New Ash Green vs Beccehamians - 23rd August 2003 Training Match (Lost 22-7) It was not quite the start Beccehamians had in mind when they travelled to New Ash Green (NAG) for the first in a series of training matches. But despite going down four tries to one, against what appeared to be a well-drilled Kent 2 side, Beccehamians had some positives to take home with them. Defending well in the first five minutes of the match, the visitors managed to hold off the early pressure NAG put on them from their kick off. A try saving tackle from Jamie Chapman, on the wing, forced NAG to knock the ball on, allowing Beccs to clear away from the scrum. This reprieve was short lived, unfortunately, as NAG spun the ball wide for the first try of the match. A well executed drop out from Joe Goodwilly, taken on by the Beccs' forward pack looked promising, but the newly established Beccs' team just couldn't capitalise on it and were soon chasing back to defend once more. A glimmer of the potential Beccs have to offer came from a free kick early on the in the match. Captain, Marc Dennis, crashed through the defence, before popping back to the scrum half Ben Wood. This set Beccs up for some good attacking play, getting the ball into the oppositions twenty two. Sadly Beccs were unable to turn the hard work into points and finished the first quarter 5-0 down. The second quarter saw some great forwards' work from the Beccs' strong pack. Player/coach Neil Clarke made a burst for the line but was held up just short. With the ball not going quite to hand in the backs, this forward momentum was lost and Beccs found themselves in danger again from the fired up home side. A great individual tackle from Sam Painter held NAG at bay for a while but their scrum half eventually found a gap and was through for their second try. Undeterred, Beccs responded well from the re-start. With line-outs working well Beccs were able to confidently kick the ball down the park. The quarter finished with more hard forward play. Notable Ian Anderson and Gary Stokes repeatedly punched holes in the NAG defence and linked well with the backs. The third quarter was the most promising for Beccs. Taken well by Matt Appleton from the drop out, the ball was taken on with some passionate forwards play and accurate kicking from Jim Bryant, showing the strength and pace in the Beccs' squad. Sam painter (moving to scrum half) showed his all round ability with some great decisions from the back of the scrum. It was one of these well worked back row moves which lead to centre, Daniel Reese bursting over for Beccs' only try of the match. NAG green managed to come back with a late try in the third quarter after spinning the ball wide. Their final try come in the last twenty minutes from a well executed, if not some what cheeky, chip and chase from a penalty close to the try line. Beccehamians finished the match well with the back line taking the ball down the line to Sam Moore, who made a quick dash for the line. Sam was stopped only by one of the best tackles of the match from the NAG full back. This tackle was then matched minutes later with a powerful hit from Daniel Kemp, stopping the victors any more chance of scoring. Despite the disappointing score line, the Beccehamians' coaching team had a lot to be proud of. A very new side, missing key players and trying out players in new positions managed to pull together well in places. Scrums and line-outs were contested well and there were some outstanding individual tackles. There is a lot the squad can build on in the coming weeks to reach their full potential before the start of the league. Beccehamians next match is a friendly, away to Westcombe Park 2nd team on 30th August 2003.