Cranbrook vs Beccehamians - 11 October 2003 Kent 1 (Won 7-27) Beccehamians continued their winning streak with some outstanding rugby at Cranbrook. The match didn't start off too well for the visitors though. Cranbrook were fired up from the kick off and took the game straight to Beccs. This early pressure took Beccs by surprise and Cranbrook exploited the gaps moving the ball further down the field until the strong centre was able to crash through two tackles to score under the posts. This seemed to be the jolt Beccehamians needed and, from the restart, things started to change. The kick was followed up quickly by lock Paul Forest and the rest of the pack, putting pressure on the Carnbrook forwards. Great individual tackles from Beccs forced errors in the opposition's backline. Beccs were eventually awarded a penalty for their efforts, which full back Martin Hennessy slotted over to bring Beccs back into the game. In front of a vocal home crowd Beccs kept their heads and continued to work well as a team. The strong partnership at the back of the scrum between Justin Ellis, back in at No.8, and scrum half Ben Wood enabled Beccs to secure good ball and make some attacking breaks. Cranbrook defended well and were able to hold off a Beccs try several times. The try eventually came after Beccs took the ball against the head in the scrum and a well executed kick into space from flyhalf Lewis Woodham was chased by Daniel Kemp. The bounce went Becc's way and he was able to beat the fullback and touch down over the line taking Beccs into the lead by a point at half time. Cranbrook refused to give up and came back at Beccs in the second half. Further tries from the home side were only stopped by some ferocious tackling from Beccs, including a try saving tackle on the line from Ben Wood. The scrums were fiercely contested by both sides but Justin Ellis, making a welcome return, cleared up any lose ball and the strong front row took one against the head. Beccehamians hard work was rewarded again when openside Sean Jones kick a loose ball over the line and chased it up for his first try of the season. Converted by Martin Hennessy, this try gave Beccs a more comfortable lead. The Ellis/Wood partnership showed how successful it was when the number 8 picked up blind form the back of well won scrum. The scrum half was there in support to be able to take the ball over the line and the match was won. Credit to Cranbrook they refused to give up and Beccs had to defend to the end but the team work and commitment of Beccs stopped any further points from the home side. Testament to the all round ability of the Beccs squad was the performances from all three substitutes. Ian Kelly on as hooker, slotted into the scrums and line outs well and Sam Painter, on for the injured Daniel Reese, worked tirelessly as ever. Prop Matt Appleton replaced Captain Marc Dennis for the final minutes of the game and still managed to make his presence known to Cranbrook with an awesome tackle and some powerful mauling. This was by far the best Beccehamians performance all season and sets them up well for the next league match against league leaders Lordswood. With a week's rest, the team will have to work to keep this winning momentum going and give the home crowd something to cheer about on October 25th.