" Medway frozen over by Warlingham"

Despite the heavy rainfall the Warlingham pitches remain in perfect condition for running rugby which they seek to achieve. However, the freezing rain and bitter wind which raged across the open grounds put paid to any chance of champagne sport.

Warlingham had the benefit of the elements in the first half and, within five minutes, centre Mark Kozminski converted a 40 metre penalty to settle the nerves. However, the Medway back line were ever dangerous and forced an offside in front of the Warlingham posts to equal the score. The error count from both sides was excessive with numb fingers playing a part, but Warlingham's power play up front, with prop Alex Nunn tackling his socks off and senior lock Neil Robson halting every Medway attack, they gradually imposed themselves on the game. After a sustained period of pressure the omnipresent Tom Street ripped the ball from a ruck, slipped it to scrum half Stephen Murtagh who burrowed through a gap to score the first try. Kozminski converted.

Medway were becoming frustrated at failing to break the Warlingham defence and, when penalised on the halfway line, Kozminski struck a sweet ball high over the posts. Scrum half Oli Doe was strangely yellow-carded by the referee, Mike Pearson who shortly brought the first half to a close. The ten point half time advantage looked preciously insufficient with the elements now to be Medway's ally. With Doe still shivering behind the posts doing his ten minute penalty, the fourteen Warlingham players defended well and counter-attacked from the middle ground. A Murtagh break fed captain Zack King who shovelled the ball to winger Jon Osborne. With forty metres to cover Osborne turned on his high-octane gas and went over for the second, converted try.

The Medway support staff vociferously chastised their players from both on and off the pitch. The result was an immediate re-charging of their batteries and a galloping charge from their lock, who slipped through several defenders' half hearted tackles. The support came and Medway deserved their first, converted try.

The Street brothers, supported by Kieran Scutt and Ollie Dodwell, snuffed out desperate Medway forays, but when the visitors threw wave after wave of attacks the Warlingham defence creaked. Full back Joe McEvoy enjoyed a sound game and kicked well out of defence. However, the inevitable try came and the conversion put Medway a mere three points adrift with plenty of time to make up the deficit. But the current Warlingham team have matured considerably in the past few weeks and have learnt to cope with both the opposition and meteorological storms. They battened down the hatches and beat off further attacks until the final whistle gave them the
win they just about deserved against a well drilled opposition. The win puts Warlingham 5th in the League table and, with a run of four consecutive wins against higher opposition, gives them confidence for the upcoming winter spell.

Next Saturday Warlingham travel to bottom-of-the-table Thanet Wanderers without their metronomic kicker Mark Kozminski, who recklessly gets married in the rugby season and is away on honeymoon.

Warlingham: McEvoy, Saffery, Kozminski, Davies, Osborne, Doe, Murtagh, Scutt, D Street, Nunn, N Robson, Dodwell, T Street, King (capt), Fair, Wimble, J Delderfield, J Wrightson.

Other results: Warlingham 3rd XV 56pts -v- Battersea Ironsides 14pts;
Warlingham 4th XV 29pts -v- Old Emanuel 5pts