CRANBROOK COMPETITIVE BUT UNDONE BY TOO MANY ERRORS.
For the penultimate game of a disappointing season Cranbrook welcomed mid table Dover to the Tomlin ground on a dry, pleasant spring afternoon.
Dover kicked off towards the clubhouse, early play was indeterminate but it was noticeable that the referee was not willing to let much go without elongated comment. After 10 minutes Dover gained territory from a scrum penalty, although a knock on spoilt the move, another scrum penalty enabled Dover to kick to 5 metres. The won lineout was driven over for the opening score and converted.
Cranbrook came into the game when Dover transgressed at the tackle. Fabian Rimmer kicked the penalty into the 22, whereupon a well controlled rolling maul took Cranbrook forward towards the line. Dover managed to just halt the momentum but in doing so were short of numbers out wide and slick passing put full back Wilf Sellick in towards the right corner.
From the kick off, Dover soon gained possession and after phases scored towards the right corner. From the kick off Cranbrook were offside, but the Dover move from the scrum ended with a knock on. The next Dover attack ended when a chip through was collected by a covering defender, enabling Rimmer to make a long clearance. Cranbrook then charged down a clearance kick but Dover recovered with difficulty although another penalty at the tackle took the home team back into the 22. From the lineout the ball was returned left where No 8 Sam Shillabeer showed good strength to break a tackle to score and get some way to the posts enabling Rimmer to convert and tie the match.
As half time approached Dover looked increasingly fluent and threatening in the backs, soon they were almost through but again knocked on as a tackle was made. Their scrummage also had the upper hand sometimes and after phases another converted score came as the half ended at 12-19.
Although Dover soon converted another try for their bonus point, Cranbrook now had their best spell of the game coming close to scoring as a couple of penalties were tapped, though the backs lacked coordination so no score came. Eventually a turnover enabled the visiting wing to escape to halfway.
Dover were intelligently and confidently varying their plays and a run and chip through was only just thwarted by Cranbrook as they were forced into touch. From the lineout a centre broke through for a soft score and added another after 60 minutes.
Although Cranbrook had some more territory and phases, an interception enabled a length of the field score, the final try came as a Cranbrook scrum was turned over, although several phases were held, a forward scored from close range with ease.
This was a match in which Cranbrook had enough possession and territory to have scored more but for errors, but Dover played well as Cranbrook crucially missed some tackles.
The team was 1 J Foster, 2 J Brambley, 3 J Bushell, 4 M Stockman, 5 J Parkes, 6 J Fowler, 7 H Gillanders Capt, 8 S Shillabeer, 9 O Wookey, 10 R Posey, 11 S Jovanovic, 12 F Rimmer, 13 C Fowler, 14 J Thornton, W Sellick. Subs D Houghton-Judge for Bramley 36mins, R O'Keefe for C Fowler 40 mins.