Sussex Rugby - Heathfield & Waldron RFC - Powergen Vase - H&WRFC 25 Park House 27 (after extra time)

	Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Powergen Vase - H&WRFC 25 Park House 27 (after extra time)

After one hundred minutes of pulsating cup rugby only two points separated the teams. Had the score been level after extra time Heath field would have won on try count. However the home side conceded far too many penalties which in this game allowed the opposition to regain the initiative on numerous occasions. Heath field could have and should have won this game and, in Paul Flood at No 8 had the outstanding player on the pitch.

Park House took the initiative from the kick off and the home side conceded a soft try which put them on the back foot after only five minutes. Heath field roused themselves with Mark Walker combining well with Rob Lawrence at the line out. Lawrence and the pack then won a scrum against the head, Flood picked up from the base of the scrum and ran powerfully to score half way out. Kicking was difficult in a sharp cross wind and the conversion was missed .Heath field scored again through the excellent Guy Woods who seized on a fine pass from Bryn Jones after good, quick ball from the forwards. At half time the Greenies were ahead 10-7 and looked likely to improve on a slightly disjointed first half performance. Unfortunately they conceded another penalty at the beginning of the second half which put the visitors back on level terms.

The game continued to be close in the second half with both sides playing some good rugby but with Heath field showing a reluctance to move the ball wide ,their tactic of running the ball back to the forwards invariably lead to mistakes and further penalties which broke the rhythm of their play and allowed Park House welcome respite. However they moved ahead again when Paul Flood scored his second try having received quick ball from a short penalty. The Heath field scrum held firm for most of the match and Mark Walker won a healthy amount of possession in the lineout. In spite of being sidelined for three games with rib damage he was one of the fittest players on the field and put in his usual quota of crunching tackles. With just a few minutes of normal time left Heath field won a lineout near the Park House line and Levi Willis made a powerful run only to be held up inches short of the try line.

With the scores level after 80 minutes the referee called for extra time. At this stage both sides were clearly feeling the pace but both continued to play with great determination with the result that the scores were still level with two minutes of the second period remaining. Heath field continued to concede penalties and Park house obligingly missed the kicks. But the visitors managed a final forward surge and appeared to have the game won when their kicker managed to convert the resulting try. However the courageous Heath field team had not given up and a break from Bryn Jones set up Dan Mitchell, who had come on for the injured Guy Woods, to run in from thirty yards to score in the dying seconds. A further two points would have won the match for the home side but it was not to be their day and the conversion attempt went just wide.

Report by Mike de St Croix

Heathfield return to half-way following Paul Flood's (8) 2nd try

1st XV | Latest News
10/31/2006 11:19:25 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

Senior Team News & Info

Youth Team News & Info

Newsletter Sign Up