"Warlingham fire 8 try sparklers"

However they were very aware that banana skins can be the downfall of many a club when complacency sets in. Captain Zack King and head coach Tom Street focused the Warlingham players before the game and, when the referee Mr Graham Gibson sounded the starting whistle, Warlingham were swiftly out of the starting blocks and pounded on the Thanet line. Warlingham have developed their forward game dramatically this season and all eight players had a hand in several opening phases of play which had the home side reeling back against the onslaught of blue and white shirts. A Thanet scrum was spoiled and King scooped up the ball and charged over for the first try. Doe shaved the outside of the posts with his first conversion attempt, but the writing was on the wall for Thanet.

The intensity of the Warlingham play continued unabated and when centre Ben Wimble kicked ahead and followed up to force a scrum. The Warlingham front five were in a commanding position and inched forward. Street picked up from the base of the scrum and fed scrum half Steven Murtagh the try-scoring pass. Doe converted. The Warlingham pack were uncontrollable and with the athletic lock Ollie Dodwell tackling like a mad dervish, any hope that Thanet may have had of a resurgence was snuffed out. Props Scutt and Nunn were rock solid in the set pieces and hooker James Delderfield gave hard tackling a new dimension by driving back any home side attack. A five metre scrum on the Thanet line gave No 8 Street the opportunity of showing his 'Strictly Come Dancing' foot tapping as the Warlingham scrum demolished their opponents for him to drop on the ball over the line for his first, and Warlingham's third try. Doe added the extras.

Thanet worked their way up the field and forced a penalty which they converted, but this as to be their only score for almost an hour. A speculative kick from Thanet fell to full back Joe McEvoy who broke through the first lines of defence to put Warlingham deep into Thanet territory. From the resultant broken play centre Brad Saffery shrugged off midfield tacklers to score a converted try under the posts. With the Thanet scrum tiring Warlingham poured on the pressure and Tom Street grabbed his second try after sustained rucking and mauling close to the home try line. The visitors were now rampant and a neat back move saw winger Jon Osborne scamper through for the sixth try. Immediately from the kick off Thanet were penalised and, from a quick tap penalty, centre Ben Wimble bobbed and weaved through the defence and, despite the close attention of a giant Thanet lock, crossed the whitewash.

Injuries to Saffery, Wrightson and Delderfield effected the Warlingham continuity but then came the best move of the afternoon when Doe slipped a pop-pass to Wimble who held the defence and gave a well timed pass to Osborne who scorched through untouched for the eighth, nd final, Warlingham try. Thanet deserved a consolation converted try at the end as they had stuck valiantly to their task but, on the day, they were outclassed by a Warlingham side who gain in confidence at every game and rise to fourth place in this strong league.

Next Saturday Warlingham return to Thanet for the second round of the RFU Intermediate Cup.

Warlingham: Scutt, J Delderfield, Nunn, Robson, Dodwell, Street, Wrightson, King, Murtagh, Doe, Osborne, Saffery, Wimble, Skinner,
Agate,Ray, Abou-Zeid.