By Graham Cox
Kent are the dominant force in county rugby after a 39-32 victory over Yorkshire gave them a third successive Bill Beaumont County Championship title at Twickenham.
After a 96-year gap between titles ended in 2023, Kent now have six to their name and, unlike last year’s match between these sides, where Yorkshire missed a last-ditch penalty to win, there was no element of luck in Saturday’s performance.
Aside from the concession of a couple of early tries, Kent dominated the vast majority of this contest, the boot of Tonbridge Juddians’ Sam Evans continually nudging them a safe distance in front. Only two late Yorkshire scores, when the result was beyond doubt, gave the final tally a tighter look than it merited.
“It was emotional, it meant a lot to the boys,” said a delighted head coach and second-row Tom Stradwick, who was playing his final competitive game after 35 appearances for Kent.
“Even for the ones who’ve been here before, it was special. It’ll be memories that’ll stay with us forever.
“People don’t get to write their own endings, but for me, to finish my playing career playing at Twickenham with a bunch of very good mates and standing on the top step with a trophy above your head, it doesn’t get better.”
However Yorkshire caught Kent cold on the summer solstice, with temperatures a shade over 30 degrees, after only two minutes played. Wing James Norman and Lewis Minikin combined, the outside-centre sending a neat diagonal kick for fellow Hull Ionian and No.8 George Mewburn to gather for a converted try.
Mac Duaibe, on early in the back-row for the unfortunate Vince Everitt, mopped up loose lineout ball for Luke Boon to power across in response, only for Mewburn to emerge from a maul at the other end of the field to restore Yorkshire’s seven-point advantage.
However, with a smoothly-functioning lineout, allied to great continuity, Ben Charnock and Canterbury’s Garry Jones made breaks as Kent went through numerous phases before Evans’ inside ball sent Duaibe on a weaving run to the goal-line for a fine try and parity at 14-14 at the end of the opening quarter.
Two long-range Evans penalties pushed Kent ahead, before Minikin responded with a decent strike of his own, but although Evans then struck the upright with an attempt from out wide, his only blemish of the entire competition, a scrum penalty offered an easier opportunity and Kent led 23-17 at the break.
Minikin and Evans exchanged further goals after the restart, but it was the third quarter when Kent began to stretch their lead.
With Yorkshire temporarily down to 14-men, Kent found another great shove at the scrum and as Charnock came off the base, the excellent, and ever-alert, Mikel Davies spotted the gap to score.
Kent continued to dominate the breakdown while penalties five and six pushed them further ahead, and although the game lost some shape in the closing stages as the heat took its toll, and Yorkshire claimed two late tries from backs Kristian Dobson and Will Smith, the first County Championship hat-trick since Lancashire in 2011 was never under threat.
Kent squad: Hotston (Dorking), Kendrick (Tonbridge Juddians), Talbot (Tonbridge Juddians), Osgood (Tonbridge Juddians), Jones (Canterbury), Evans (Tonbridge Juddians), Davies (Westcombe Park), Boon (Tonbridge Juddians), O’Donaghue (Canterbury), Bratton (Tonbridge Juddians), Self (Tonbridge Juddians), Stradwick (Blackheath), Dutta (capt, Westcombe Park), Everitt (Tonbridge Juddians), Charnock (Blackheath), Wagstaff (Westcombe Park), Muhlemann (Westcombe Park), Ganley (Esher), Duaibe (Tonbridge Juddians), Ridge (Tonbridge Juddians), Fryatt (Westcombe Park), Williams (Canterbury), Begbie (Sevenoaks).
