With still 2 more league games to go this victory saw Heathfield guaranteed promotion.   Hove arrived unable to field a front row which meant the game would have uncontested scrums as well as being played in torrential downpours and gusting winds.

Despite the conditions Heathfield tried from the outset to play open, entertaining rugby, unfortunately they weren’t quite precise enough and too many moves were squandered with poor handling or failing to pass the ball.  However after 20 minutes Heathfield pressure began to tell and a flowing backs move was halted just in front of the try line, as the Hove scrum half tried to clear, it was charged down and Simon Green gathered and went over for the first score.  Hove came straight back at Heath and were rewarded with 2 penalties, one of which was converted.   Heathfield eventually started to put phases of play together and Ed Skinner made a break from the halfway line but just couldn’t make it over the line, the maul that followed saw Levi Willis squeeze over for a try, Goatcher converted.  There followed a solo run from the captain Jim Cummings who scored under the posts, Goatcher converted and Heathfield went in at halftime 19-3 up.

With the wind behind them Heathfield were able to turn the screws in the second half and with quick ball provided by the forwards they played with pace and power.   Despite not being able to secure line out ball the backs were moving the ball quickly along the line, good play resulted in a further try from Levi Willis, a typical Jack Bayley support play try, also Nick Evans rolled over from 2 yards out for his try, Goatcher converted.   As the half went on Olli Robertshaw grabbed a brace of tries from excellent support play, Warren Wright got one and Jim Cummings got his second.  There was a feeling of jug avoidance with 3 players scoring 2 tries and a possible deliberate knock on by Jones with 70 yards to go and no opposition in front of him.  All in all in terrible conditions Heathfields’ quality showed through, with 2 league games to go Heathfield can look forward to a tougher challenge in the League above next season.

Report by Shaun Hipgrave

Pictures from Wayne Pritchard

3/8/2008 5:09:15 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Here is a picture of the Development Team prior to a fixture earlier in the season.

2/1/2008 6:35:35 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

The second league game of 2008 saw Heathfield still sitting pretty at the top of the league table, however an away trip to Newick could have proved tricky.  The game started with Heath playing into a strong wind and having to run everything, something that both the Heathfield wingers took full advantage of.

In the first couple of minutes a strong run by Levi Willis on the right wing saw him put Heathfield in the lead with a touchdown in the corner.  Both sets of forward were contesting a hard fought game, but Heath knew if they could move the ball quickly their backs would capitalise.  Dave Groom on the left wing scored two quick tries first with good ball passed down the backline, then from a quick tap penalty by Jack Bayley who offloaded to Dave in the tackle.

Imbetween the tries Newick scored a penalty, and the half ended with Heathfield 20-3 up.  The second half saw Heathfield pick the pace up with the forwards making some excellent runs especially from the skipper Jim Cummings and back row Simon Green.  The pressure told and there was a typical Jack Bayley try, picking up a loose ball and running half the length of the pitch to score and a Jim Cummings try from a quick tap penalty running half a yard to score.  Sam Goatcher converted both tries.  There continued more pressure on the Newick line and the fitness of the Heath pack was taking its toll on Newick who conceded a penalty try after persistent infringement, Goatcher converted.

With 15 minutes to go it was good to see a familiar face introduced from the replacements bench, Joe Reilly started his first game back after a long injury lay off.  He was quickly into the action and then a flowing forwards and backs move saw quick ball go out to Goatcher who threw an outrageous dummy and cut inside the defence to score under the posts, he converted to take the score to 48-3.  The score line was flattering and Newick made it a hard fought game, however another W sees the development team stay top of the league.

Match Report by Shaun Hipgrave

1/26/2008 5:44:21 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

After getting to three cup finals last year, it looks like Heathfield & Waldron RFC may be trying to go one better. We are proud to point out that after last weeks league games, Heathfield & Waldron RFC are now top of all three of their respective Sussex divisions.

Check out the league tables below; well done to the whole club, not only players but also coaches, all the people who help run the club on a day to day basis and of course the supporters who turn up every week to watch all three teams play...

The First team are clear by 5 points...

The Seconds are clear by 3 points and have a game in hand against their nearest rivals...

and the Boars are also 3 points clear

There is still a lot of rugby left to be played in Sussex this year but lets keep our fingers crossed all three teams can keep on playing as well as they have been...

1/23/2008 1:22:46 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

The final league game of the season saw the Heathfield Development team still at the top of the table but facing one of their toughest fixtures so far against a strong Hastings side.  Hastings set their stall out early in the game and despite concerted Heathfield pressure the Hastings’ defence was well organised and robust.  In fact despite sustained Heathfield pressure with 35 minutes of the first half gone they only had 2 missed penalty kicks to show for it.  However by then the continued pressure from the Heathfield forwards and repeated drives towards the Hastings line took its toll.  Hastings conceded another 5-yard scrum and after good driving work, a break off by the back row then Jack Bayley and Mike Jacques, wriggled over for a score.  Both had hold of the ball at the time, so I suppose the try should go down to Jacques Bayley.  Sam Goatcher got the all-important conversion.

The second half was an even more competitive affair with the match getting niggly and Hastings conceding penalty after penalty, but Heathfield could never quite get it together to make them pay.  The backs never really got the space to make their pace tell and the forwards despite excellent ball carries by Nick Evans and Ollie Robertshaw couldn’t totally dominate Hastings.  Heathfield were not able to cross the try line again although they came close, though Goatcher did get 2 more penalties to put some distance between the sides.  Danny Basen made an excellent try saving tackle on one of Hastings few forays into the Heath half and overall this was a well-deserved hard fought victory.  Man of the match was Jack Bayley who defended stoutly and popped up all over the pitch constantly putting Hastings under pressure.  Next game is the 5th Jan, this sees the second team signing off the year top of the table. 

12/17/2007 3:59:46 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Going into this league game the Heathfield Development team were sitting pretty on top of Sussex League 2. However as Heathfield found out Robertsbridge’s lowly league position misrepresented their standard of play. This was not to be an easy game and as expected no quarter was given and none was asked. On what was a bitterly cold day the pace and intensity of this game, especially both packs kept the temperature high.

From the start both sides were looking for good position and Heathfield pack seemed to be quicker to the ball and able to gain good territory, their early possession was rewarded with a try by Matt Cooke who was filling in at fullback, Mike Shallcross converted. As the half progressed the pattern for the game was beginning to set, the Heathfield pack were dominating the forward exchanges and driving deep into the opposition half. Heathfield grabbed 2 tries from Rob Streeter and Jack Bayley from quick tap penalties in the Robertsbridge 22, Shallcross converted one.

There then followed the best try of the game, Roberstbridge kicked deep into the Heathfield half, collected by Cooke at fullback, then a series of runs and drives with excellent support play and interlinking between forwards and backs saw Shallcross score in the left corner. The half ended 24-0 to Heathfield.

No one expected Roberstbridge to lay down in this game, they started the second half on the front foot and were able to take a well deserved penalty in front of the posts. Eventually the Heathfield forwards took control again and from some strong forward runs lead by the evergreen Rob Streeter a ruck was formed 20 metres out. Mike Jacques at scrum half took full advantage of the gaps left in defence and his darting run resulting in a try under the posts, Shallcross converting.

Robertsbridge came storming back sensing Heathfield were sitting back on their lead, they soon punished them for conceding too many penalties and scored in the corner. The game finished on a high note for Heathfield with a superb second try by Mike Shallcross, the ball got moved quickly from right to left on the halfway line and Shallcross took an excellent direct line from the centres, then showed his pace to beat 2 defenders and score under the posts, he converted his own try.

This was a well deserved hard fought victory in this league game, man of the match was difficult to choose with such a good team performance, Shallcross scoring 18 points including 2 excellent tries. However it was the performance of the pack that set this victory up and although Jack Bayley pushed him close it was Rob Streeter just pipped him. Next weekend sees Heathfield entertain Haywards Heath 4ths at home in the league.

11/24/2007 8:23:52 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

This week’s opposition were due to be an altogether tougher nut to crack than recent league games.  Crowborough arrived with a strong and physical looking team and Heathfield were looking for a positive start to the game.   Well they couldn’t have been happier when just 5 minutes into the game they turned over Crowborough possession moved the ball out to the backs and Stuart Packham showed his pace racing in from inside his own half to score the first try.   Heathfield continued to pile on the pressure and only a few minutes later the forwards had driven deep into the opposition half, Levi Willis broke down the right wing and provided a soft inside pass for Simon Green to go in for his first try.  Just after this Crowborough had to go to uncontested scrums after losing their prop, which, under league rules means they automatically give Heathfield 10 points.

This appeared to disrupt Heathfield and there were no further scores before half time.  The game stayed quite scrappy in the first 20 minutes of the second half, however Heathfield managed to get more points on the board when Mikey Brown still rolling back the years took a quick tap penalty squeezed through some ineffective tackling and laid the ball off for Mike Jacques to score under the posts.  Sam Goatcher converted.   Heathfield had to work hard though and Crowborough managed to gain momentum by a series of good forward play and Heathfields indiscipline in conceding penalty after penalty.   Ultimately the pressure told and they scored under the posts, the try was converted. 

This appeared to be a wake up call to Heathfield and the final 20 minutes saw them play some of the best rugby of the game.  The forwards direct running put them over the gain line and fine handling and support play especially from Chris Ambrosino, Simon Green, Jack Bayley and Jim Cummings began to take toll of the Crowborough defence.  After an excellent return from a Crowborough kick by the Heathfield backs Simon Green provided excellent support and a powerful run to score his second try.  Just after that Nick Evans managed to squirm over from about 2 feet out for the final try of the game, Goatcher converted.  

An excellent result, this sees the development teams third league win on the run.   Man of the match goes to someone whose powerful defence play and immense work rate earned him 2 tries today, Simon Green.   

Report by Shaun Hipgrave

11/10/2007 4:10:25 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

The home crowd were treated to a scintillating performance by Heathfields’ development team on Saturday.   The team is beginning to gel and the mixture of youth, pace and experience were simply too much for Newick.   It didn’t auger well for Newick when from the kick off the Heath collected the ball, set up a ruck, then Jack Bayley broke left down the blindside both starting and finishing the move with Sam Goatcher converting.  The game was hard fought for 10 minutes then Simon Green scored from a powerful run from the 22.  Just after this Goatcher who was having an excellent game at fly half took a pass from Riley who had broken down the blind side to score under the posts, he converted his own try.  Newick then managed to scramble a try from a charged down clearance to get their first and only points on the board. Goatcher snatched his second try with a break from his fly half position, again converting.   The forwards had completely dominated play by now and the distribution by the Heath half backs allowed Stuart Packham and Nick Sindon in for further scores, both being converted.  At Half time Heath went in 40-5 up.

You could understand if the pace in the second half dropped, not a chance with this team, they maintained their shape and kept the pressure on Newick.  Bayley got the first score after a storming run from his own half from collecting a misplaced Newick kick, this was converted.  There then followed excellent forwards and backs play, Packham got his second and Riley got showed his pace in scoring under the posts, again it was converted.  Mike Jacques kept his impressive performance up by getting a try which was converted.  By now Heathfield were able to ring the changes and Charlie Jones bagged 2 tries and Matt Cooke another with Goatcher converting 2.

All in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon for the home crowd, the tries came thick and fast and competition for places in this team is going to be tight in the future.  Man of the Match award was a close run thing with Jack Bayley just being pipped by Sam Goatcher who scored 30 points in all and distributed out to his backs excellently. 

11/6/2007 11:41:36 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

In Heathfields’ development team latest game of the league campaign they were due a good performance after some recent disappointing results.   Being able to select from a strong pool of players who had made themselves available ensured Heathfield were up to full strength.   Right from the kick off Heathfield played with commitment and pace, several times the forwards drove deep into the opposition half releasing the backs to get held up just short of the line.   After 10 minutes though Will Drinkwater broke down the blind side of a ruck in the opposition 22, he managed to release the ball around the back of a defender to Chris English on the wing who went over for the first try.  Within 5 minutes Jack Bayley managed to squeeze over from a ruck on the try line, with Drinkwater converting Heathfield were cruising at 12 – 0.   East Grinstead then showed they weren’t here just to make up numbers,  they upped their game and after concerted pressure in Heaths half managed to score from a charged down clearance.  There were no more scores in the first half but Heathfield were unlucky to lose their hooker Marchant with a badly injured hand.  

The second half needed Heath to show patience, East Grinstead were making all their tackles and competing at the set piece.  Drinkwater added a penalty then after some excellent forward pressure Mike Brown was able pounce on a loose ball on the opposition try line, Sam Goatcher who had come on at fly half for Drinkwater got the conversion.   By the last 10 minutes of the game East Grinstead were tiring and Heathfield took full advantage with Jim Cummings scoring to tries, one of them being converted by Goatcher. 

Overall this was a much improved performance, Levi Willis gets credit for just being stopped short of the try line on 4 occasions but the man of the match award goes to scrum half Mike Jacques who provided quick ball for the backs, constantly harassed his opposition scrum half and kept the pack moving forward throughout the whole game.  The development team hope this is the springboard for a run of good results in the league, with the next 2 games also home fixtures competition for places will be especially tight.

Report by Shaun Hipgrave

10/27/2007 6:02:58 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)     

Due to availability of players, a much changed Heathfield side travelled to Chichester for the 1st round of the Sussex Vase Competition.

 
Chichester began well and after 5 minutes were deep into the Heathfield 22 and produced their best forward move of the game, with a 10 metre driving maul which ended with a try and was converted.
 

From this point on, the Heathfield forwards took control and dominated all the set scrums and the vast majority of rucks and mauls. A fine performance by all the front eight was the highlight of the game.

A penalty kick by Sam Goatcher gave a 7 - 3 half time score.

 
Chichester struck first again in the second half with a penalty. Heathfield replied with a dominate period of pressure which resulted in a 5 metre scrum, this was driven over and No 8 Warren Wright touching down. Sam Goatcher converted. At 10 all, with 15 minutes to go, the game hung in the balance. A Heathfield infringement gave Chichester a penalty opportunity that gave them the 3 points that won the game for Chichester.

10/15/2007 11:24:47 AM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)     

In Heathfields’ development team 2^nd game of the league campaign they had to return from a disappointing defeat from the first game, and oh how they did it.  Lewes arrived with just 14 players and were provided with a Heathfield player midway through the first half when it was realised a cricket score was in the offing.  Heathfield fielded a strong mixture of youth and experience in their team and the blend of experience, pace and organisation was just too much for the under strength Lewes team.

Right from the start the sniping runs and pacey breaks of Mike Jacques at scrum half worried Lewes, he squeezed over for a try in the first 3 minutes, then set up Sam Goatcher for a try after breaking from his own half several minutes later, Goatcher duly converted his own try.  There followed concentrated pressure by Heathfield with Ross Reilly going over for his first try from a move he started at fullback after collecting a wayward kick and Levi Willis bagging a hat trick of tries before half time.  Goatcher converted 2 of the tries.   As the half time whistle blew Heathfield were 41 – 0 up with Jim Cummings going over for his first try just before the break.

The second half continued on in much the same fashion with Jim Cummings and Ross Reilly getting another 2 tries each to make their hat tricks, Levi Willis another to make it 4 for the day and Mike Brown squirming under the posts for the final try of the match.  An assorted group of players made 4 conversions and the match finished with Heathfield scoring another 33 unanswered points.  Even though this was a game against an under strength side there’s no doubt the talent in this development team are going to be pushing for places in the first team in the Future. No Man of the match was awarded because of the excellent all round team performance.  With no game next week, the team look forward to a tough cup game in 2 weekends time against Chichester.

Report by Shaun Hipgrave

9/29/2007 5:45:06 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)     

Senior training begins Monday 9th July at 7.30pm sharp. Bring your trainers!

Prior to this there is a players meeting on Saturday 7th July at 1pm at the Club. All 1st and Development Team Players should attend.

The Club will be open at 10.30am to watch Australia vs. South Africa beforehand.

7/2/2007 9:36:46 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)     

Because of other commitments this was the last game of the season for the Heath 2^nd team.  Although Heathfield had a good start to the season we unfortunately trailed off in the latter part so will end up mid table at the end of the season.

So it was good to finish the season with a resounding win.  Heathfield were short of several regulars and were ably supported by several colts this week, which was much appreciated by our regular over ‘40s’club due to the hard pitch, and hot day.

Roberstbridge came requiring 1 point to guarantee safety in the league so it could have turned into a tight game, however due to the much pacier Heathfield backs and Jack Bayley playing at hooker covering every yard of the pitch the games was practically settled by half time

It started in the first 5 minutes when Matt Skinner followed up a huge kick from his own 22, that the Roberstbridge full back misjudged, Matt re-gathered the ball on the opponents’ 10-yard line and ran in the first try of the day, he ably converted.

There then followed a steady flow of tries, 11 in all with 5 conversions, the impetus was interrupted by three Roberstbridge tries, one of them being a penalty try, a quick 10 minute yellow card break for Brad Stowe.

Matt Skinner who also won man of the match got 4 tries (5 if you include the penalty try he gave away), Jack Bayley got 3, Dave Groom 2 and Levi Willis got but dropped a sitter.  Matt managed 4 conversions and Sam Goatcher got 1.

It was a fitting end to what on the whole has been a successful season for the rebuilding of the 2^nd team under the new management team Hipgrave and Jenkins.

With the introduction of some promising colts, the experience of current players and the general growth of the club, it all looks promising for next season.

Report by Shaun Hipgrave.

4/28/2007 11:06:18 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)     

Because of other commitments this was the last game of the season for the Heath 2nd team.  Although Heathfield had a good start to the season we unfortunately trailed off in the latter part so will end up mid table at the end of the season.

So it was good to finish the season with a resounding win.  Heathfield were short of several regulars and were ably supported by several colts this week, which was much appreciated by our regular over ‘40s’club due to the hard pitch, and hot day.

Roberstbridge came requiring 1 point to guarantee safety in the league so it could have turned into a tight game, however due to the much pacier Heathfield backs and Jack Bayley playing at hooker covering every yard of the pitch the games was practically settled by half time.

It started in the first 5 minutes when Matt Skinner followed up a huge kick from his own 22, that the Roberstbridge full back misjudged, Matt re-gathered the ball on the opponents’ 10-yard line and ran in the first try of the day, he ably converted.

There then followed a steady flow of tries, 11 in all with 5 conversions, the impetus was interrupted by three Roberstbridge tries, one of them being a penalty try, a quick 10 minute yellow card break for Brad Stowe.

Matt Skinner who also won man of the match got 4 tries (5 if you include the penalty try he gave away), Jack Bayley got 3, Dave Groom 2 and Levi Willis got but dropped a sitter.  Matt managed 4 conversions and Sam Goatcher got 1.

It was a fitting end to what on the whole has been a successful season for the rebuilding of the 2nd team under the new management team Hipgrave and Jenkins.

With the introduction of some promising colts, the experience of current players and the general growth of the club, it all looks promising for next season

4/28/2007 10:18:35 AM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)     

Possible entries?...

Gay Cavaliers

Highlights

Dieppe  

The White Hart   

Blackboys                                                                                            

Half Moon            

Woody

Prince of Wales

George Bugle

Squirrel

Crown   

Please contact Phil Bell ASAP if you are going to put in a team. The first entry has already been received from The Cock (somewhere in Kent) – apparently they played in the tournament a few years ago.  Any pub is welcome to put in a team (£25 per team in advance) but we want to make sure that it is a fairly competitive tournament without too many ringers and will penalise anyone who tries that.

We are considering using Burgess’s field as well as the main pitch – this would mean we could increase the number of teams to 12.  If we cannot do so then we will only accept entries from the first 9 applications – early booking recommended!

Contact Philip Bell  07949 574 588  or bell_philip@yahoo.com

3/16/2007 2:32:50 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Sat 24th Feb 2007

This game was played in excellent spirits on a pitch which in places would have been better suited to mud wrestling rather than a game of rugby.

After 10 minutes it was difficult to tell one team from another which at times caused confusion in defence. More about that later.

Heathfield started off the stronger with good passing and linking up between forwards and backs. It wasn’t long before Ian Schleider with the help of the pack touched down from a driving maul. The conversion was missed 0-5

Soon after the re-start Uckfield returned the favour. Following a missed tackle in mid-field Uckfield found themselves camped on Heathfields try line and following some tenacious driving around the fringes and some dubious tackling they crashed over for an unconverted try 5-5

From the re-start Heathfield applied the pressure again and Peter Phillipou, recently returned from University, intercepted a pass from Centre to Centre and scored under the posts. The conversion was missed 5 – 10 and only 12 minutes had elapsed.

16 minutes passed whilst everyone just got a bit muddier and then Uckfield with some good barn storming runs and some missed Heathfield tackles scored under the posts. Again the conversion was missed, in fact during all the conversion attempts the touch judges were more in danger of being decapitated than any points being scored. 10 – 10

Half time came and went and for the next 20 minutes Heathfield tried and tried again to cross the Uckfield try line without success. Uckfield managed to relieve the pressure just the once with a kick to the Heathfield 22. From the lineout Heathfield won the ball. This is where it all got a bit confusing.

A player emerged from the side of the maul and ran across the pitch. From the stands, due to the thick coating of mud, no one could tell if it was an Uckfield or Heathfield player. The big clue was when the player turned and started running towards the Heathfield posts. The Heathfield players were slow to react still obviously confused and missed at least 5 tackles allowing the now exposed Uckfield player to score to the left of the posts. Yes..the conversion was missed 15 – 10

Heathfield never give up, and again they camped on the Uckfield line. With seconds to go all appeared lost but from a lineout the ball went through several phases before a driving maul again saw Ian Schleider score to the left of the posts 15 – 15

Chris English stepped up to take the kick, the last play of the game. With a swing of his right boot the ball rose up towards the posts and….. hit the cross bar and bounced out. Final score 15 – 15

“A fair result” was the feeling around the bar afterwards.

Heathfield: Nick Evans, Chris Jones (Capt), Bob Togher, Ben O’Neil, Tony Rose, Sean Dorril, Ian Schleider, Ollie Robertshaw, Christian, Chris English, Ross Riley, Peter Phillipou, Ben Woods, Dave Groom, Jack Bailey, Charlie Jones (40)

2/26/2007 7:57:23 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

This match saw Heathfield attempting to have 2 junior sides in Sussex County finals, with the Boars playing their final next Sunday at Burgess Hill.  Heath were able to field a strong side with all the 2^nd team regulars being available, however reports of a strong Hastings team from their easy victory in the quarters, meant Heathfield would have to be on top form.

 

This was a game with no quarter asked and none given, the first 15 minutes was a full-bloodied affair with both packs almost cancelling each other out.  With only a penalty to show from the boot of Jaimie Marchant after some determined drives onto the Hastings half, Heathfield were guilty of too much passion and too little rugby.  This was emphasised on the 20^th minute mark when Chris Jones was found to be too over-exuberant in his rucking style and was given a yellow card.   The following 10 minutes with 14 players  tested the Heath defence but not only were they up to the task but also managed to take the game to Hastings.

 

With Jones back on after his sin bin, Heathfield started to play rugby. The power of the Heath forwards gallantly lead by skipper Ian Jenkins began to take it’s toll on Hastings and a drive up the left side of the field was stopped just short.  But the ball was whipped out to the fly half English who drifted inside his defender and managed the deftest of passes for full back Barry Slay, timing his run to perfection to crash through under the posts, Marchant converted the penalty

 

Going in at Half-time 13-0 up, Heathfield felt they had the measure of the Hastings side and their pack really began to dominate.  Hastings had no answer to the powerful driving mauls and the front five were making the hard yards with several impressive ball carry’s.  Hastings resorted to conceding penalties, 2 of which were converted by Marchant.  The cry from the Hastings supporters was to keep it away from the Heath forwards and play loose, this tactic was punished when Heathfield 2nds top try scorer Matt Skinner collected a loose kick on his own 10m line. His long mazy run, breaking through some ineffectual tackling, saw him score in the corner.

 

From the kick off Jenkins collected and drove through the Hastings pack allowing English to the kick deep into the Hastings half. Good harassing saw Heath gain some good possession in the corner and the Heath winger cut a fine angle to go in under the posts, Marchant again converted to take his tally to 13points.

 

At 26- 0 up Heathfield were able to ring the changes with all the replacements coming on.  This didn’t diminish the dominance of the Heathfield side, with both forwards and backs putting in a strong contribution right up to the final whistle.  It was just such play that saw a fine try in the corner from scrumhalf replacement Ed Youngson in the corner.  This sealed one of the best performances of the season for the 2^nd team and puts them through to the final on the 25^th March.

 

After an overall excellent team performance it was difficult to identify one man of the match, an unfortunate Jaimie Marchant was just pipped by the skipper Ian Jenkins whose collections from the restarts, powerful driving runs and uncompromising defence deservedly saw him awarded it.

 

Report by Shaun Hipgrave

 

2/3/2007 5:46:04 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

This cup quarter final saw a much changed Heathfield 2^nd team, with a variety of the regulars having other commitments.  However this gave opportunities to some new faces who grasped it with both hands.  Horsham arrived confidently having convincingly knocked Heathfield Boars out in the last round.  Yet from the off, Heathfield magnificently lead by skipper for the day the replacement Chris Jones managed to dominate the game.  Sticking to the game plan of moving the ball around, maintaining a high pace and keeping the ball away from Horsham’s big forwards, Heathfields pressure had to count.  And it did! After 10 minutes when Matt Skinner broke through in the centres to run in under the posts from the halfway line, this was converted by Will Drinkwater. 

There followed a typical Jack Bayley try, playing at openside in a backrow unit that performed excellently throughout the game and created the platform for most of Heath’s successful attacking moves.  From broken play he seized the ball and managed to run in from the 22 metre line with Drinkwater again making the conversion.  Just 5 minutes later after excellent drives from the Heath forwards on the right, the ball was swept along the backline to Rob Such on the wing who beat two tacklers for an superb try in the corner.

Heath’s forwards continued to drive into Horsham, with all the front 5 putting strong combative performances in.  Just before half time after some excellent ground gained by Evans and Jones the backs broke out on the left, Drinkwater ran a wide arc then put a delicate kick through for his backs to chase.  Debutant Miles Hearsey managed some fancy footwork himself dribbling the ball over the try line for a fine score.  Heathfield ended the first half 24 – 0 up.

It was always going to be tough playing into the wind in the second half and it took a while for Heathfield to take control of the game.  However, Shaun Dorrell a colt in his debut senior game playing at no 8, started to impose himself on the game.  He made some excellent individual breaks setting up great field positions.  It was from a ruck on the halfway lane he managed to peel off, slip several tackles and his pace took him through on towards the try line.  He was tackled just short, but managed to stay on his feet and release a pop pass to Matt Skinner who went over for his second try of the day, Drinkwater converted.

Throughout the match Heath’s backrow pressurised the Horsham breakdown and tackled them into submission.  It was from some of this harassing play that Heath turned the ball over in their own half, then, with 2 carries from Matt Skinner and Levi Willis saw them put Drinkwater in for a try in the corner and take his tally for the game to 11 points.

Overall, it was an excellent team performance that sees Heathfield through to the semi-final in 2 weeks time at home.  It was difficult to single out a man of the match after such a good team performance, however as part of an excellent backrow and in his best performance of the season Ian Schleider took the award.

Report by Shaun Hipgrave

1/20/2007 6:24:28 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield 2nds have been riding the crest of a wave this season. With only one loss and 12 wins in all competitions they felt confident they could pull off a surprise win against the powerful and quick Haywards Heath 3rds.

Again the main pitch at Cross in Hand was in superb condition and the table was set for an afternoon of free flowing rugby.

Haywards Heath kicked off with Heathfield choosing the advantage of the wind behind in the first half. It was then at least a minute and a half before the first stoppage. Both teams had come to play.

Heathfield applied excellent pressure on the visitors forcing a number of penalties. The temptation was go for goal but the confidence was high and the decision was made to turn up the pressure. A quick tap and go resulted in Jim Cummings driving through several tackles to score. The kick was missed. 5 – 0

This rattled the visitors cage. It was their turn to apply the pressure. After 10 minutes camped in their own 22, Heathfield’s scrum half Jamie Marchant was sin Binned for handling on the ground beneath the posts and from the resulting penalty Haywards Heath captain and no 8 (Dan) crashed over for a converted try. 5 – 7

The next 15 minutes was the best rugby Heathfield 2nds have played all year. Excellent ball retention and phase work combining forwards and backs created an opportunity for Chris English, Guy Woods and Matt Skinner to show what they can do with a little bit of space. Some excellent passing and lines of running resulted in an unconverted try for Matt Skinner. 10 – 7 at the break.

For the second half Mike Fellows who had played very well in the first half, made way for Bob Togher (who had travelled all the way from Chelmsford – that’s commitment) to take over at loose head. Luke Sanders replaced Chris Ambrosino at hooker.

With the wind behind them Haywards Heath pitched up in Heathfields 22 and decided to stay there. The visitors kept bashing and Heathfield kept boshing. There was no way through for 30 minutes.

The last 10 minutes decided the match. The Heathfield forwards were tiring. The visitors fitness was beginning to tell and eventually they were able to break down the defence and score two unconverted tries. 10 – 17

Heahfield had one and a half minutes to score a converted try for a draw. The last minute and a half mirrored the first with no stoppages. Heathfield pressed closer and closer to the visitors try line. Then final whistle sounded with Heathfield 2 yards out. Final score 10 - 17

An excellent game of rugby, enjoyed by players and spectators alike.

Nick Evans, Chris Ambrosino, Mike Fellows , Jim Cummings, Dan Hunter Evans, Mike Brown, Rob Streeter, Ian Jenkins (Capt), Jamie Marchant , Chris English, Guy Woods, Matt Skinner, Levis Willis, Paul Jarvis, Barry Slay, Bob Togher (40), Ed Jones, (50), Luke Sanders (40)

Report by Ian Jenkins

1/13/2007 5:46:06 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Having narrowly defeated Hove 3rds in the cup last week, Heath entertained them again in the league this week.  Again there was a problem with them turning out a full team and the game started 14 for Heath against 13 (with a borrowed Heathfield player).  However Heathfield were soon left under no illusion that this would be a pushover as the extremely competitive and robust Hove pack took the game to Heathfield.

However Heathfield were able to make their extra man tell and early on Barry Slay scored in the corner after the forwards stretched Hove from one side of the pitch to the other and slick passing in the backs put Barry in.  Shortly after this Hove’s extra players arrived and it was then 15 for Heath against 14.  Some good work in the forwards, especially in the line out by hooker Luke Sanders provided ample ball, however the Heathfield players were trying to do to much and possession was either lost or broken down not least by gritty defence by Hove.

A good try by Ben Wood put Heath 10-0 up at half time, not nearly as much as expected.

In the second half as would be expected Heath got the lions share of the ball and despite some excellent breaks and good lines of running from Dave Groom in the centres Hove were able to hold out.  Eventually though the veteran back row of Jenkins, Streeter and Brown were able to start creating good phased play, and Jack Bayley standing in at scrum half got to the pace of the game and began providing quick release ball.  There followed an excellent sweeping move which resulted in Barry Slay running half the length of the pitch, beating the full back with a lovely body swerve and scoring under the posts, Chris English duly converted.

For the final quarter of the game there was intense pressure by Heath, however it didn’t turn in to the big score we expected, mainly due to the dogged determination of Hove, but Heath were able to add to more scores, Ben Wood getting his second and Matt Skinner popping up in the corner to make it 27-0.

This was a fine result going into the Xmas break, played 8,L 1, W 7 is an indication of how the 2nds have developed this year, finally despite being run close by Luke Sanders the man of the match award went to Dave Groom, one of his best performances in a Heath shirt, not however replicated in the bar afterwards apparently.

Report by Shaun Hipgrave

12/16/2006 10:19:58 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

In a warm up match for the league game next weekend Heath faced a very strong and determined Hove 3rds in the Sussex Vase (neither Hove 1^sts or 2nds had a game).   Heathfield soon found out they had a real game on their hands with some tough tackling and strong forward play by the visitors.

The Heathfield pack worked hard to provide good ball for the enterprising backs and they just weren’t able to get the final pass away.  However mid way through the first half on his re-appearance in the 2nds after being unavailable for a month Barry Slay cut a clean line through the Hove backs from the full back position, he made an incisive 30 yard break all the way to the visitors try line and just as we thought he’d been tackled short he put us all out of our misery and plonked the ball down for a try, Chris English was unable to convert the score.

A further series of Heath pressure valiantly lead by the skipper and 2^nd row Jenks maintained pressure on Hove who gave away a penalty under the posts, Chris English duly converted it into 3 points.

As the halftime approached only determined last gasp tackling by the Heath backs and a defend at all costs on the Heathfield try line effort kept the score at 8-3.

Going into the second half 3 changes were made in the pack and a revitalised Heathfield took the game to Hove.  Appearing on his debut in the 2nds at scrumhalf was Ed Youngson a former mini and junior who had a storming game.  His quick release of the ball and sniping breaks always kept the Hove forwards guessing.  Other mentions for Dave Groom and Ben Woods who both had good breaks from the wing, one of which set up a try in the corner for Heathfields’ no 8, the unstoppable and greatly experienced Mikey Brown.

This just about broke the back of Hove and the rest of the game was played in their half with Heathfield dominating.

The 2nds go through t