Sevenoaks 40 Old Alleynians 10
An Old Alleynians team, who sit comfortably in mid-table, were the visitors to the Paddock last Saturdayas Oaks played only their fourth home game of the season. The teams were greeted by a gale force wind, howling down a pitch that was in surprisingly good condition given the recent downpours, with OA’s having the advantage of the elements at their back for the first half.
Oaks, due to the wind, largely eschewed the kicking option in the early exchanges, keeping the ball in hand, probing for openings against a stubborn and well organised OA’s defence. OA’s also tried to put width on the game at every opportunity and eventually opened the scoring with an intercept try somewhat against the run of play. With Oaks pressing deep in their opponents twenty two for a score, the final pass was intercepted and the OA’s twelve scampered the eighty metres to register the first try of the game.
Oaks were stung into action by this unfortunate reverse and hit back with tries from Streather who is on track for a twenty plus tries this season and Robinson, both converted by outside half Winter. At the break Oaks led 14-7. Patience and execution were the watchwords from the coaches as the teams mulled over their efforts in the first forty minutes.
Now playing with the weather, Oaks soon put the game to bed, scoring four second half tries. Three coming from inside centre Vaihu, a menace with ball in hand all day and prop Power, rumbling over in the corner for the other. Winter added the extras on three occasions to make his record five from six on the day, which was an excellent effort given the capricious nature of the wind. At the final whistle Oaks had registered the all important bonus point victory to stay at the top end of the table going into the Tunbridge Wells match next weekend.
After the match coach Vaughan commented ‘We are obviously delighted to get a ninth successive win against tenacious opponents. It would have been all too easy today, especially in such tough conditions, to have lost our way with the TW game just around the corner. However, the group kept focused on the task in hand and picked up five valuable points’
Squad
1 Naismith
2 Sedgwick
3 Power
4 Anderson
5 Coleman
6 Thorpe
7 Swallow
8 Robinson
9 Shirtcliff
10 Winter
11 Tree
12 Vaihu
13 Unwin
14 Saunders
15 Streather
16 Walker
17 Nay
18 Bates