Bexley are no doubt a strong side and this win has pushed them up into first place, ahead of Lordswood (whom they beat last week). However the score line does somewhat flatter as ‘Bridge heads dropped and the tries began to flow in the second half. Take nothing away from Bexley however; they were clinical when they needed to be.

The game started slightly on the wrong foot as a freak deflected clearing box kick bounced up perfectly for the chasing Bexley player. Over went the home side for their first try in the opening couple of minutes.

Back game Edenbridge though and some strong runs up field allowed for a penalty 5 metres out from the Bexley line. Confusion among the home ranks, convinced they would need to stop a forwards drive led to captain Gary Stevens going over for the opening try, tapping the penalty himself. Sam Perry added the extras to give ‘Bridge 5-7 lead.

Not to rest on their opening laurels, ‘Bridge came back again with a decent break up the wing by Stevens led to another penalty (and a yellow card for the home team) as Stevens was prevented from following his kick through. Sam Perry once again was on target to extend the lead to 5-10.

Bexley though proved to be dangerous runners and the ‘Bridge defence has been missing in action somewhat over the last couple of outings. Some simple missed tackles let Bexley back in for their second try which went unconverted. 10-10 all at this stage and the game looked to be very much alive.

Further sloppy defensive work however meant Bexley secured the try bonus point before half time. It was these two leaked tries which saw Edenbridge heads drop and the slightly makeshift team begin to come unravelled. A further Bridge try and another penalty was all the visitors had to cheer themselves.

The second half was more of the same from Bexley has they ramped up the pressure and again exploited some poor tackling. ‘Bridge did their best to remain competitive but ultimately the lack of depth in the playing squad was once again highlighted. Injuries and absences have taken their toll in this second half of the season and what looked to be hopes of a top three finish may now have all but disintegrated. A lot of lessons learned for the young Edenbridge side and things go back to the drawing board before hosting Brockleians at the Rec on Saturday.