By Kevin Redsull

Dover secured the Kent 2 title in their final match of the season at Crabble on Saturday.

Already assured of promotion, the Sharks knew they had to score at least four tries to achieve a bonus-point victory and thus pip Canterbury 2nds on points difference.

They duly did so, much to the delight of Martyn Beaumont.

Dover head of rugby Beaumont said: “It’s been a five-year journey for us, really, after we laid out a development plan for the club. And although we had the problem two years ago of the clubhouse being badly flooded, we bounced back from that.

“We finished in the top five last year and we set ourselves a target of finishing in the top three this season.

“We’ve had a consistent squad pretty much all the way through. The boys have worked hard and I’m really proud of them.”

They were made to work hard by a young Sidcup 2nds who, although they had nothing to play for in view of their mid-table position, showed commendable application.

And Sidcup grabbed a 5-0 lead with an unconverted try after a sharp passing move.

But it wasn’t long before the Sharks began to assert their authority and they drew level when Harry Moore went over for an unconverted try in the corner.

That settled the Sharks down and further tries followed from Blair Charge and George Pugh, both of which Moore converted for a 19-5 half-time advantage.

Dover, however, knew they still needed to score at least one more try to secure the bonus-point win and they made sure their fans didn’t have to wait too long to celebrate it.

A wayward Sidcup pass 10 minutes after the restart was intercepted on the halfway line and the Sharks capitalised, with Charge going over for his second try.

Moore added the conversion to make it 26-5 but Sidcup received further reward for their spirit with a converted try before Aaron Coleman completed the scoring with the Sharks’ fifth try after a five-yard line-out in their 31-12 triumph.

It means Dover can look forward to playing in Kent 1 next season, where their opposition will include Kent rivals Ashford, Deal & Betteshanger and Thanet Wanderers.

Dover Sharks: Josh Baker, Liam Russell, Shaun Piddlesden, Jordan Adams, Aaron Coleman, George Pugh, George Smith, Clayton Preece, Josh Sabin, Martyn Beaumont, Tom Sayers, Blair Charge, Isaac Bryant, Harry Moore, Garin Price. Reps: Kaydon Swinbourne, Kirk Savage, Jack Ayling.