Rugby union: Blackheath defeat Esher 64-22 as first-half tries prove crucial

BY GRAHAM COX

Four first-half tries laid the platform for Blackheath’s biggest win of the season to date, as they put Esher to the sword 64-22 at Molesey Road.

The Surrey side had come into the match having won three on the bounce, and were in touching range of moving out of the National League One relegation zone, but this defeat leaves them in the bottom three, while for the Club the big victory erased the memory of the poor display against Plymouth Albion the previous week.

Initially, however, it was Esher continuing their form of recent weeks as wing Stan Norman swept across for a try on just three minutes.

Blackheath’s response was quick, though. As a penalty landed in touch, and the maul moved infield, a long pass found Andy Denham out wide, the Club wing making his first and final appearance of the season, to cross.

Fly-half Tom Ffitch’s excellent touchline conversion levelled the scores briefly, before EEEs opposite number Sam Morley nudged the hosts back ahead with a penalty, but the remainder of the period belonged to the visitors.

Andy Boye powered over on 20 minutes, Jake Lloyd touched-down when ball fell loose and, despite messy ball at the lineout, Tom Everard drove across. Ffitch struck all three conversions and added a successful penalty for Blackheath to lead 31-10 at the break.

The second half continued in similar fashion with another catch and drive seeing Billy Harding touch down at the base of the maul, before a break from Archie Holland, on as front-row replacement, sent Noah Sloot across on the open-side’s 25th appearance in Club colours.

Augy Slowik, making a long-awaited return at full-back after injury, crashed through the Esher defence for Everard to mark his final Blackheath game with his second try.

Ffitch’s sixth successful conversion brought up the half-century.

A tap-and-go saw Esher claw a try back through centre Myles Rawstron-Rudd but the demolition work continued at the other end with another break from Slowik sending Lloyd across out wide, and Denham made a line-break for Holland to cross, before the hosts claimed late consolation via wing James Botterill.

“We had a gameplan to execute to eradicate Esher and it worked perfectly,” said Blackheath director of rugby James Shanahan. “They are a dangerous team, as Rosslyn Park found out’.

“Denham, in his last game before he heads off travelling, was outstanding, as was Everard who moves to Australia.”

Blackheath head to Darlington Mowden Park tomorrow before returning to home soil on March 1 against Sedgley Park.