This weekend Ditchling played their first away fixture of the season against Crawley 1st XV. Both teams came into the game with 1 win and 1 loss to their accounts and the match up expected to be a good test for a young developing Ditchling side.

The game began in good conditions and on a pitch that appeared to suit Ditchling’s pace. From the kick off it was Crawley who applied the early pressure through their bulkier pack, pushing deep into the Ditchling half with hard driving. Solid defence from Ditchling prevented them scoring, where from a spilled ball Ditchling picked up and ran the ball from their own 22 with Rory Adams showing good speed to break through into the Crawley half before finally being brought down. Quick to support, the forwards put together a series of plays rolling the ball to the Crawley 22. From here quick ball from Charlie Pearson at the base of a ruck and through the hands for Nick Whitley Jones to touch down in the corner. Whitley Jones converted his own try to give Ditchling the lead after 5 minutes.
Soon after, a period of pressure from Crawley and a missed penalty led to another break from the Ditchling 22 with Max Redman winning the ball and feeding Whitely Jones to accelerate on and pass to Ed Nower, who showed good speed and agility to out strip the defence and score. The try was converted out wide by Whitely Jones.
Now the forwards were beginning to dominate, winning the set pieces and battles in the loose. From a particularly hard hit from Jake Riddell followed by an equally hard hit from Stan Robinson the ball shook free from Crawley only to be pounced on by Redman to go over and score Ditchling’s 3rd try and give a deserved 19 to nil scoreline.

This was the half way point of the first half and Ditchling were in the ascendency. The defence was solid, the running incisive and the whole team were clicking as one. Head Coach Ben Poulton ‘s training sessions were paying dividends on the park.

It was then that the conditions changed. 10-15 minutes of heavy rain made the pitch sodden and the ball slippery preventing the speed of hand and foot that had allowed Ditchling to dominate. The game became more even, and Crawley began to press harder and play more cohesively. After continued pressure and effective recycling, Crawley scored close to the posts. With the conversion the score was 7:19.

Despite Crawley growing stronger and more confident, Ditchling continued to hit hard and would not allow them to gain a hold. Riddell, in particular, made some thunderous hits. Unfortunately late in the half captain Owen Kernan sustained a knee injury resulting in him having to leave the field. Despite this loss Ditchling held out for the rest of the half.

HT: Crawley 7 Ditchling 19

The second half began with Ditchling dominating but now the ground was soaked and the ball hard to handle limiting the ability to move the ball wide. After a period of sustained pressure deep in the Crawley half Ditchling won a penalty for a high tackle, which Whitely Jones calmly slotted over to give a 7:22 lead.

For the next 15 minutes both teams were well matched with the exchanges even and little to separate the teams, despite Ditchling continuing to edge the set pieces. Then as the game wore on and bringing on fresh substitutions, Crawley began to slowly dominate and take control. They began to find gaps and with strong running particularly by their veteran centre, they pushed deep into the heart of Ditchling. After managing to withstand the pressure for numerous attacks, Crawley eventually broke through to score an unconverted try.

Now Crawley were running with much more intent and find their rhythm. They were now winning the scrums and Ditchling became unsettled. Although they continued to defend well the decision making with the ball in hand became frantic. This was the time to keep the ball in hand and control the tempo and rhythm.
Crawley could see there was an opportunity to win this game and increased the tempo playing to their strengths with a bulkier set of forwards. In the final 5 minutes after putting together a series of phases, their forwards combined well with their backs to pass the ball out wide for another unconverted score. During this phase Ditchling receiving a yellow card reducing the team to 14.
With little time on the clock Ditchling kicked off only to be judged offside from the kick. The Crawley scrum resulted in their backs running 40 yards before a great covering tackle but the next phase of play led to Crawley scoring in the corner to bring the scores level. With time up Crawley had the chance to win the game but unfortunately missed the difficult conversion leaving the game drawn.

FT: Crawley 22 Ditchling 22

Ditchling came away with 2 points from a hard-earned draw, but they will feel points were left on the field. Credit needs to be given to Crawley who showed what they are capable off when playing with confidence.

There are lessons to be learned from this match. Particularly game management and the value of possession when needing to control the game late on. Never give the ball back cheaply and protect it as if your life depends.

Mentions go out to vice captain Stan Robinson, who stepped up and put in some big tackles despite being injured himself. Charley Pearson for his work rate and quick ball from the base, releasing the backs. There were impressive debuts from Tom Taylor Walters, Murray Jardine and Jake Riddell. Finally best wishes to Captain Owen Kernan for a quick recovery.

Scorers:

Nick Whitley Jones: 1 Try, 2 conversions, 1 penalty
Max Redman: 1 try
Ed Nower: 1 try

MoM: Murray Jardine