Ditchling welcomed high flying Shoreham for the latest round of league fixtures and welcomed back captain Alex Hinchliffe. Shoreham bought a strong well-rounded team with a mobile pack and a fast set of backs, marshalled by a useful Flyhalf. They play ‘15 man’ rugby and a have similar style to Ditchling, which led to a good open game in front of a large group of supporters.

From the start Shoreham were the aggressors, swiftly getting into their stride and making ground deep into the Ditchling half. Pressure eventually led to a penalty close to the Ditchling line where the Shoreham forwards showed their experience in rolling it forward for a simple pick up and score.
This was quickly followed by a strong press, fast hands and a kick through for the Shoreham winger to win the race and touch down. 10 minutes into the game and Ditchling were 0:12 down.
Then Ditchling woke up. From the kick off they began to play with more purpose. Strong running and quick off loads saw Ditchling break through the first line of defence again and again. Shoreham were in disarray and a break from Tom Hutchings took Ditchling to the Shoreham 15metre line. Further pressure led to a series of penalties which Ditchling decided to run rather than kick. After a hotly contested ruck on Shoreham’s line Jake Riddell forced his way over for Ditchling’s first try. Ben Poulton converted to reduce the gap to 7:12.

The following 5 minutes Ditchling dominated and worked themselves deeper and deeper into Shoreham territory. From a series of pick and drives Ben Hample took the ball over to level the scores. Unfortunately the conversion hit the post to give a 12:12 scoreline at the 20 minute mark.

Ditchling were now in command and dictating the game. Faster to the breakdown, more aggressive in the loose, this was Ditching in their element and playing with a new found intensity.
Shoreham are a well drilled side with a strong reputation in this league but were clearly rattled with how Ditchling were playing. The set pieces were evenly contested throughout the match and when Shoreham had space they were dangerous and able to quickly gain momentum and move the ball wide. But Ditchling refused to let them get any rhythm. Number 8 Jamie Hutchings and Sam Lodge were making ground every time they had the ball and Charlie Pearson released the backs with quick ball from the base. The cool head of Flyhalf Paulton orchestrated the back line which continued to find gaps.
At the 30 minute mark pressure at the scrum led to a brilliant steal to launch the backs deep into Shoreham territory with a notably strong run from winger Jarrell Bobo.
The ensuing ruck led to a penalty and a yellow card for Shoreham. Ditchling opted to run the ball which led to a physical battle on the Shoreham line. Eventually No8 went over for the ball to be deemed dropped. Shoreham were able to relieve the pressure and make it to half time with no further score.

HT: Ditchling 12 Shoreham 12

The 2nd half began with Ditchling continuing to dominate. Strong tackling throughout the team prevented Shoreham getting into their stride. A second yellow card for a deliberate knock-on then reduced Shoreham to 13 men. This should have led to greater domination but credit to Shoreham they then raised their work rate and the game became more even. Pressure from Shoreham was eventually rewarded with an interception in the centre taking them to the 5 metre line where the ball was secured by the forwards and driven over for a score that was largely against the run of play.

For the following 10 minutes the game was played toe to toe with neither side in the mood to yield. Ditchling continued to play with confidence and Rory Adams, back from illness, grew into the game and finding gaps with his traditional strong running.
At the 60 minute mark a lineout led to Ditchling being off side and Shoreham adopted to kick which was duly converted to give a 12:20 lead. It was at this time Ditchling lost the influential Lodge to a head injury.

Moving into the final quarter of the match Ditchling again gained the upper foot and drove deep into Shoreham’s half, winning penalty after penalty. Ditchling refused to kick for the points and ran the ball at every opportunity. Despite determined resistance from Shoreham, Ditching managed to drive over only to have a man in an offside position. This cancelled the try and gave a penalty to Shoreham allowing them to relieve the pressure with an excellent 50 meter kick to touch.
This gave the momentum back to Shoreham which they never relinquished for the remainder of the match. Pressure and good tackling led to a mistake on the Ditchling 5 yard line for Shoreham to pick up and go over for their 4th try. Quickly followed by a 5th try gave a final score of 12:39 that did not reflect the degree of dominance Ditchling had through large parts of this game.
Credit to Shoreham who gave a lesson in execution and how to maximise the opportunities that came to them. Ditchling continue to grow in this league and demonstrated they can compete with the best teams but need to be switched on from the first whistle and convert their pressure into points.

FT: Ditchling 12 Shoreham 39

Scorers
Tries: Jake Riddell, Ben Hample
Con: Ben Poulton
MoM: Ollie Van Hoeken