MATCH REPORT
Sevenoaks Rugby hosted Bury St Edmonds for a thrilling Nat 2 encounter on Saturday 25 February at Knole Paddock. Bury played with ball in hand all day and after pressing on the Oaks line for the final 5 minutes of the match were duly rewarded when Man of the Match Matt Bursey trotted over the line from short quarters for a try that was converted by Charlie Reed to seal a five point victory for Bury.
Bury also opened the scoring of this thrilling match, when Ciaraan Leeson found space on the left wing following a well-worked move for a try and Reed slotted the extras. Sevenoaks then took the game to the visitors in the shape of four unanswered tries. The pick of these was without doubt Josh Pettet romping down the left wing to dot the ball down over the whitewash. Before then, Jonny Short had darted over for a trademark try form 20 yards out that Adams converted. The next brace for Oaks came through first James Fotheringham bursting through from midfield and then Olly Rossillo scored following a delicate nudge through by Jack Martin. A telling close to the first half came in the shape of a well-worked try by Bursey who carried the ball from close quarters and dotted it down under the posts.
Bury came out full of verve and duly took the game to Oaks in the second half, coming back from 24-14. If the home side had owned the first half, the lads in green from Suffolk certainly bossed the second half. Samir in the centres was a handful all day and carried strongly and scythed through the Oaks defensive line early into the second half. Reed slotted the extras. Game on. Bury then pressed again into the Oaks half but it was Oaks who found the interception in the shape of Shadyn Osgood, immense in defense all day, and he raced all but the length of the pitch before an interchange found Ban Adams in the right hand channel and he duly converted his own try.
The reply was rapid and Bury stormed back up the pitch, with some excellent interplay resulting in Leeson darting over for his second. Oaks then squandered some field position before a thrilling crescendo to the match with the visitors hammering the Oaks line. After a sequence of penalties to Bury, Bursey found space on the flank of an attacking ruck and scored the try that sealed it for Bury, which Reed converted.
SQUADS
Sevenoaks Rugby Club
Rosillo; Adams; Gumbleton ©; Osgood; Short; Martin; Glason. Ganley; Sedgwick; Naismith; Pettet; Higgins; Hackett; McRae; Derrick. Rolfe; Hicken; Osinibi; Stone.
Bury St Edmonds RFC
Reed; Leeson; Brown; Kharbouch; Attfield; Drury-Hawkins; Chsistie; Hill; McCartney; Cooper; Conquest; Brown;Bursey; Meyers; Stevenson. Kingdon; Jeffery; Grigss-Pettitt; Strath; Hall.
HALF TIME SCORE Sevenoaks Rugby 24 – 14 Bury St Edmunds RFC
FULL TIME SCORE Sevenoaks Rugby 31 – 35 Bury St Edmunds RFC
SEVENOAKS RUGBY SCORES PLUS TIMES
10' Jonny Short Try Ben Adams Con
20' Josh Pettet Try
30' James Fotheringham Try Ben Adams Con
35' Ben Rossilo Try
49' Adams T Adams Con
BURY ST EDMONDS RFC SCORERS PLUS TIMES
4' Ciaran Leeson T Charlie Read Con
40' Matt Bursey T Charlie Reed Con
45' Samir Kharbouch T Reed Con
60' Ciaraan Leeson T Reed C
79' Bursey T Reed C
PLAYER OF THE MATCH Matt Bursey
ATTENDANCE 411
