Sussex Rugby - Heathfield & Waldron RFC - Heathfield Boars 34 Lewes 3rd XV 5

	Saturday, February 18, 2006

Heathfield Boars 34 Lewes 3rd XV 5

Boars raise their game

The Boars went into this league game on the back of a run of improving results and intent on avenging a heavy defeat in the reverse fixture earlier in the year. In greasy wet conditions the victory can be put down to a good performance from the Heathfield forwards and excellent tackling in the backs.

Playing up the infamous Waldron slope in the first half Heathfield showed they meant business by taking the play to Lewes from the off. At scrums Heathfield's big front row applied the pressure that kept Lewes's big back row tied in and gave space for centres Wates and Hesketh to make ground. Heathfield won a series of penalties at rucks and Paul Watton made Lewes pay for these when he barged over between the posts after 20 minutes for a try converted by Kenny Lewis. These two combined well for the second try 10 minutes later when Lewes just stopped Watton a metre short of the line only to find that Lewis had taken the ball and sneaked in to score a try that he then converted. Lewes rallied from here and Heathfield found themselves defending their own line for the last 10 minutes of the half.

After the break Heathfield made the slope count and scrum half Ben Taylor scored a nicely taken try when he picked up from the base of a scrum and took advantage of a gap in the defensive line. Shortly afterwards the Heathfield number 8, Mike Brown, controlled the ball well as the Boars dominated at a 5 metre scrummage and got the touch to score a pushover try that took the score to 24-0.

Lewes refused to lie down and their spirit saw them score in the top left corner after taking a quick penalty that sucked in too many Heathfield defenders. They then applied a period of pressure that belied the score and might have come back into the game had not Julian Wates used his experience to intercept a pass on halfway and then used the slope to carry him over the try line. That killed to game as a contest and Brady Burdett put the icing on the cake when he looped round his centres and went over in the bottom left corner for the final try of the match.

Tackle of the match was when blindside flanker Simon Walker spotted the dangerous Lewes number 8 pick up and drive and he took man and ball into touch. The Lewes man retired hurt shortly afterwards. The 'Man of the Match' award went to captain Kenny Lewis for his all round performance. The Boars hope to take their fine form into the match against league leaders Robertsbridge in 2 weeks time.

Squad - M. Powderley (M. MacLeod - 55), T. Wates (A. Sutton - 50), P. Watton (S. Lester - 65), P. Hookway, T. Rose, S. Walker, K. Lewis (Capt.), M. Brown, B. Taylor, B. Burdett, J. Wates, D. Hesketh, G. Ellery, P. Squires (S. Hollingsdale - 75), P. Fitzgerald (N. Slack - 50)

Report by: Mike MacLeod

Who pushed him over then?!...

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2/18/2006 9:20:45 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

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