They tell you that it isn’t the winning or losing that’s important, it’s the taking part. 8 straight defeats at the start of the London 1 South season became 9 for London Cornish at Medway on Saturday but the very fact that Cornish keep turning up is a victory in itself as Covid and injury continue to ravage the club, 2 more hospitalisations, a concussion and a further Covid outbreak following this match where an astonishing 55 players had already been ruled out on the day. In that context, it really was a remarkable performance by the squad on duty at Priestfields on Saturday to keep the title challenging hosts down to a 31-0 deficit, 3 players making their first starts of the season and one his debut off the bench and every one of the 18 putting their bodies on the line.
It’s always a good start to see all of the squad arrive in decent time and especially on this the longest away trip of the season, so portents were good that Cornish were up for this, perhaps the last visit to Priestfields for a while given the ambitions of the perennial bridesmaids in London 1 South. A dull, autumnal day and soft pitch greeted the visitors who played towards the car park in the opening period, a sparse crowd bolstered by 3 hardy travelling supporters – thank you Andrew & Gaynor Goss and Tim Evans! An inauspicious start saw the exiles grass their first possession having taken the kick off. Twice pinged for set piece offenses, they were then driven back to the shadow of their posts where the hosts opted for a scrum. The home 8 picked up and looked as surprised as the rest of us as everyone appeared to watch him amble over totally unchallenged to score just to the right of the posts, the conversion a formality. Further Medway raids in the next few minutes foundered on an increasingly intriguing battle between the two 12’s, both stocky lads, Kyle Hughes for Cornish making his full debut. On 11 minutes the Kent side won more penalties and pinned the exiles in the top left hand corner of the pitch. They elected for a scrum again but inexplicably picked the ball up from an advancing scrum and were then pinged for crossing in midfield, much to the chagrin of the home coaching team. They did not have long to wait for redemption however for on 17, they fashioned room via some great hands to send their left wing over for an unconverted try. Unable to clear their lines and conceding penalties at an alarming rate, Cornish suffered again on 24 minutes when the home side worked a front of lineout play to send their wing away for another unconverted try. At 17-0 down with barely a quarter of the game gone, few watching would have predicted the final score staying as low as it did but is testament to the growing defensive solidity of the visiting 18 that only 14 more points were conceded in the match. On 28 minutes Fin Robjohn launched 2 penalties deep into Medway territory but a lineout malfunction (on a day when the exiles lineout actually went well) saw the chance lost. This cost Cornish centre Sam Fieldwick, him suffering a deep cut to his lip/face that saw him head straight to hospital, Doug Chirnside on for his debut in the unaccustomed slot of wing, Terry Gillam moving to centre. Chirnside entered the fray playing opposite an opponent he knows from the rugby league scene so battle was well joined there too! Wing Lee Humphries also dislocated a finger in the melee, the DoR relocating it for Humphries to bravely see out the match for the damage required 2 subsequent visits to A&E post match and a few weeks out for the lad. For the remaining minutes of the half Cornish made attack the best form of defence, driven on by strong carrying from the likes of James La Broy and Niko Mirosevic-Sorgo, who both linked well with the rock steady Mike Edworthy countering from full back. Twice in those closing minutes the visitors built phases to nurdle their way into the Medway 22 only to knock the ball on when well placed. When the home side had possession, they found that in George Shirlaw the exiles had a fine jackal, him stealing ball on the floor throughout the match. When half-time came the momentum was with the visitors.
Joe Lynch came on to loose head to steady his side in the tight at the break but he was quickly on the defensive as Medway opened the 2nd half with a 50-22 kick giving them field position, determined to wrestle back the initiative. Wave after wave of attacks were repelled with Mark Osei-Tutu joined in close quarter combat by NMS, Shirlaw, Conor Pearce and Skipper Dave Theobald all fronting up alongside former Medway player Ciaran Slater, who relished the opportunity to make things awkward for his former team mates! Finally, on 47 minutes the home sides rangy outside centre hit a great angle to cut through and cross by the posts for a converted try. Back came Cornish, eschewing repeated kicks smack in front of the posts to pin their hosts in that same top corner that had seen so much action in the opening stanza. Penalty followed penalty as Medway used every means to stop their hosts from scoring, more strong carries from La Broy and Hughes allied with the dancing feet of the zephyr like George Jackson at 9 keeping the home side busy. One move from a lineout saw a set play send Lynch to within inches of the line to the left of the posts, but the ball was lost on the floor and the danger cleared, 55 on the clock. Pearce rolled an ankle in this passage of play, Joel Williams on in his stead. On the hour mark, Medway finally threw off the shackles, pinging a penalty to 5 out down the left hand side. Once again however, their maul was stopped and then Cornish smuggled the ball back on their side for Robjohn to launch a howitzer to clear. Osei-Tutu was given respite at this point, Pellow back on in his place but that lasted just one play, Pellow concussed in the next phase and the replacement reversed. Medway again kicked a penalty to 5 out and this time moved the ball over the line, but a herculean defensive effort saw the ball held up for a drop out. When the home side attacked from receiving the ball, they were met by a solid wall of defenders, Shirlaw winning a penalty for holding. A quick tap followed, Cornish moving the ball along the line only to be forced out on halfway under the shadow of the clubhouse, 12 left on the clock. Though Medway responded, it was the visitors who visibly grew into the game and now began countering from everywhere, NMS providing a couple of lung busting carries, whilst Edworthy and Gillam both provided enterprising runs to take play upfield. On 75 minutes Medway fashioned a decent backs move from some way out to send their wing away under the posts for a score, which was improved. This might have ended the resistance by the visitors but none of it, the exiles once again launching attacks in the closing minutes, NMS and Lynch to the fore and La Broy twice involved as his side closed in on the try line once more. It was fitting that in the final act of the match a Medway attack was thwarted by Lynch winning a penalty on the floor for not releasing inside his own 22, as his side had made a thorough nuisance of themselves throughout a match in which there appeared a distinct mismatch in terms of size in favour of the hosts. It says something about the match that the Medway Head Coach commented to his opposite number on the final whistle “ I suspect you will be far happier than I am with our teams performances today!”
Medway may have lost against Welsh in the previous round but they rarely lose at home and are the bar above whom all other sides seeking promotion from London 1 South have to pass to be involved. With a minimum 3 up this may well be their season and we wish them well as they have proved talented and obdurate oppo in the last few seasons we have encountered them. Their visit to the REMPF next year may be our last for a while but they are always great hosts and its always a fair battle so we look forward to having one last shot at them!
The break comes at a good time for Cornish as no sooner had the dust settled another Covid outbreak hit the club forcing another round of tests on all involved. These may be trying times in terms of results and injuries but perspective is everything – the club remains on a healthy financial footing, training numbers remain high and this performance demonstrated that the spirit in the camp remains strong, buoyed by the coaching prowess of Corne Du Rand and Paul Spivey. It’s actually not a question of rebuilding, just one of being patient for the patients to return to action; we waited 18 months to play again, a few more weeks is nothing!