Crushing win the perfect response

Whitstable skipper Ben Cliff described Saturday’s crushing home Kent 1 win over RBS as the perfect way to bounce back after their own humbling defect to Ashford in the previous match.

The Blues were sweeper aside 63-8 their heaviest defeat for several years and Cliff admitted it had been a shock to the system.

The hooker said “ I defiantly think it is what we needed after the Ashford game, especially the players. I think the result hit a few people quite hard because it’s been a while since we’ve been ok the wrong end of a score line like that.

“We really didn’t know what to do afterwards but you’ve just got to take it on the chin.

“We have had a couple of weeks off, just so everyone could go and do what they felt they needed to do.

“Afew of us played for the 2nds ok the Saturday between just to get som rugby and on Saturday it was one of the best 80 minutes we’ve produced attacking wise.

“On previous occasions we might have got 40 points ahead and take our foot of the gas but we just kept going.”

Marck Olive claimed the first of whistables 13 tries inside the opening 2 or 3 minutes and went on to complete a hat-trick.

Cliff himself scored 4, with James Garland (2), Andy Newman, Andy Till, Bobby Powell and Cameron Fry completing the tally. Andrew Huey kicked 6 conversions and Fry adding 1.

With 2 wins from 6 games, ninth placed Whitstable travel to fifth places HSBC on Saturday and Cliff says the manner of the win against RBS will have done wonder for their self-belief .

He added “Saturday provided the confidence boost we needed. Most of the games so far have been against team near the top.

“It’s been a case of ‘Welcome to Kent 1’ But now we are playing more of the teams around us, so we need to try and take advantage!.”