Sat 25 Apr 2026
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On a rock-hard paddock at the Jack Williams Ground running rugby was the order of the day.
There were some extraordinary scores, not least a phenomenal solo effort from Addison Geer and a hat trick from James Alexander.
But the win will be bitter sweet. Bulls lost to Beckenham in their first outing of the season and went on to fumble a few more before coming good.
Their rich run of form from October included an 11-match winning run which would ultimately take them to the cusp of promotion.
But they came unstuck on the road at Thanet and will stay in Counties Two next season.
For 65 minutes on Saturday all past misdemeanours were vanquished, though.
The game was ultimately cut short by a nasty injury to Beckenham’s winger, but not before Bulls ran in 10 tries.
The first came five minutes in, with captain Ben Pass trundling over from a line out. The conversion was missed.
Three minutes later big centre James Alexander had his first of the afternoon, cutting through the middle beautifully and trotting under the posts for a converted score.
Travis Coetzer soon made it three, showing a clean pair of heels after a break from Tom Hughes. Chester Clough added the extras.
The bonus point score came from Geer five minutes later. His snaking run started from half way and saw him slalom round half a dozen defenders. Clough again converted.
Second row Cam Parker scored on the half-hour mark, showing and going and stretching his legs from 40 metres. Clough converted.
Beckenham stole one back, their fleet-footed winger dancing around defenders and running it in from 40.
But other than that it was one-way traffic.
A Clough penalty kick to the corner was batted in field by Beckenham only for Hughes to poach the ball and score Bulls’ sixth.
Just before the break Alexander had his second, finishing a move he started from deep inside Bulls’ territory.
Hughes had his second 10 minutes into the second half, tearing down the left wing to finish a decent team move.
Christian Dolley crossed in near-identical fashion soon after.
And then Alexander had his hat trick, stepping inside and ramming a man out of the way to dot down under the posts from five metres out.
Speaking after the game coach Jon Alderton said: “I am very happy with how the season finished up. It could have gone terribly wrong after we lost four of our first five games but no one panicked, we showed maturity as a group and stuck to our process that ultimately put us on an 11-game winning streak and gave us an opportunity to get amongst the top two.
“We have built a foundation for next season and we're already excited. Our pack’s efforts this year have undoubtedly put us on the front foot in many games. The coaches have put an unbelievable amount of time in and the results have reflected that. Thank you for all the support we’ve been shown over this season.”
There were some extraordinary scores, not least a phenomenal solo effort from Addison Geer and a hat trick from James Alexander.
But the win will be bitter sweet. Bulls lost to Beckenham in their first outing of the season and went on to fumble a few more before coming good.
Their rich run of form from October included an 11-match winning run which would ultimately take them to the cusp of promotion.
But they came unstuck on the road at Thanet and will stay in Counties Two next season.
For 65 minutes on Saturday all past misdemeanours were vanquished, though.
The game was ultimately cut short by a nasty injury to Beckenham’s winger, but not before Bulls ran in 10 tries.
The first came five minutes in, with captain Ben Pass trundling over from a line out. The conversion was missed.
Three minutes later big centre James Alexander had his first of the afternoon, cutting through the middle beautifully and trotting under the posts for a converted score.
Travis Coetzer soon made it three, showing a clean pair of heels after a break from Tom Hughes. Chester Clough added the extras.
The bonus point score came from Geer five minutes later. His snaking run started from half way and saw him slalom round half a dozen defenders. Clough again converted.
Second row Cam Parker scored on the half-hour mark, showing and going and stretching his legs from 40 metres. Clough converted.
Beckenham stole one back, their fleet-footed winger dancing around defenders and running it in from 40.
But other than that it was one-way traffic.
A Clough penalty kick to the corner was batted in field by Beckenham only for Hughes to poach the ball and score Bulls’ sixth.
Just before the break Alexander had his second, finishing a move he started from deep inside Bulls’ territory.
Hughes had his second 10 minutes into the second half, tearing down the left wing to finish a decent team move.
Christian Dolley crossed in near-identical fashion soon after.
And then Alexander had his hat trick, stepping inside and ramming a man out of the way to dot down under the posts from five metres out.
Speaking after the game coach Jon Alderton said: “I am very happy with how the season finished up. It could have gone terribly wrong after we lost four of our first five games but no one panicked, we showed maturity as a group and stuck to our process that ultimately put us on an 11-game winning streak and gave us an opportunity to get amongst the top two.
“We have built a foundation for next season and we're already excited. Our pack’s efforts this year have undoubtedly put us on the front foot in many games. The coaches have put an unbelievable amount of time in and the results have reflected that. Thank you for all the support we’ve been shown over this season.”
