Boars beaten

The Boars went to East Grinstead for a top of the table clash in high hopes and good spirits but returned well beaten by a very good team.

The Boars started slowly and lost two converted tries in the first 20 minutes as they failed to put in the tackles when it counted. The EG pack were very solid and had the Boars pack in all sorts of trouble at the set piece and their back row were breaking away and being allowed to make a lot of ground.

Heathfield hit back when Kiwi Nick burst through on the left to score and spirits lifted. The Pirates came back quickly when they were awarded a penalty on the Boars 22 and opted to kick the extra points. The game was pretty evenly fought at this point and the Boars had a stroke of fortune when Matt Woods intercepted a loose pass and ran half the field to score between the posts for Lewis to convert. Shortly after Hesketh was struggling with a shoulder injury and this cost the Boars a try when a barrelling run by the Pirates number 8 ended in another converted try and brought the score at halftime to 22-12.

A good team talk roused the Boars at the start of the second half and a great kick off by Burdett led to a Boars penalty on the EG 5 metre line. Captain Lewis did not hesitate, tapped and charged for the line and caught the EG defence napping to score. The next 10 minutes showed the Boars at their best but their failure to score in this period was to be the turning point. The Boars came closest when an unconventional lineout option led to Lewis being held up over the EG line.

The Boars then started to fall off tackles once more and lost another try in this fashion. When prop Geesin went off injured the fight seemed to go out of the Boars and another try was conceded. Winger Hollingdale brought a brief glimmer of hope when he went over with about 10 minutes to go but even this was snuffed out when the Pirates scored in the last minute.

East Grinstead were a very different team to the one beaten 60 – 5 by the Boars in early September and look a side capable of remaining at the top of this division.

Man of the Match for the second game in a row was Brady Burdett for kicking well in defence and playing well when going forward.

Boars Team – K. Nick, M. MacLeod, J. Geesin (B. Groves – 60), T. Rose, S. Walker, J. Parsons, K. Lewis, N. Sohail, D. Rhodes, B. Burdett, D. Hesketh (A. Farrell – 40), M. Woods, M. Gardiner (K. Davies – 65), S. Hollingdale, D. Ramsey-Smith

Report by Mike MacLeod

10/27/2007 2:56:47 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)