Following last week’s disappointment Dover picked themselves up with a relatively easy victory against local rivals Thanet. A pre match luncheon, courtesy of John Mercer, was attended by the majority of the 1st XV sponsors and their guests and they were hopefully more than satisfied with proceedings both on and off the pitch. The playing conditions were ideal and there were possibly 250 or more supporters from both camps in attendance.

Dover welcomed the return of Ricky Mackintosh, Ben Sedgwick and Dave Bartley. ED Blowers started in the second row and Jon Foster reverted from the flank to full back and there were a number of other positional changes owing to injury and work commitments.

Thanet had the advantage of the slope in the first half and they were first to score an unconverted try following early pressure in the Dover 22. Dover’s response was positive and from here on they started to take control with some excellent rugby. Blair Charge kicked a penalty on the 10th minute to reduce the deficit and prop Dave Bartley touched down in the top right hand corner for a well deserved score after a number of phases of attacking play. Direct from kick off Dover secured the ball and drove forward. Charge delicately chipped the ball over the top that was collected by Martyn Beaumont and he seared through to touch down with Charge adding the extras. Thanet responded well and the hosts was more than equal in defence, with Foster looking at home at the back. The heavier pack of Thanet caused a little bit of discomfort in the set piece, however in open play Dover were asserting their strength. Tensions had been rising and one or two players were having difficulty keeping their calm. Dover refused to be intimidated and as always there were the highly charged vocal individuals who throughout the game thought they knew the laws far better than the officials. The next score originated from a strike against the head by Jack Tomlinson. Ben Murray fed Beaumont who chipped over the top and collected the ball nicely before offloading to the supporting Dave Sluman who surged away to touch down. Thanet missed a penalty and then play was resumed in the visitors half. Dover were awarded a penalty and from the resulting lineout number 8 Dale Tonks took a clean ball and a fine drive by the forwards saw open side, Ben Crawford, touchdown for his first try for the club, plus the much needed bonus point was secured. Dover had upped the intensity of their play and they had produced some brilliant handling and were now fully controlling the game with Mick O’Donnell, Sedgwick and Mackintosh displaying their skills and qualities .

The second half saw a change of referee with Mr Charters being replaced by Mr Quantock owing to a leg strain. Dover started brightly but were penalised and the visitors cleared their lines. Thanet adopted the pick and go tactic, which suited the hosts in view of the slope and apart from the odd move Dover were rarely threatened. Dover’s tempo however was disrupted and they possibly tried to run the ball from deep when a hoof down the park might have been the easier option. Lock Ed Blowers had his first start and worked tirelessly throughout and Buster Collins was workmanlike turning over a number of balls. For the spectator the game became a little flat and boring for a period of time but came back to life on the 68th minute. Thanet’s discipline and penalty count was growing and the fast thinking Murray took a quick tap and he put Beaumont into space to touch down for Sedgwick to add the extras. The veteran prop Greg Hewer entered the fold in place of Aaron Cooper and he clearly enjoyed his time up front particularly in the clearing of the ruck area. Dover finished the day from with Tonks securing the ball at the base of the scrum inside Dover’s half. The ball passed through several sets of hands before reaching Beaumont and his soccer skills saw him outpace Thanet’s tired defence to touch down for a converted try. Tomlinson was yellow carded in the closing minutes, Beaumont was replaced by Kurt Jaggar and the home side closed down the game without conceding any further points.

Senior Coach Graham Tonks commented ‘This was an excellent game to win, particularly with the numerous changes that we had to make. Apart from the opening minutes we never looked under any real threat. Some of the attacking play in the first half was superb and I was delighted with our defence and determination. This was a huge improvement on last week’.

Dover are now positioned in 4th place and they travel to Cobham on Saturday for another difficult fixture.

Team – Cooper (Hewer), Tomlinson, Bartley, Sluman (Robinson), Blowers, Collins, Crawford, Tonks, Murray, Beaumont (Jaggar), Sedgwick, Charge, O’Donnell, Mackintosh, Foster.

Report by Dick Collins

Pictures by Ian Shilson