A new season, a lot of new faces and a huge challenge ahead, as Blackheath begin their preparations for life in the ‘Champ’, and a first season back at domestic rugby’s second tier for 27-years.
The Club’s first outing couldn’t have started in much better fashion either as, with Aberavon taking ball behind their own goal-line, Kwaby Kloomson, playing at number-eight for Blackheath, broke from the base of the resultant five-metre scrum for a 5-0 lead with fewer than two minutes played.
Aberavon, on the other hand, arrived at Well Hall on the back of three games, all victorious, and the battle-hardened Welshmen, celebrating their 150th anniversary, took a firm grip with three tries, two from ball falling loose in the sodden, squally conditions, so uncharacteristic of this sweltering summer.
However, with inevitable changes at half-time, Billy Harding entered the fray, the Club skipper immediately continuing where he left off last term with a try, after Max Blinkhorn at scrum-half took a quick-tap-penalty.
Moments later, Archie Smeaton broke off a maul to scamper across, Sam Morley adding a second conversion for Blackheath to lead 19-17.
Aberavon, who will compete in the Super Rygbi Cymru Trophy, the equivalent level in Welsh rugby, again took control, and two unconverted tries from Felix Gilbert, the second a superb touch-down in the right corner following a cross-field kick to complete the wing’s hat-trick, put the Wizards eight points ahead.
However, a fine burst of pace from second-row Ehize Ehizode, and then from Mikel Davies at scrum-half, put Harding across for his second score, Morley’s third successful strike narrowing the gap to a single point.
And while the Port Talbot side failed to take advantage of two scrum penalties, and a 50:22, Morley found a fine touch in the dying seconds for the Club pack to drive Harding across for the hooker’s hat-trick, and a narrow, but encouraging, victory.
Blackheath’s Champ campaign will start with a visit to Nottingham on 18th September, their first home fixture also a Friday night match against Caldy a week later.
Photos: Nick King
Graham Cox
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