Sat 13 Dec 2025
Aylesford Bulls trekked into the hills for an eagerly-anticipated clash with Vigo on Saturday.
Harvel Road is a tough place to go at the best of times, with a crowd baying for blood and physicality a given.
Winter games are made that bit tougher by a boggy pitch which kills off any hope of free-flowing rugby.
But Vigo have struggled for form this season whereas Bulls are in the ascendancy.
A depleted pack immediately put the hosts on the back foot. Bulls repeatedly won the ball against the head, at one point driving Vigo back several metres and on another mauling them from 22 to 22.
Things began to fall apart for Vigo while for Bulls they were coming together.
The result was one of Bulls most mature performances in recent memory, with nine tries from eight players and good discipline shown throughout.
Soon after kick off Tom Hughes was in for the first of two with Fin Ashdown-Denney adding the extras.
Chester Clough found a way after a lengthy period of pressure with an impressive drop goal.
Clough then scooted over himself. Ashdown-Denney again converted.
It was one-way traffic and winger Sam Tripp soon crossed with little resistance for another seven-point score.
With minutes to play in the first half, Vigo’s skipper was shown yellow having been judged to have infringed in an effort to halt a mean Bulls’ maul.
Now even more depleted at scrum time, Vigo soon conceded a penalty with Ashdown-Denney adding to his impressive tally.
Playing uphill in the mud would usually have posed a challenge, plus the fact that Bulls have been somewhat inconsistent over 80 minutes and the second half was never a foregone conclusion.
But Bulls were in ruthless mood and Vigo offered little resistance.
The imposing Luke Garnham, playing ferociously at second row, barrelled over a minute into the second half for a fourth try to secure the bonus point.
Vigo hit back with an unconverted try against the flow but any hopes of a comeback were soon snuffed out by Bulls’ skipper Ben Pass, who dotted down from the back of another powerful maul.
James Alexander then gathered a loose ball and cantered 70 metres for a fine score.
Ashdown-Denney converted and soon added another penalty for good measure.
The floodgates were now well and truly open and there were scores from Addison Geer, a second from Hughes and a jinky number from Travis Coetzer. Final score: 5-66.
Bulls leapfrog Maidstone to go fifth in Counties Two. High-flying Folkestone travel to the Jack Williams Ground for the final match of 2025 on Saturday.
Harvel Road is a tough place to go at the best of times, with a crowd baying for blood and physicality a given.
Winter games are made that bit tougher by a boggy pitch which kills off any hope of free-flowing rugby.
But Vigo have struggled for form this season whereas Bulls are in the ascendancy.
A depleted pack immediately put the hosts on the back foot. Bulls repeatedly won the ball against the head, at one point driving Vigo back several metres and on another mauling them from 22 to 22.
Things began to fall apart for Vigo while for Bulls they were coming together.
The result was one of Bulls most mature performances in recent memory, with nine tries from eight players and good discipline shown throughout.
Soon after kick off Tom Hughes was in for the first of two with Fin Ashdown-Denney adding the extras.
Chester Clough found a way after a lengthy period of pressure with an impressive drop goal.
Clough then scooted over himself. Ashdown-Denney again converted.
It was one-way traffic and winger Sam Tripp soon crossed with little resistance for another seven-point score.
With minutes to play in the first half, Vigo’s skipper was shown yellow having been judged to have infringed in an effort to halt a mean Bulls’ maul.
Now even more depleted at scrum time, Vigo soon conceded a penalty with Ashdown-Denney adding to his impressive tally.
Playing uphill in the mud would usually have posed a challenge, plus the fact that Bulls have been somewhat inconsistent over 80 minutes and the second half was never a foregone conclusion.
But Bulls were in ruthless mood and Vigo offered little resistance.
The imposing Luke Garnham, playing ferociously at second row, barrelled over a minute into the second half for a fourth try to secure the bonus point.
Vigo hit back with an unconverted try against the flow but any hopes of a comeback were soon snuffed out by Bulls’ skipper Ben Pass, who dotted down from the back of another powerful maul.
James Alexander then gathered a loose ball and cantered 70 metres for a fine score.
Ashdown-Denney converted and soon added another penalty for good measure.
The floodgates were now well and truly open and there were scores from Addison Geer, a second from Hughes and a jinky number from Travis Coetzer. Final score: 5-66.
Bulls leapfrog Maidstone to go fifth in Counties Two. High-flying Folkestone travel to the Jack Williams Ground for the final match of 2025 on Saturday.
