RICHMOND TAKEN OUT!

The victory was Worthing's third this season at the Athletic Ground '” they have already beaten London Scottish twice there, in Powergen London 1 and Powergen Cup. It completed the double over Richmond '” at Worthing in October, Richmond fell as then unbeaten division leaders.

And as Worthing's most difficult remaining away match, the two points yielded on Saturday increased their command of the title race with chief other contenders Cambridge and London Scottish having to come to Roundstone Lane on February 19 and 26. Worthing's remaining away trips in their eight remaining matches are to Sutton & Epsom (Feb 5), Thanet Wanderers (March 12) and Old Albanians (April 9).

Worthing's display was immense on a cold, calm day, within sight of the Kew Gardens pagoda. They had to digest the impact of a fine opening, 12th-minute Richmond try that demonstrated the Londoners' all-round quality and their strength in the backs. Full-back Neil Piggott went over, Lewis Gunn missed the conversion but the warning was loud and clear.

Had Richmond continued in that vein '” of transferring out wide their solid line-out and driving maul possession '” Worthing would have been in deep trouble. But Worthing saw the danger signals. They allowed lock Cathal Murphy to collect Richmond's line-out ball and instead waited in numbers to soak up the mauls. And Richmond tried little else until the chips were down.

The final score stood from the eighth minute of the second half when Ben Coulson's penalty goal for offside cancelled out within a minute Richmond's brief 15-14 lead. Richmond had wheeled the maul, hooker and captain Andy Cuthbert touched down and Gunn converted. Worthing lock Charlie McGowan was in the sinbin during these scores.

Gunn missed a penalty kick for the lead with 15 minutes left, after Jody Levett, a Worthing hero far more than a villain, came over on the wrong side. Gunn narrowly missed a drop-goal. Then as Coulson lined up a concluding penalty in injury-time, lock Steve Dove's punch, only minutes after he had come on, sinfully cost a reversed decision by the referee. Gunn finally missed by 10 metres a last-gasp drop-goal.

Dove had replaced Ben McGowan, whose repeated refusal to succumb to injury, but to go back for more, typified the defiance in Worthing's decisive tackling and defensive covering. He and younger brother Charlie are the most exciting lock pairing the club have produced. They clearly inspire one another and are setting new team second-row benchmarks in mobility and ball-winning.

Wing Coulson, long before proving the matchwinning kicker, put in two defining early tackles and twice in the second half got his Kiwi full-back Duncan Taylor out of jail on the end of deep Richmond kicks.

Richmond had only six minutes to enjoy their ominous-looking 5-0 lead. Worthing unboxed two startling tries in nine minutes that burst the red, gold and black balloons.

Left-wing Gavin Stephens was isolated one-v-three in Richmond's right corner but his chip-and-hope exposed the weakness under pressure of Piggott. Out of nowhere support arrived like a twin bolt of lightning. No 8 Rowan O'Gorman challenged for the loose ball and Ben McGowan tapped the ball behind the try line.

Coulson converted from near touch, then again from almost front-on after Simon Alcott, the most prolific first-team hooker in Worthing's modern history, squirmed out of a Worthing maul into 20 metres of empty space behind the Richmond rearguard for his seventh try of the season.

Levett soon infringed and Gunn kicked the penalty to cut the deficit to 14-8. A near-epic was unfolding.

WORTHING: Taylor; Coulson, Butler, Kimmer, Stephens; Dudley, Imrie; Storer, Alcott, Nacagilevu, C.McGowan, B.McGowan, Levett (capt), Kirchell, O'Gorman. Bench: Stuart-McDonald (Kimmer 67), Dove (B.McGowan 79), Monoogian (Nicagilevu 80). MOM: B.McGowan. Att: 740.