Report by Nick Foxley
Photos courtesy of John Singer
The Colchester Gladiators defeated the East Kent Mavericks 22-14
to improve their record to 7-2 and set up a division title decider this Sunday
against the 7-1-1 Farnham Knights. A win would complete a turn around in
fortunes for the Essex side after losing their first two games of the season
before rattling off seven consecutive wins to set up the winner-take-all
contest.
With several key starters again absent and dressing just 27
players for the game, the Gladiators expected a tough contest and that was
exactly what they received. In wet conditions, the Mavericks played above their
poor record and ran the Gladiators close all the way to the final whistle.
The Kent outfit was first to trouble
the scorers after the Gladiators fumbled away their initial possession on their
own 36. A long pass from their QB found the hands of a receiver in the end zone
for six points which was closely followed by a successful two point pass
attempt which gave them an 8-0 lead.
The Colchester offence started to
click behind the running of Casey Campbell, reaching the Mavericks' nine but a
fourth down play was stopped by the determined Kent defence and the ball was
turned over.
Safety Joe Stickings intercepted the
Mavericks QB to get the ball back and this time the Colchester “O” made no
mistake, travelling the 25 yards in five plays, scoring with a six yard TD pass
from QB Curtis Bourke to Chris Jackson to bring the Gladiators within two. The
two point pass attempt failed to leave the Mavericks ahead 8-6.
Ian Digby picked off the Kent QB to
thwart their next drive and the quarter ended with the Gladiators trailing by
two points.
A promising Mavericks drive was halted
when Dave Walton sacked the QB for a loss of nine yards on a fourth down play
but with their offence struggling, the Gladiators' defence came up with their
third interception of the half when Alex Robinson stepped in front of a
receiver and returned the ball to the Kent six.
The Colchester offence made no mistake
as Bourke found Campbell with a short pass for the go-ahead score. Bourke then
found Sam Huxtable for the two point conversion and the Gladiators lead 14-8.
Raul Barclay intercepted the QB for
his team's fourth pick but the offence could not convert, failing on a fourth
down play on the three. However, the lead was increased on the next play as the
Kent QB was tackled in his own end zone, scoring a two point safety for the
Gladiators, boosting their lead to eight at 16-8 which was the half time score.
The Mavericks were first to score in
the second half, on their second possession. After another turn over on downs,
their QB hooked up with a receiver from 27 yards out. The two point run play
was no good but the Mavs trailed by just two at 16-14.
With no further scoring in the third,
the scene was set for a thrilling final period and the loyal fans, standing out
in the damp conditions, were not disappointed.
After stopping the Mavs on fourth
down, the Gladiators capitalised, giving themselves some breathing space, as
Bourke found Jackson again for a nine yard touchdown. The two point play failed
but the Gladiators were 22-14 in front.
Neither defences were in the mood to
concede, knowing that the next score would be crucial and Chewy Henson sacked
and stripped the ball from the Mavericks QB before recovering the fumble to
thwart one drive but the game came down to one final Kent possession, into the
final two minutes.
Two pass completions took the ball
into Gladiator territory and a long scramble by the QB advanced it to the 18.
But a final pass fell incomplete and time expired to leave the Gladiators
relieved victors and able to look forward to next week's title deciding clash.
A win will see them host a playoff game on August 23rd, defeat will
force them to travel.
The Gladiators' next game is on Sunday
2nd August when the table topping Farnham Knights come to Colchester.
Remaining fixture list:
Aug 2: v Farnham
Knights
Aug 23: Playoff
game; venue TBC
The Knights game will be played at Colchester Rugby Club, Mill
Road, Colchester, kick off 2.30pm.
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