26th September 2015
Barking RFC 19 – Brentwood RFC 56: London 1 North
by Richard King
... and go top of London 1 North with four wins and 19 points from four matches.
Brentwood played into the breeze and dominated play from the start. Some powerful forward play and a series of quick off loads set up the first try for fly half Simpson after four minutes which was converted by Bird.
An exchange of penalties, one from Barking’s full back and two from Bird led up to the try of the match after 25 minutes. Brentwood centre Stannard showed tremendous balance and pace and ran the ball in from the half way line leaving three Barking tacklers in his wake. The assured boot of Bird added the extras to take the score to 3-20.
A rare period of Barking pressure led to their forwards crossing the Brentwood line after 31 minutes but the ball was held up under a pile of bodies. The resulting melee saw Barking awarded a penalty under the posts and Brentwood number 8 Binet yellow carded for an uncharacteristic show of petulance.
In the 37th minute, another flowing Brentwood move saw the ball transferred quickly between several players before debutant scrum half Galligan scored Brentwood’s third try which Bird duly converted.
The half ended with another Barking penalty being awarded under the posts which brought the half time score to 9-27, a fair reflection on Brentwood’s dominance of the first 40 minute’s play.
Brentwood’s worrying tendency to concede kickable penalties continued in the second half when an early Barking attack led to their fourth penalty, again converted by their reliable full back.
As the second half developed, so did the dominance of Brentwood’s pack. After 55 minutes, a Barking defensive scrum was destroyed by a massive Brentwood shove and the ball was moved on slickly between several Brentwood players for versatile forward Aldous to score. This time, Bird missed his conversion attempt.
Brentwood fifth try, scored by full back Gillett and converted by Bird, immediately led to Barking’s only try of the match after 63 minutes. Barking kicked off, Brentwood stood and watched as the ball was caught and run in under the posts by an unchallenged Barking player. The conversion moved the score on to 19-39.
Play continued in the now well established pattern with Brentwood’s forward power and superior overall fitness exerting heavy pressure on an increasingly desperate Barking defence.
Three further Brentwood tries in the last 10 minutes, by Mead, Aldous and Skurr, and one more conversion by Bird completed the scoring.
The 19-56 score line brought Brentwood five well deserved league points and a superior points difference which enabled them to overtake Thurrock at the top of the London 1 North league table. Chigwell Construction’s man of the match was awarded to Josh Stannard.