A seventh successive victory for Blackheath to keep the Club in third place in National League One, but now level with Plymouth Albion and within four points of Rotherham at the head of the table.
Conversely, Sedgley Park started the day occupying the third automatic relegation spot, engaged in a mighty battle with four other clubs to avoid the drop, and were always going to dig deep and fight for every point.
Indeed, for the first hour of this contest, the Lancastrians proved tenacious opponents, capitalising on Blackheath errors and responding each time the visitors attempted to take the initiative.
However, with just five points separating the sides, the 62nd minute sparked an explosion which saw the Club run in five unanswered tries in a ten-minute spell of devastation and slaughter, leaving a bewildered Sedge defence in ruins.
The trigger came just before as a yellow card for a clumsy mid-air challenge left the hosts depleted for a third time, and although the pass that found Tom Hughes looked a tad forward, the Club wing stepped inside with great aplomb to cross the try-line.
Finn Osborne took the re-start, and Sam Morley set his full-back Tom Emery carving through the floundering defenders on a 75-metre sprint to the line, before Morley himself raced home from halfway, Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas on as replacement at centre having made the scoring pass.
Morley, who was now conducting a symphony at fly-half, found a perfectly tuned kick to the left corner for Jake Hennessey to gather and dive over, before the stand-off’s neat pass hit Luke Pollock at pace for the centre to send Kyle McGhie across.
Morley added all five conversions to complete his concerto, and 26-21 had been transformed into a forty-point drubbing, reduced in the closing stages as Sedge, to their credit, worked prop Danny Rylance across in consolation, and for what might be an important four-try bonus point.
The prelude to all this had not been quite so majestic, unlike the weather at Park Lane which was glorious.
The opening bars saw Billy Harding drive over for the hooker’s record-equalling 42nd try of the season, but the concession of a penalty at the other end saw Sedgley suck in enough numbers on the Club’s goal-line for wing Rhys Henderson to cross in the corner.
Osborne powered close, and Noah Sloot arrived to finish off after Blackheath had been awarded a scrum penalty, but a dangerous tackle from Archie Smeaton added to some tetchiness between the sides, and with the visitors now temporarily down a man, Ollie Glasse scored from a tap-and-go, the Sedge inside-centre adding the conversion in a perfect kicking display for a 14-12 lead at the interval.
Josh Smart excavated a gap to score after the re-start, and when Harding picked up loose ball, Osborne’s long pass was picked up by Jordan Burns, the scrum-half’s sheer pace outstripping the Sedge defence before his inside-ball sent Hennessey across for the wing’s first try.
However, as it had done in an attacking position prior to the break, the Club’s lineout fell out of time in defence, an inch-perfect punt having put Sedge within five-metres, Alex Benbattouche driving over from the resultant scrum to bring the hosts back within a score.
Now though, Morley took his cue to grab the baton and lead the contest through a dramatic coda.
National League Rugby takes a three-week break through Easter, but returns on 11th April when Blackheath host fourth-placed Sale FC.
Kick off at The Utilita Well Hall is at 3.00 pm.
Sedgley Park
Tries: Henderson 15, Glasse 38, Benbattouche 53, Rylance 78
Conv: Glasse 15, 38, 53, 78
Blackheath
Tries: Harding 6, Sloot 30, Smart 46, Hennessey 48, 69, Hughes 62, Emery 64, Morley 66, McGhie 72
Conv: Morley 30, 46, 48, 62, 64, 66, 69, 72
Attendance: 412
| 15 | . | Tom Emery |
| 14 | . | Tom Hughes |
| 13 | . | Luke Pollock |
| 12 | . | Raff Hollister |
| 11 | . | Jake Hennessey |
| 10 | . | Sam Morley |
| 9 | . | Jordan Burns |
| 1 | . | Archie Holland |
| 2 | . | Billy Harding (Capt) |
| 3 | . | Rory Marsh |
| 4 | . | Archie Smeaton |
| 5 | Ed Scragg | |
| 6 | . | Josh Smart |
| 7 | . | Noah Sloot |
| 8 | . | Finn Osborne |
| 16 | . | Archie Bourne |
| 17 | . | James Cornish |
| 18 | . | Tom Johnson |
| 19 | . | Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas |
| 20 | . | Kyle McGhie |
Graham Cox
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