By Graham Cox

Kent secured another narrow win with a 34-33 victory over Cornwall in the Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 1.

Just two points separated the defending champions from Hampshire the last time out, but this time the margin of victory couldn’t be closer in the side’s second pool game at Charlton Park.

Kent now host Surrey in their last group match, again at Charlton Park, this Saturday (3pm).

They opened up a 10-point lead at the weekend until indiscipline struck, leaving them depleted in number and opening the door for the visitors.

Ironically, though, in a seemingly never-ending final play, with Cornwall going through numerous phases, Kent, with only 13-men on the field, held their composure until it was the visitors who infringed and Blackheath’s Mark Cooke could launch the ball skyward for the final whistle.

“I felt at 17-7 we were in control, and maybe if we’d kept 15 on the field we would have pushed on,” said Cooke’s clubmate and Kent head coach and second-row Tom Stradwick.

“Cornwall, though, are a top side and playing 50 minutes with 14 men, and at times 13 with three second-half yellow cards, put huge pressure on ourselves.

“However, we said at half-time everyone had to give an extra 10%, and the work-rate and discipline, particularly in that last play when we were in our 22, knowing a penalty would lose the game, was massive and I’m immensely proud of the boys.”

Play moving infield off lineout ball saw centre Josh Semmens crash over as the visitors made the better start, fly-half Fraser Honey adding the first of four successful conversions, but Kent were soon on the scoreboard through the boot of Dorking’s Bryan Hotston following a high tackle.

Although the Cornish pack repelled a drive on 12 minutes, Blackheath’s George Daly, marshalling expertly at scrum-half, moved the ball blind for his clubmate Andy Denham to score, and great interplay between Leo Fielding (Blackheath) and Cooke, including a reverse pass from the latter, found the wing cutting a fine angle for his second try.

Denham may have claimed a hat-trick, but for a pass not going to hand, and other opportunities came and went, but a dismissal for Blackheath’s Ollie Walliker on 33 minutes for retaliation put the hosts on the back foot, and as Cornwall opted for the scrum from a penalty under the posts, back-row Adam Hughes was worked over, narrowing the score to 17-14 at the interval.

Hotston’s second penalty and an interception try for Fielding put Kent back in charge, but the one-man advantage would start to count, and on 57 minutes the Duchy’s captain and hooker, Ben Priddey, drove across from a lineout.

Blackheath’s Ben Charnock became the first yellow card victim on the hour, and as Cornwall stretched the depleted defence, Semmens went over for his second try, Honey’s only blemish of the match leaving the visitors one-point short at 27-26.

Spurning a potential three points, Kent opted to keep the pressure on by kicking to the corner, and although the lineout went wrong, the Cornish defence allowed ball to fall loose for Sevenoaks’ Barney Stone to slice through the cover, the centre sending another of the Blackheath contingent, Archie Holland, charging under the posts for a crucial eight-point lead.

Fielding was temporarily dismissed for a deliberate knock-on, and Cornwall again used the numerical superiority to create the overlap for Priddey to claim his second try, Honey adding an excellent conversion from out wide.

However, despite a third yellow card, this time for Westcombe Park’s Elliot Roofe, the thin blue line of Kent dug deep and held firm for the remaining minutes.

“We’ve some fantastic individual players, and there were some great moments in the game,” Stradwick added.

“Leo Fielding in particular was outstanding, setting things up, making line breaks, and his interception try was a huge moment.

“However, as big as today was, we mustn’t get ahead of ourselves. We need to continue gelling as a team and put in a performance against Surrey next week to make sure we get to Twickenham.”

Kent: Hotson (Dorking), Jones (Canterbury), Stone (Sevenoaks), Fielding (Blackheath), Denham (Blackheath), Cooke (Blackheath), Daly (Blackheath), Boon (Tonbridge Juddians), Walliker (Blackheath), Holland (Blackheath), Self (Tonbridge Juddians), Stradwick (Blackheath), Murray (Canterbury), O’Donoghue (Canterbury), Charnock (Blackheath). Replacements: Witchell (Blackheath), Macmillan (Canterbury), Roofe (Westcombe Park), Chawner (Westcombe Park), Claxton (Wimbledon), Shergold (Westcombe Park), Fryatt (Westcombe Park).