A pulsating climax to a game that probably didn’t warrant it, but it was Sedgley Park who clung on to a win with some outstanding defence at the death, to secure the four points, and lure themselves away from the lower reaches of National League One.
Spurning three opportunities to kick for goal and claim the draw, Blackheath pummelled the Lancastrians’ try-line as the clock ticked past 80 minutes, but impatience finally got the better of them, and the concession of a penalty as they pressed beneath the opposition uprights saw them denied.
Had they succeeded there would have been an element of theft about it. On a lovely afternoon to mark the first day of spring, Sedge led for all but a handful of minutes of the contest, Rhys Henderson having collected a fine overhead offload to glide down the right flank and score a converted try on just three minutes.
Club fly half Tom Ffitch quickly responded with three-points for the hosts, only for opposite number Warren Seals to cancel them out, and when Henderson found space on the right touchline to add his second try, the right-wing’s 17th of the campaign, the visitors held a 15-3 advantage.
Blackheath jerked and spluttered, and never built the momentum that had seen 17 tries and 116 points in their last two outings. Instead, a relatively easy three points went wide, two lineout throws went wayward on a day with little wind, and they frequently came up second best at the breakdown where possession was lost.
However, on 34 minutes they emerged from first gear, going through some phases, with fine handling from Markus Burcham and Tom Baldwin, before Jake Lloyd put full-back Augy Slowik across in the corner to reduce the deficit to 15-8 at the break.
Club hooker Billy Harding drove hard towards the goal-line after the re-start, winning a penalty, and quick thinking from Jordan Burns with the tap-and-go, sent Jake Hennessey over out wide, and with Ffitch now finding his range with an excellent conversion, the scores were suddenly brought level.
Not for long. With unrelenting errors, and Sedge continuing to turnover Blackheath ball, second-row Will Connor was driven over from lineout play, Seals following up the conversion with a penalty, to put the visitors ten-points ahead.
Finally, with the arrival of Alex Witchell off the bench to make some hard yards, Blackheath began to crank up the engine, and when the hosts kept the ball alive after Burns had broken through the defence with a chip and chase, Slowik’s pin-point accurate cross field kick was landed on by Hennessey for the wing’s second try.
Ffitch again found a perfect conversion, to reduce the arrears to three-points, and decent touch-finders in the closing moments as Blackheath sought what would have been a bonus-point victory, in preference to a draw.
However, despite a mounting penalty count against the visitors as the hosts picked and drove within inches of the goal-line, it was somehow fitting that it was a mistake, as they looked to go quick and were penalised for crossing, that let them down.
Next Saturday Blackheath travel to Cheshire to take on Sale FC at Heywood Road, kick off at the earlier time of 2.30 pm.
The next home game is on Saturday 15th March with the visit of Rams.
Blackheath
Tries: Slowik 34, Hennessey 47, 67
Conv: Ffitch 47, 67
Pens: Ffitch 5
Sedgley Park
Tries: Henderson 3, 24, Connor 51
Conv: Seals 3, 51
Pens: Seals 12, 62
Attendance: 715
| 15 | . | Augy Slowik |
| 14 | . | Jake Lloyd |
| 13 | . | Markus Burcham |
| 12 | . | Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas |
| 11 | . | Jake Hennessey |
| 10 | . | Tom Ffitch |
| 9 | . | Jordan Burns |
| 1 | . | Archie Holland |
| 2 | . | Billy Harding |
| 3 | . | Andy Boye |
| 4 | . | Tom Stradwick |
| 5 | . | Tex Cavubati |
| 6 | . | Noah Sloot |
| 7 | . | Ben Charnock |
| 8 | . | Tom Baldwin (Capt) |
| 16 | . | Alex Witchell |
| 17 | . | Will Davis |
| 18 | . | Mike Etete |
| 19 | . | Jack Daly |
| 20 | . | Mike Hoyt |
Photos: Nick King
Graham Cox
LATEST NEWS
