By Ridley Hall
May 5 2002

No bonus points all season and all of a sudden even Marius Hurter is crossing the line! Seven tries and another second half blitz saw off Sarries after the visitors had taken an early lead. There were two tries for Hall Charlton but strangely no penalty points for Falcons as we won 47-18.

That was the way we were winning games early in the season but now we have our tails up.

Sarries even brought on Thomas Castaignede shortly after the restart but by then we were in full flight.

It didn't start that way. Luke Smith got a first minute penalty and then Ben Johnston crashed over on four minutes to put the strugglers 10-0 up. We dithered in midfield to allow to allow Kevin Sorrell acres of space and he sent in Johnston with a long looped pass.

Frankly, we were on the rack for a bit. The Sarries forwards wrre up for it and we looked totally disinterested with Kyran Bracken the most influential player on the pitch. Smith got another penalty on 21 minutes to put us 13-0 behind and it wasn't looking good as Sarries used the sroung breeze to kick us backwards.

But then on 32 minutes Jon Dunbar went over and we suddenly had a spring in our step. Jonny Wilkinson decided to go for territory, instead of the posts when we were awarded a penalty, and the forwards sound found some momentum to mount several attacks from the line out. We eventually stretched the defence for a gap to open for big Jon to be escorted over. Jonny converted form the touchline.

Wilko took the game straight back to the Fezheads with some scintillating running, including from his own dead ball area, and with 39 minutes on the clock Hall Charlton put us right back in it when he took a tap penalty to catch the defence flatfooted. Jonny had set up the attack with a typical cross kick straight to the sharp looking Michael Stephenson. Sarries were offside from the maul. Wilko stepped up to make it an interesting 14-13 at half time with the prospect of the wind in our sails in the second half.

We only had to wait two minutes for the first breech of the floodgates and it came from an unlikely source. I am always amazed that a prop as big as Marius Hurter doesn't lumber over the line more often. He bundled over after Inga had set up an attack with a bullocking run. Jonny put more distance between us and Sarries were beginning to look like a side which hadn't won away this year.

They had more problems a few minutes later when Kris Chesney got himself a yellow card and, while he was sitting it out, Mike Stepehson finally got the try his superb running had been promsing all afternoon.

Ing had caused havoc with another run and when he attracted the defenders he slipped the ball out to Stevo who just outstripped the cover as he raced for the line.

Sarries packed in and we had a field day. First Hugh Vyvyan went over in 62 minutes. Again it was JW who made one of his now familiar bursts and he timed his floated pass to perfection to send in the loping Vyvyan.

Then Stepehenson got his second just four minutes later. Sharp passing between Wilkinson and Lam set him up and then Hall Charlton finsihed opff a great bit of forward play by nipping over. As a special treat Liam Botham took the last conversion after Wilkinson had scored with all but one of his. Jonny had gone for an early shower after the Falcons bench was given a run out with ten minutes left.

Sarries had added to their score close to the end when Chesney made up for his sin-bin by scoring a try but this was a superb second half show from Falcons.... yet again.

The London Irish game on Wednesday promises to be a belter.

Falcons: Botham, Tuigamala, Noon, May [Dave Richardson 14], Stephenson, Wilkinson [capt] [rep S Richardson 71] Charlton, Ward [rep G Graham 50], Brotherstone[Rep M Thompson 64], Hurter, Vyvyan, Grimes [rep D Weir 65], Lam, Devonshire [rep A Mower 65], Dunbar [rep R Arnold 67].

Sarries: Winnan, Johnston, Shanklin, Sorrell [rep R Haughton 60], O'Mahony, Smith [rep Castaignede 50], Bracken, Harbutt [rep Cairns 53], Russell, Flatman, Hooper, Roche, Chesney, Roques [rep Cole 75], Russell [rep Peacey 75]