Medway make Chichester RFC pay

Blues made eight changes to the side that lost at home to Horsham.

Ben Deavall and Hamish Minton returned in the pack with Rhys Thompson, Matt McLagan and Freddie Slater in the backs and Tom Bowman, Luke Kemish and Pat Bray, making his 1st XV debut, on the bench.

With the surface in tip top condition, the match started in sunshine with a strong wind gusting down the pitch.

Chichester kicked off with the wind behind them. After seven minutes, a break by the Medway full-back from halfway pierced the defence and the ball was passed out for a try on the overlap out wide. Conversion missed, 5-0.

Chichester won the ball from the restart and moved it across the pitch in both directions as they advanced.

With the Medway defence thwarting progress, Rhys Thompson chipped the ball over the defence with a cross-field kick for Charlie Norton to run through and dot down under the posts. Converted by Norton, 5-7.

For the next quarter of an hour Blues probed without finding a way through. On 26 minutes the hosts scored their second try with a series of pick and goes that created an overlap for a score in the corner. Conversion missed, 10-7.

Chichester got within 10 metres of the try line three times but were unable to penetrate the defence. It was 10 -7 at half-time.

With the wind strengthening, both teams were struggling to stamp their authority on the game. On 52 minutes, as the penalty count increased, the referee produced a yellow card reducing Medway to 14 players. Four minutes later they increased their lead with a long range penalty, 13-7.

On the hour Chichester lost the ball five metres from the opposition try line and, with a wind assisted clearance, Medway had scored under the posts at the other end for a 20-7 lead. Five minutes later they scored an unconverted try out wide.

Blues dug deep and had the opposition under pressure from the restart, forcing a penalty which was kicked to the corner. Zac Conley soared high at the lineout to secure the ball and the forwards moved the ball forward, with a series of pick and goes, for Ben Deavall to dot down, 20-12.

But Medway finished strongly and crossed the whitewash three times before the referee blew the full-time whistle.

This was a deserved victory for Medway, who are odds on favourites to secure the third promotion spot.

However, in very challenging conditions, Chichester played extremely well, made their hosts work hard, and were still in the game after 60 minutes. The stop-start nature of the season hasn’t helped Blues cause. MoM was Alex Margarson.

On Saturday, Blues welcome Hammersmith and Fulham to Oaklands (2.30).