After a week off for both sides Lordswood welcomed Whitstable to ‘The Woods’ on a sunny October afternoon.

Lordswood were hoping to bounce back after a disappointing loss to Faversham, but knew the stern test they faced against a side in good form. For the first ten minutes of the match Lordswood  were put firmly on the back foot and it became apparent that Lordswood’s defence was going to be a crucial factor.

After this initial period Lordswood’s forwards started to gain composure with the front three of Ben Venables, Toby Pearce and Sean Frankland holding firm against Whitstable’s pack.

The game developed into a close contest with Rhys Gue and Paul Hyland demonstrating their tackling skills against a powerful Whitstable pack that looked to provide quick ball for a threatening back line.

Lordswood gradually started to get themselves into the game and it was Rhys Gue who managed to make a quick break which caught Whitstable’s back line by surprise. Drawing two or three players, Rhys managed to pass to the speedy Paul Hyland for a sprint finish from just outside the twenty-two to give Lordswood the first points of the match. Unfortunately, Dave Evans boot was unable to convert, but Lordswood were in the lead.

Lordswood then began to place pressure on Whitstable by keeping the away side pinned in their own half. After a series of penalties Lordswood were awarded one 20 yards out in front of the posts and elected to kick. David Evans stepped up to convert and take Lordswood to 8-0 at half time.

Lordswood were downhill in the second half and were forced to make a change in personnel with Dave Jacobs replacing the injured Dave Evans at full back. From the off, the contest intensified which was evident in the tough tackling from both sides. Chris Callaway and Callum Watkins highlighted Lordswood’s defensive resilience.

Fifteen minutes into the second half an incident took place which saw the referee produce a red card for Whitstable and a yellow for Lordswood. This was a shame as it was out of character with an otherwise good natured game.

Despite this incident and Whitstable being down to 14 men, they showed great spirit and continued to cause Lordswood problems. With the quick feet and speed of Whitstable’s fly half, the away side showed good skill in their back line. They were met with strong resistance from Lordswood’s defence in particular centre Mark Dorman and No 8 Callum Watkins, but with 10 minutes to go the away side managed to break through and were rewarded with a try. An easy conversion. 8 – 7.

There was a very nervy 10 minutes for Lordswood to survive and winger, James Carroll, epitomised the defensive effort required with a series of text book tackles that have hope to the home side.

Final whistle and Lordswood had pulled through with a close and hard fought win against a very well organised and structured Whitstable side. Man of the match was awarded to Rhys Gue who, in addition to his tireless running and defence, turned the ball over at a number of key moments in the game.