Pulborough missing 12 first-team players in shock defeat at Folkestone

The Kent side made it two wins in as many weeks after a slow start to the campaign which had seen them only above doomed Hellingly in the standings.

‘Borough head coach Clayton Saunders said: “Unfortunately, it seemed like everyone’s plans fell on the same weekend. Shooting, weddings, and even the RFU thought it would be a good idea to have England kick-off at the same time as all the club teams around the country.

“With all of those distractions, it added up to no less than 12 of Pulborough’s starting players missing from the excellent performance the week before against Hastings & Bexhill.”

The away side started with props in the second row, and blindside flankers at inside centre. The longer the game went on, the slower Pulborough were. They did however manage to score two tries. One an intercept pass to their makeshift inside centre Ollie Coombe-Tenant.

The other started deep in Pulborough’s half and went from left to right and back again. Every player in the team touched the ball, before young colt James Deng in his first start at this level, finished a fine try in the corner.

Saunders continued: “The final score of 47-12 was a fair reflection on Folkestone’s dominance throughout the game.

“We have three more games left before the halfway point of the season. If we can win those, I’m sure we will be in the hunt for promotion.

“It’s going to be a very close table, with no less than five clubs pushing for that second spot behind competition leaders Crowborough”.

Pulborough: Dicks, Leeding, Falk, Baxter, Reeves, Leddra, Serna, Reed, Bullock, Kilford, Miller, Coombe-Tenant, Akers, Gravell, Deng, Blunden, Johnson.