With one eye on next weeks cup semi final, the boars found themselves depleted in numbers on Saturday, with several players resting, and so went away against Burgess Hill 3rds with only 12 able bodies. (Actually it was only 11, but Dave Rhodes kindly offered to cover two positions!) Burgess Hill lent one and a half players to the boars to make the sides more even and play commenced with Heathfield playing down field for the first half.

It was Heathfield that caught the home side asleep quickly from the Kick off with an off load from centre Mike Barber for wing Simon Hollingdale to run into the corner. Kenny Lewis missed a difficult conversion to make it 5-0. This seemed to stir Burgess Hill, although their first score came rather fortuitously with a mistake from Heathfield in the backs, a loose pass found its way eventually to the wrong hands and the scores were level. A spirited try saving tackle from Mike Barber and some excellent running from Keith Davies were not enough to raise Heathfield though and two more Burgess Hill scores followed and the boars found themselves three-one down with what seemed like a long afternoon ahead.

But at half time a rallied cry from Captain Lewis of :“We can still win this!” seemed to stir the boars and soon after half time a brilliant break from a loose ball saw out of position Hooker Tom race almost three quarters of the pitch to score under the posts, which Lewis converted. The Forwards then really took the game to Burgess Hill making hard yards and winning the battle on the floor, with Ben Taylor and the ever present Kenny Lewis standing out. Dave Rhodes also made some excellent territorial kicks and this territory was rewarded soon afterwards as Brady Burdett sold yet another (now famous) outside dummy from the back of a scrum and sliced under the posts.

The win was sealed soon after, again from a good field position, when an attempted clearing kick from the Burgess Hill backs found its way to wing Hollingdale who, after dropping the catch backwards, collected and turned at pace to beat his man and score under the posts. A mention must also go to the Burgess Hill Full Back, lent to the Boars who had a great game and was stretched off near the end. Another Boars win makes it seven in a row now and the Boars must now look to make it eight next week. Any travelling support would be most gratefully appreciated for the Sussex Salver Semi Final at Crowborough Rugby Club with a kick off at 12.30. 

Report by Simon Hollingdale

11/11/2006 1:18:28 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)