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Birmingham Moseley 34 Tonbridge Juddians 21: National League 1 match report

Tonbridge Juddians took their trip to Birmingham Moseley in their stride on Saturday, before the home side finally clicked into gear.

Birmingham boast more than 35 internationals among their alumni, but from the start Judds thrived on such a historic stage.

Desperate defending between Tonbridge Juddians (red) and Birmingham Moseley
Desperate defending between Tonbridge Juddians (red) and Birmingham Moseley

Their ascendancy began with four back-to-back penalties from Moseley, which Tonbridge kicked to the corner through the boot of skipper Tom White. They went for the maul in the early stages but could not quite convert.

However they recycled the ball well and powered on through their strong forwards for new signing Perry Parker to breach the line and give his side the lead.

The try was converted by White and was coupled with a yellow card for Moseley for repeated infringements.

As the half progressed the home side gained a foothold through impressive footwork of their flying backs, coupled with a few mistakes from the away side.

Great hands from ex-Premiership back row Ashley Johnson put Benjamin in space out on the left and he showed exhilarating pace and excellent footwork to chip and collect his kick over the head of full-back Taylor-Dennehy.

The try was converted to bring the sides level, but the game swung back towards Tonbridge as half-time approached.

Tonbridge Juddians (red) and Birmingham Moseley do battle
Tonbridge Juddians (red) and Birmingham Moseley do battle

Tom Nicol made a try-saving intervention to win a turnover penalty on this own line and then White kicked down the vacant midfield, forcing Moseley to chase back and clear to touch deeper than would have been the case through a conventional kick.

This set the scene for a strong maul dragged down just short of the line, leading to another penalty. Charlie Edwards spotted Moseley had not aligned quickly and tapped and spun the ball to Hugo Watson, who finished expertly with White adding the extras.

As the sides turned around, Moseley had the benefit of a slight hill which they seemed to relish and in a 15-minute spell the Midlands side all but killed off the game.

Firstly with a try through winger Pointon, which levelled the scores, and then via Hutchinson, who crashed over under the posts.

Moseley struck the hammer blow just before the hour. The home side stayed patient after gaining field position and in a similar effort to their third score, Safe bundled his way over under the sticks.

Two home penalties further extended their lead, making the score 34-14, before Judds had the final say with a try for Mike O’Sullivan.

On Saturday Judds are in derby action at home to Blackheath.

Read more: All the latest sports news in Kent

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