TWRUFC 3rd XV 10 vs Ashford Barbarians 12

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Match Report

Thanet Wanderers Men's 3rds 10-12 Ashford Barbarians

The volume of the cheers from the table-topping Barbarians at the final whistle was proof of the fact that they had been given an almighty scare by a battling Wanderers 3rds. Indeed, but for a few baffling refereeing decisions Thanet could have walked away with the points.

Forced into a late change, Thanet brought Simon Harris into the back row and shifted Ellis Plumridge into the back line and his early break stunned the visitors as he put Zak Oliver-Hendy in under the posts to open the scoring. The move was somewhat soured by the loss of Sam Elliot to a questionably late hit in the build-up.

After the early excitement the match settled down into an attritional battle with the majority of the first half action unfolding in the middle third of the pitch. Thanet were making good ground with powerful carries from props Luke Browning and Finn Twyman, with Leon Oliver-Hendy coming off the bench to mesmerise his opposite man with quick feet. These inroads were frustratingly curtailed by the increasingly pedantic refereeing. Fortunately for Thanet, any ground Ashford gained from their penalties was mitigated by an imperious defensive lineout performance, with Will Craven stealing or disrupting nearly all opposition ball.

One of the strengths of Thanet Wanderers is the fact that we are a true family club represented across the different teams by fathers, sons, daughters, wives and siblings. And the draw of sharing a pitch with his son proved too much for Stu Plumridge who, despite originally coming as a spectator, was quickly kitted out and introduced ready for the second half.

With the match continuing in a similar fashion, it was only in the last quarter that any gaps in the defence started to appear. Following an Ed Harvey penalty, Ashford finally breached the line to bring them within one score. This sparked Thanet who then enjoyed their most dominant spell of the game. Camped on the opposition line for a good five minutes Thanet could not quite force their way over with the Barbarians’ defence showing why they are top of the league. When it did look like Stu Plumridge’s quick thinking had led to a score, both teams were shocked that the referee raised his arm for an Ashford penalty rather than a Thanet try.

Showing the resolve common in successful teams, Ashford pressed on and despite the defensive effort, epitomised by in incredible tackle count from Will Craven, they managed to breach the line late on to earn the narrowest of victories.

Whilst the team should take pride in how close they had pushed a well drilled team, there was also a sense of frustration for letting a potential victory slip away. Next up for the ‘Thirds’ is a visit from Leigh and if they finally manage to find their way to Broadstairs they will run in to a fired-up team determined to put things right.

Thanet 3rd XV Starters: Browning, West, Twyman, Ballen, Mayho, Craven, Harris, T. Harvey, Wallace, E.Harvey. Shingles, Elliot, Reeves, E.Plumridge, Oliver-Hendy.

Finishers: Marsh, Marson, Gordon-Jones, Boyce, S.Plumridge

Tries:

Conversions:

Penalties: None

Drop Goals: None