1st XV 7

18th Jan 2025, KO 14:00

Medway - Away

Live Text, Match Report & Information

Match Report

Medway RFC 2s 13 – 7 Thanet Wanderers RUFC

Wanderers lose a close encounter where defences dominated.

A few regular faces were missing from Thanet’s squad with Charlie Bailey moving to number eight in the absence of both Finn White and Ben Cannon. Leon Doody was at scrum half with brother Callum not available. Second team captain, Tom Stevens stepped up to the senior side for the first time this season and Ewan Maclean was on the other wing. Thirty-eight players have now represented Wanderers this season in the fifteen league matches played. Thanet remained in second place after this defeat and Medway are in eighth.

It was a grey, windless, cold afternoon as Wanderers kicked off against a Medway side who were clearly up for a contest. Two early penalties for high tackles put them on the front foot but Wanderers withstood the early onslaught before a penalty from Adam Harrison cleared the danger. Medway opened the scoring after nine minutes when a penalty opportunity from in front and 30 metres out was converted for a 3-0 lead. Thanet quickly responded with a promising attack that broke down after a knock-on but penalties to both sides made for a stop-start encounter. On sixteen minutes played Wanderers’ ten, Adam Harrison surged through a gap and was stopped just short of the line but reset the attack left. Thanet’s second row, Andy Letts received and executed a lovely dummy, that would please any three-quarter, before touching down unchallenged. Lewis Downer added the extras and Wanderers led 7-3 after twenty minutes. Eight minutes later a long and deep penalty from Medway’s kicker set them on Wanderers 22. The visitors did not defend well against a bustling driving attack that grew from a line out on Thanet’s 22, leading to a Medway try ten metres left of Wanderers’ posts. The conversion opened up a 10-7 lead. Wanderers had the opportunity to level things up a minute later but Downer’s kick slipped by the left post. Play went from end to end but neither side could break through, Maclean made an important tackle as Medway looked likely to score but play was fragmented. Wanderers were warned for too many high tackles and it was the hosts who looked the more likely to score in the run-up to halftime.

Thanet’s coaches will have been concerned with the number of first-up tackles missed in the first half and would certainly have been hoping for more urgency from the side in the second half. A powerful carry from James Crompton set the right tone and Leon Doody’s testing kick led to a spilt ball and set a good position for the scrum. A penalty set Wanderers close at a line out and a determined drive for the line was held up. A good chance went begging with the line at their mercy and finally Medway were able to clear the danger. During a brief excursion into Wanderers' half, Medway took the points when Thanet offended to extend their lead to 13-7. With half an hour remaining Wanderers rang the changes from the bench with Maclean taking a break to be replaced by Finley Hickmott with Mike Whitehead and Lenny Brown also taking to to the field in place of Andy Letts and Danny Clement. Brown was quick to make his presence felt with a charge down that deserved a better outcome. Thanet were now in control with dominance of territory and possession but the hosts remained firmly in control of their line. Opportunities for points from the kicking tee were passed over in favour of moves to cross the white line but the home side repelled every attempt on their line. Congratulations to Medway on a great defensive effort that made for compelling and entertaining viewing. Wanderers played much better in the second half but their usual cohesion and invention were absent today and the hosts were deserving winners of a sporting contest.

Wanderers do not have a fixture next Saturday but will resume with a home game against Old Alleynians on the 1st of February (Kick Off 2 PM).