Necessity has led to Sutton fielding 31 different players in the opening six ties. No less than the fifth centre combination was unveiled on Saturday. The knowledgeable crowd, swelled by the past players luncheon, were royally entertained with a feast of quality rugby. Sutton & Epsom gained a five-point win to propel them to the summit of London One South as two points now separate the top five in this extremely competitive league.
The visitors dominated the first quarter and were duly rewarded with an 18th minute try in the corner and following a touchline conversion the Southampton side led 7-0. A concerned home crowd then witnessed 20 minutes of magnificent attacking rugby.
The youthful triumvirate of Jacob Atkins, Connor Hayhow and Aaron Phillip were prominent in transforming proceedings. The forwards rallied and won a kickable penalty that was gratefully accepted by Sam Hurley to close the gap. Defensive pressure was relieved by effective kicking from hand by Jacob Atkins providing a territorial foothold.
On the half hour Connor Hayhow exploded down the left wing. With wonderful support play and continuity supplied by timely offloads play swung to the opposite flank to set up Aaron Phillip for the try of the season. Sam Hurley added the extras to put the Black and Whites into a 10-7 lead.
The Rugby Lane faithful hardly had time to catch their breath before then were on their feet to applaud another try. Aaron Phillip turned provider as Connor Hayhow swept in for a score. The young winger gave his opposite number a torrid time all afternoon. Sam Hurley stroked over the conversion, the third kick in a faultless display containing five conversions and two penalties.
The Hampshire side were bewildered to see their control evaporate in a matter of minutes. Frustration got the better of their excellent number eight, Dan Stocks, who petulantly knocked away the ball at a penalty to earn a yellow card. The hosts punished the 14-man opposition on the stroke of half-time.
Following good play from the forwards Aaron Phillip ran through the defence to score. Sutton turned around 24-7 to the good. Despite the impassioned pleas of Captain Robbie Searle the trailing side had a horrific start to the second half. They meekly failed to claim the re-start and Matt Whitaker sauntered in practically untouched for the bonus point score. Sam Hurley extended the lead to 31-7.
combination of forward excellence by the visitors, relaxed play and careless penalties conceded by the hosts created a dramatic reversal in fortunes. Still a man down the men from Water Lane pulled back a score. No sooner than they were restored to their full compliment they crossed the whitewash again to reduce the arrears to 31-19.
They were now playing their best rugby with their forwards scrummaging powerfully, securing a platform at the line out and rampaging forward in the loose. The Hurley boot brought relief and the relative security if a 15 point three-score lead but twenty minutes remained. However, it was the turn of S&E to fail to deal with a re-start.
This led to 15 minutes of unrelenting pressure as the men from Southampton must have felt like Sisyphus as they kept reaching the try line only to be pushed back by valiant defence from the Surrey team. The siege was broken in dramatic fashion when the Black & Whites won a turnover and Connor Hayhow ran in a try from within his own 22.
The excitement was not over as the visitors finally secured a bonus point for a fourth try via their centre Michael Searle which was undoubtedly deserved for their performance in this thrilling encounter. Sutton had gained a 41-26 victory in a contest high on entertainment, quality and commitment. The foundations for their success were built upon resolute defence, dynamic running by the backs and the tactical acumen of Paul Hodgson supplying confidence to all around him.
Finally, Ed Burton made an impressive debut coming off the bench in the last quarter rejuvenating the defence with some resounding tackles. The league campaign takes a break next Saturday. The action returns on Saturday 24th October with the Black and Whites visiting Fowlers Wells to resume their fierce rivalry with Chobham. Spectators, please note that due to the World Cup the kick will be at the unusually early time of 1:00pm.
Team: Jacob Atkins, Sam Hurley, Aaron Phillip, Guy Stuckey-Clarke, Connor Hayhow, Paul Hodgson, Steve Munford, Raynn Bruce, Seb Bonizzi, Craig Bellringer, Matt Harwood, James Caddy, George London, Joe Ridgley, Matt Whitaker. Replacements (all used): Tariq Al Khaldi, Ed Burton, Frankie Murray.
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