|
Kent Exiles 36 Oxford Saints 12
The Kent Exiles travelled to Oxford on Sunday, and
de-railed the vaunted Oxford ‘Pain Train’ defense, and in doing so laid down
their own tracks for the end of season play-offs.
The Exiles came out determined to make a statement, and it
did not take long. On their second possession a good drive was finished by
Aaron Griffiths pass to Sean Starwind from 22 yards out and a 6-0 lead.
Kent’s defense soon forced the Saints to punt the ball
away, and the offense once again drove downfield, some great blocking on the
offensive line sprung Rob Stewart for gains of 21, 15 and 14 yards before
Griffiths found Rob Welling from 4 yards out for his first touchdown in Exiles
colours.
Oxford then hit back with Jay Taylor finding Simon
Greenwood from 16 yards out, after avoiding the sack, to bring the Saints back
into it. But another sustained drive which saw Griffiths hit Richard McHugh,
Ryan Kelly and Luke Sikkema with a key first down grab, was finished with
another Griffiths to Starwind touchdown strike, and an 18-6 lead at halftime.
The Saints knew they had to get back into the game fast,
and they did just that when early in the third quarter Jay Taylor took the ball
in himself from the 1yard line, and in doing so kept the game alive. But not
for long as Ryan Kelly found a seam and returned the ensuing kick off 74 yards
to inside the Saints 20, allowing Rob Stewart to run in untouched from the 8
yard line.
From then on the Exiles dominated, Baron D’Anyangwe ended the
Saints next drive with the first of his two interceptions on the day, and this
was soon followed by Griffith’s fourth touchdown pass, this time to Richard
McHugh. Ololade Balogun then forced a fumble for Aaron Alexis to recover to end
the Saints next possession, and then the Exiles backs took over again. Paul
Crawford broke a 31 yard gain before Stewart finished it off with his second
touchdown of the day, from 28 yards out. That capped a fine day for the pair,
Stewart finishing with 147 yards and Crawford with a valuable 62 yards.
With most of the fourth quarter remaining the Exiles
emptied their bench and gave the full depth of the squad valuable playing time,
they did not miss a beat on defense, and rookie linebacker Rob Miller impressed
with his three tackles. And they came close to extending their lead when Ryan
Kelly returned a Saints punt 60 yards before being tripped on the one yard
line.
Following the game Exiles Head Coach Norman Navarro
commented, “The Saints gave us plenty of motivation in the press this week, and
I’m really pleased with how my team responded to our disappointing loss a
fortnight ago, we really stepped up and showed what we are capable of today.
The Saints played tough as always, and we wish their #60 Andrew Day a speedy recovery”.
The Exiles now have a three week break before travelling
to play the Southampton based Sundevils. Full details of the Exiles season can
be found at
www.kentexiles.co.uk
Photos courtesy of Kent Exiles.