Sevenoaks Academy 1s had their National Cup run cut short by an organised and athletic Dorking side at the Paddock on Sunday.
Oaks knew to expect a ferocious encounter, but were unable to execute on the day in the face of unrelenting pressure from the visitors.
The first half was somewhat tit-for-tat as both teams defended very well, but struggled to look after the ball in attack. The deadlock was broken around 20 minutes in as Dorking punished a poor kick-chase by returning with interest and setting up shop in the Oaks 22. After a strong lineout drive, the visitors went over from close range and converted to go into a 0-7 lead.
Oaks responded well and immediately regained possession deep in the Dorking 22. Unfortunately, the usually razor-sharp Oaks attack deserted them and Dorking regained possession before advancing up the field. They won a penalty and went in at half time 0-10 after knocking over the 3 pointer.
Oaks had the worst possible start to the 2nd half as they allowed the ball to bounce one too many times. Dorking pounced and suddenly a close game was starting to slip away at 0-17.
The hammer blow came several minutes later as Oaks' backfield was exposed again. Poor execution was coupled with bad luck as the referee missed a knock-on from the chasing Dorking winger as he regathered the ball. Oaks' protests were ignored and the game felt done at 0-24, despite there still being 20+ minutes to play.
Sevenoaks looked to an old friend to get them back in the game, as they finally managed to keep a lineout drive from being sacked at source by Dorking's well-drilled set piece defence. Andrich Skein, who had swapped from hooker to start at loosehead after injuries hit Oaks in the build-up, was the beneficiary and fly half Ben Pearl duly converted to give Oaks a glimmer of hope at 7-24.
Sadly, Oaks' poor execution continued to haunt them as they gifted Dorking a turnover straight from the restart. The visitors took full advantage as they slipped a couple of dejected tackle attempts and went in for the killer score. 7-31.
Faced with the prospect of not only losing, but being on the end of the kind of scoreline they usually dish out, Oaks found another gear physically. A massive driving maul that started just inside the Dorking 22 and hit the deck just a yard out from the line gave replacement 2nd row Raphi Simmonds-Dance the perfect launch pad for a close range effort. He powered over the line and Pearl converted again. 14-31.
With 2 minutes left and a miracle needed to rescue the game, it was unfortunately too little, too late from Oaks and Dorking deservedly celebrated their win as the final whistle went.
This was a tough one to take for Oaks. They lost their skipper and talisman Fin Stables in the warmup and could be forgiven for thinking that the universe was against them when they lost 3 more players to injury the day before the game. The reality however, is that this game appeared to mean just that little bit more to the Dorking players.
Looking forward, there is now a break from action for a month before the Kent League starts in earnest in November. Despite their disappointment, Oaks can look forward to the league this year with optimism. Indeed, because of the unique way that the National Cup rules are structured, there is a possibility that Oaks will be allowed to field a strong team in the county competition than in the National competition - with the club looking to confirm that our two England Academy Pathway players will be allowed to do what they've always wanted to do - play rugby for their club. We shall see!
Squad list : Andrich Skein, Harry Gullett, Colby Bedford-Eatwell, Arthur Hansen, Zach Johnson (C), Jake Tucker, Tom Hewitt, George Booth, Isaac Canham, Ben Pearl, Oli Ebsworth, Hamish McQueen, Brennan O'Keefe, Tom Hyde, Charlie Thomas
Subs : Peter LaTrobe, Luca Esposito, Raphi Simmonds-Dance, Zach Ferguson, Will Brook, Charlie Drysdale