The Cheetahs returned to Gridiron action at Maidstone after a 3 week lay off and won a game they could easily and maybe should have lost. The opening exchanges were nervous to say the least but it was Maidstone who drew first blood when Ruben Cruz intercepted a Deniz Karragulle pass intended for Conrad Patrick and returned it 27yds to open Maidstone's scoring account for the season.
It wasn't until the 2nd Qtr. that Chiltern's Offence finally got the ball moving, having to rely on the tandem running of Andy Crowther and Abdul Lawal after Q.B. Deniz Karragulle injured his throwing arm in the first Qtr. Midway through the 2nd Qtr. Darren Shepsman opened the Cheetahs account when he jinked in from 3yds out to level the score at 6-6. Chiltern's Defence stepped up a gear on Maidstone's next possession forcing them to punt, but on Chiltern's ensuing possession they fumbled the ball which Maidstone recovered inside Chiltern's 10yd. line. A costly penalty followed by and a sack on Q.B Lee Button by Richard Strub pushed them back to the 26yd line but to no avail, on third and goal Lee Button aired it out and Nicholas Cabon hauled it in to put Maidstone ahead 12-6 With a little over 2 minutes left in the half and three time outs remaining Chiltern showed good clock management in what turned out to be the final drive of the half. Once again the tandem pairing of Andy Crowther and Abdul Lawal came good and with only 8 seconds remaining in the half Abdul Lawal was rewarded for his fine running going in from 12yds out and with his partner in crime Andy Crowther adding a 2 point conversion Chiltern went in at half time 14-12 up. The 3rd Qtr. was like watching an american football tennis rally with both teams exchanging possessions and moving the ball well but not threatening the scoreboard. At the start of the 4th Qtr. the momentum once again shifted towards Maidstone when Lee Akehurst ran in to score and put them up 18-14. This lifted the Pumas and if it wasn't for some fine Defensive work play, namely from Andre Clarke and Darren Whybrow they could have extended their lead. Their play generated a bit more urgency in the Cheetahs offence and with less than 5 minutes to go they re took the lead when Andy Crowther bulldozed in from 2yds out. (20-18) This Score put Maidstone on the catch up trail once again, but 3 plays in to their next drive it was Abdul Lawal's turn to shine again, only this time on Defence, when he intercepted a Lee Button pass and returned it 37yds to score and settle the Cheetahs nerves.
The Defence held out the Pumas for the remaining time in the game to seal a nervous 26-18 win. Notable performers on the day were Andy Crowther with 123yds on 28 carries, Abdul Lawal with 119yds on just 11 carries, he also caught 2 interceptions on his defensive duties. On Defense 2 players shone, Darren Whybrow with 8 tackles and a sack for a 13yd loss and Andre Clarke with 9 tackles. The Cheetahs return to Kent next Sunday to face the ever improving Exiles in what should be a tough but exciting contest