On a dramatic afternoon at Rugby Lane 570 supporters watched enthralled as the two leading sides in London One South fought tooth and nail for a vital win in their search for the title and automatic promotion. Sutton did not disappoint their loyal crowd by winning the game and extending their lead at the top of the table to a significant 10 points with five fixtures left in this magnificent campaign.
Aaron Phillip found space on the flank and rather than take it into contact released Sam Hurley who surged forward only to be stopped agonisingly short of the line. The ball was quickly recycled and James Bennett darted over the line to score. Sam Hurley added the tricky conversion for a 10-0 lead.
From the re-start the visitors redoubled their efforts and wave after wave of attack was thrown against the S&E defences. Following a series of penalties conceded by Sutton, James Bennett received a yellow card and Guildford had the advantage of the extra man. Eventually they made their numbers count as the forwards forced their way over in the corner.
A wonderfully struck conversion from the touchline made the score 10-7.
The Rugby Lane faithful’s anxiety was partly relieved on the half hour by the reassuring sight of Sam Hurley with the opportunity to extend the lead. They were not disappointed as the full-back slotted over three priceless points. With chances few and far between the Sutton kicker was under enormous pressure on the stroke of half-time with a long-range attempt. The crowd roared their approval as once more Sam Hurley was successful and the teams turned around with the league leaders holding a valuable 16-7 lead.
The third quarter was probably the turning point of the game. Any thought of the men from Broadwater reducing the deficit in the early exchanges were thwarted as the Black & Whites raised the tempo of the game. The forwards played with pace, power and panache to force their opponents onto the back foot. However, Guildford were the next to score from a penalty following a rare sortie into the home team’s territory. This spurred Sutton to even greater efforts and after a period of supremacy they were rewarded in the 58th-minute with a try. From a well-worked line out move Steve Munford timed his pass to perfection to put Matt Whitaker into space and the powerful Number 8 was unstoppable. Sam Hurley added the extras to extend the lead to 23-7.
As the clock ran down in the final quarter the visitors finally established a foothold in the final minutes with a scrum on the S&E line. Seb Bonizzi, off the bench as replacement hooker, won the ball against the head to dent the hopes of the guests. With the game in time added on Guildford had one final chance to salvage a losing bonus point from an attacking line out. The hosts had been reduced to 14 with James Caddy incurring a yellow card and again with the man advantage the visiting pack rumbled over the line to score. However, the failure to convert the try with the last kick of the game meant that with the final score reading 23-15 Guildford returned to Broadwater pointless.
It was a game worthy of the top two teams in the League and was enjoyed by the largest crowd of the season at Rugby Lane. The campaign has a rest week next Saturday but the League leaders return to action with a trip to Dover on the 19th March. No doubt buoyed by this most significant of victories Sutton & Epsom will be determined to push on for promotion and take the London One South title.
Team: Sam Hurley, Kyren Ghumra, Dave Cook, Pete Matthews, Aaron Phillip, Paul Hodgson, Steve Munford, Raynn Bruce, James Bennett, Craig Bellringer, Matt Harwood, Neil Mauger, James Caddy, George London, Matt Whitaker. Replacements (all used): Seb Bonizzi, Joe Ridgley and Andy Matthews.
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