Third-time-lucky Raiders claim a top-three scalp

In the last of their triple-header against the top three in the league, Raiders started off like they were the big guns.

A try inside a couple of minutes and the first 10 minutes camped in the opposition half set the stall for a big performance across the park from the home side.

Inside the first two minutes Matt Creber fed off Tom Teasdale’s offload to go over after prolonged pressure from the Raiders and just a couple of minutes later full-back Charlie Davies’ burst down the touchline could have led to a score for winger Callum Roberts, but he was pulled down just short of the line and spilled the ball in contact.

Dorking just could not get going until scrum-half George Jackson’s outrageous dummy was bought by half the Raiders back line on halfway and the red-and-whites finally escaped. They reached the Raiders’ left-hand corner and tried four times to get over the line – Raiders penalised each time and Dorking kicking to the corner and setting a rolling maul again and again.

Something had to give and it was the Raiders defence, prop Henry Birch coming up with the ball and the plaudits. Henry Anscombe missed a difficult conversion but soon made amends with a 40-metre penalty, and Dorking, perhaps rather unjustly, were 7-8 to the good.

The rugby was never less than gripping but for those with a shorter attention span there was entertainment from an elderly Dorking fan in the grandstand, part of a great away support, letting rip with a persistent ‘Doooooooorking’ which had all the charm of an early-hours fire alarm, countered by Rocky the Raider banging the lid of a rubbish bin to whip up the Guernsey crowd.

Away from this, Raiders continued to look especially dangerous in midfield, and it was Davies, an unusual sight with tights on under his shorts, who made the break which regained the lead for Raiders.

He ghosted into a gap and fed Teasdale who ran in unopposed. Owen Thomas again converted but Raiders soon lost Davies, injured in the tackle when he provided the assist.

However his replacement Ciaran McGann was quickly into the game.

He caught a kick ahead from Thomas with a little juggle on the Dorking 10m line and after some interplay with Teasdale, went under the posts to stretch the scoreline to 21-8.

But Dorking could not be put to the sword.

Another rolling maul in the same corner was stopped once by the Raiders defence, but they could not deny the second surge and hooker Jonathan Ellis went over.

That was 21-13 at the interval.

Dorking started the second half rather as the Raiders had kicked off the first, and pressure at a midfield scrum won them a penalty which was, unsurprisingly, kicked to the corner.

Ball to the back of the line out was quickly worked infield and left-winger Toby McRae came off his line to take the pass and go through the gap to score. For the first time Anscombe added the extras and Dorking were within a point.

The visitors then spurned an opportunity from a scrum in an excellent attacking position when they were penalised at the first breakdown and Raiders were soon pushing on again.

Scrum-hald Samuel Boyland’s break down the left had Dorking back-pedalling furiously and when Guernsey moved it infield a score looked on but a long, loose pass into nowhere seemed to end the move, before Teasdale recovered it just short of the touchline, Anthony Armstrong moved it back inside, and McGann received in centre-field, considered his options, went himself and just made it under the posts, the referee taking a few moments before confirming the score.

But before the hour was up Dorking again closed the gap back to a single point, Guernsey were penalised with another kick to the corner, and although the line-out was nearly stolen, Dorking recovered to set up the maul.

It appeared to be drifting infield but regrouped and it was Ellis again who broke off at the line to score.

It felt as though Raiders might just lose their grip on the match at the last, with the Dorking rolling maul apparently unstoppable, but at this point the home side demonstrated the game sense which so impressed Jordan Reynolds.

No more penalties conceded in their half, and when they won a scrum penalty on the Dorking 10m line, Thomas had no hesitation in going for the posts and maintained his 100% record on the day, stretching the lead to four points.

Then Raiders trapped their opponents in their own half with quick breaks and clever kicks, while an increasingly desperate visitors struggled to come up with ways to break out.

One kick gave Guernsey good territory but the line out was stolen, but running after calling for the mark came to nothing, a chip kick dribbled out of play, and finally, a long, looping pass along the backs was picked off and Thomas booted it out of play to secure a fine victory.