And Finally .......

Heathfield U14   48     Vs.     0    East Grinstead U14

A highly depleted squad of 16 arrived at East Grinstead for their final ‘A’ league match of the season in glorious sunshine and summer-like temperatures. It was a signal for Heathfield to play their best game of sustained pressure of the season against a committed East Grinstead side.

Heathfield started strongly and pressured the EG forwards in the loose, frequently turning over ruck ball which allowed for some very good phased between the forwards and backs. Heathfield won an EG lineout after 5 minutes on the EG 15m line (this was to be a recurrent theme throughout the match). This allowed Will Morris to charge into the heart of the EG midfield. Excellent quick ball freed the ever-present captain Jasper Wrenn who fought strongly to force his way over to score a well deserved try. This seemed to be the catalyst for Heathfield to cut loose and play some very attractive rugby.  The next try came from a scrum win against the head (another feature from the Heathfield pack throughout the match) allowing Fergus Diplock to make an excellent break in midfield. Quick recycled ball through 3 phases eventually saw Henry Jolliffe draw a tackle whilst making a fantastic pass to release George Bending on the wing to score in the corner.

Heathfield continued to play excellent rugby in the opponents half and were continually winning EG scrums and lineouts. Heathfield again won EG lineout ball on their 15m line and drove purposefully for the line. Surges from Will, Lewis Golding, Jasper and Henry Ross eventually saw Jamie Wardle scythe through a disrupted EG defence to score near the posts.
From the kick-off, Heathfield again drove EG back towards their own line. Another scrum win against the head 10m from the EG try-line allowed the excellent Zach Llamas to drive close to the line. The ball was recycled blind for Will Morris to crash over and score.

From the kick-off, Heathfield again pressurized EG with fast moving back play and excellent recycling from the forwards which stretched the home teams defence such that Henry Jolliffe was able to cut inside from fullback to score the fifth try of the half.

Harry Reilly converted 2 tries to leave the score 29 – 0 to Heathfield at half time.

The second half started much as the first left off but to the credit of the EG squad, they never gave in and indeed upped their commitment levels to cause Heathfield a few problems. However, from a scrum in midfield, Fergus received a wide pass from Harry and delayed just enough to draw the defence to pass onto to Gareth Lloyd running an excellent line at pace. Gareth was able to beat the last defender to score a well earned try with Harry Reilly converting.

The next try was arguably the best of the match. A scrum on the EG 22 was won with Harry running a set move for Gareth on the switch. However, the EG defence was taken in and Harry instead dummied to Gareth and was able to step in to score himself. He again converted taking the score to 43 – 0. It was agreed that the league match was ended but we would continue playing to full time.
This period saw EG play their best rugby and they forced Heathfield back to defend their try-line for the next 5 minutes. Heathfield gave away a series of scrums, lineouts and 6 penalties within 10m of their try-line but were able to resist the ferocious attempts of EG to score. Indeed, it was on the last of these penalties that a thumping tackle from Max Ellery forced turnover ball to Heathfield who proceeded to put together phased play to take them back in to the EG half. The remainder of the match was a series of “if only’s”. Brilliant support play from everyone, notably Freddy Jones, meant sweeping moves were sustained which took Heathfield 60 or 70m upfield at a time. It was literally only the final element (knock-on, forward pass or wrong decision) of these moves that prevented Heathfield scoring each time, thus allowing EG to clear their lines. However Heathfield were not to be denied a final try from Henry Jolliffe who again scythed through the EG defence to score his second of the match.

This was easily the best team performance of the season where both forwards and backs linked cohesively with the backs looking dangerous every time they got the ball. Although no official man of the match was made, special mention must go to Jamie Wardle for his tireless support play, aggressive defence and excellent lines of running throughout.

Final score was Heathfield 48, East Grinstead 0 (league result 40 – 0).

3/16/2009 10:47:51 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

50 CLUB LATEST

November 08

£50 M. Baird

£25 C. Hicks

£10 M. Hassall

December 08

£50 S. Wilson

£25 G. Baird

£10 P. Hookway

Januray 09

£50 M. Macleod

£25 P. Wilson

£10 R. Streeter

Febuary 09

£50 M. Hassall

£25 B. Taylor

£10 S. Sherlock

3/15/2009 1:39:56 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

East Grinstead 6 Heathfield & Waldron 20

East Grinstead welcomed high flying Heathfield to their splendidly appointed club on a beautiful spring afternoon. Their welcome was warm, their pre-match hospitality splendid and generous and their pitch was in pristine condition. The atmosphere created by a large crowd from both clubs made for an exciting match between two well matched teams and two clubs who hold a healthy respect for each other.

Heathfield showed what a well knit team they are and camped inside the Grinstead half for most of the first half but the home team responded well to some fast and open play by the visitors and were still well in touch at the end of the first half. Heath opened the scoring when the Greenies won quick possession from a ruck on the Grinstead ten metre line. Lee Vockins went to the blind side and the ball was swiftly fed to Damien Pestell who made a powerful run down the touchline. His strength and pace were too much for the defence which was unable to stop the powerful centre. On a brief excursion into Greeny territory East Grinstead were awarded a penalty which was well taken by their fly half. Matt skinner responded almost immediately with a penalty from n ear the ten metre line and the teams crossed over with Heathfield holding a slender five point lead.

As the wind had strengthened during the first half and as Grinstead had a small advantage in the second half there was a feeling from both sets of supporters that the home side might gain the upper hand in the second period. But hard as they tried to regain the initiative Grinstead constantly hit the excellent defensive system that has served Heathfield so well this season. The tackling of Bryn Jones, Skinner and Pestell in midfield was massive and Heathfield`s young flankers George Leney and Tom Pritchard did not miss a tackle all afternoon. Add to this the tackling of Vockins who must be the bravest tackler in the league and it is easy to understand why the hosts made little progress in the second half. Every time they threatened, Heathfield regained the upper hand with well constructed tries.

The lineout had been a fascinating struggle involving a tall jumper on each side but early in the second half the Grinstead tall man tapped down from a lineout on his own ten  metre line for the evergreen Jim Cummings of Heathfield to gather at pace and charge for the line. Grinstead stemmed the danger but Heath won quick ball and moved it left for Jones to run in an excellent try. Grinstead reduced the deficit with another well taken penalty but then the home team hit the self destruct button when their prop forward was yellow carded for an unnecessarily robust infringement. No one disputed the ref`s decision and a number of seasoned observers were most impressed with his firm but sympathetic handling of the game. Referees regrettably often receive unfair criticism but this game, which was played in the best of spirits benefited by a highly competent performance from the official.

Towards the end of the match both sides made sensible substitutions, none more so than the introduction of one of Heathfied`s players of the season Richard Cooley. His arrival stabilised the set scrum for the visitors and helped them to take charge of the scrummage while Grinstead’s experienced loose head was off the field. Heathfield`s final try was a gem. They won quality turnover ball at a ruck deep into Grinstead’s half and moved the ball sweetly to the left where Tom Sheffield, who had enjoyed an outstanding game, ran in the try near to the posts for Skinner to convert.

This victory was an outstanding one with every member of the match squad playing a part. It was heartening to see skipper Kobe Tonkin back in the fray and he formed a fine second row with Grant Stewart who showed what an asset he is to the team. It was a real team effort supported by the loyal group of club members who so enjoy following this very entertaining team. This coming Saturday the club will support a Heathfield team featuring three generations of club members, the Burdetts, before resuming league business against Charlton Park. The League game kicks off at three pm and the match which is attracting Television crews and maybe a celebrity or two starts at 12.15. Supporters should arrive at midday.

The Man of the Match award was given to George Leney and Coach Jones also gave praise to young Phil Gander who had his first taste of 1stXV rugby when he came on as a sub in the 2nd half. It was a just reward for hard work at training said Jones.

Match report by Mike de St.Croix

Photos by Mark Peake

3/9/2009 10:02:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield Boars 15 Haywards Heath 4th’s 29

Haywards Heath had a big, physical and experienced pack and had plenty of pace outside and so it was always going to be a difficult game, therefore the Boars new that they would have to be focused to keep up their push for a second place finish.

The first ten minutes saw Haywards Heath try and impose themselves on the Boars, and using the wind well they kept the pressure on. Eventually returning a loose kick the home team winger broke several sloppy tackles to score the opening try, the conversion was missed [5-0]. The ref was interesting but most of his decisions were going against Haywards Heath so there was no excuse’s there for Heathfield.

Haywards Heath winger causing problems early on...

From the kick off Heathfield managed a spell of pressure for themselves, things were still close but at least Heathfield were competing a little better.  But  another break down the wing and yet more poor tackling let the winger in again for his second try, this time the conversion was made [12-0].

Heathfield were in danger of letting the game slip away and really needed to score next to get back in the game. Kicking the ball into the strong wind wasn’t going to help so Heathfield had to do it on the ground and this they did, with good play through the forwards and then the ball finally going down the backs. Simon Hollingdale managed to find a little space on the wing and before he was tackled dropped a lovely kick behind the defence enabling Pete McEvoy to score in the corner, the conversion was missed [10-5].

Good tackling from KFC and Flinty...

Now several weeks ago Heathfield lost a close game because of their inability to deal with a ref who clearly didn’t know the laws of the game, there is no point in getting upset about it, you just have to deal with it and the team that does this the best usually wins. The same thing was about to happen again and that is probably the most disappointing thing about this match; if Heathfield had kept focused the result might have been different. Losing stand out open side Tony Flint after 20 minutes didn’t help, he was starting to cause problems for the home team and was going to be sorely missed.

Heathfield doing well in the lineouts, which were good all day...

Any quick ball was slowed down cleverly and not too subtly but Haywards Heath, and as frustration built Heathfield lost focus and when you are playing against experienced powerful forwards you just can’t do that and expect to win. Haywards Heath turned up the pressure again and this time after several strong runs from their forwards the inside centre found space to score under the posts from 5 yards out, the conversion was a formality [17-5]. That was the score at the half and Heathfield had a lot to do if they were going to turn things around.

The second half started as the first had finished with Haywards Heath on the attack and it was no surprise when their forwards drove over after a several minutes camped on the Heathfield line to increase the score to [22-5].

Dave Rhodes breaking up the blind side on another of his good runs...

From the kick off a knock on set up a scrum on the Heathfield 10 metre line. It was time to get a quick refresher of the laws from the ref in regard to wheeling the scrum, his comments that “Wheeling the scrum was fine” and “it was up to us to stop it happening” was all we needed. At the next break down after a quick chat about the finer points of scrumming and rucking we finally decided to focus and start playing how the ref wanted us to!! The new simplified game plan was helping the forwards focus on the job in hand and they started to dominate. With the wind behind us and our new game plan in place we gained the opposition 22 and stayed there. A good drive from a lineout and then several strong runs saw Rory Burchett crash over to score, the kick was again difficult and missed [22-10].

Finally good quick ruck ball...

The first thing we noticed with a our new game plan was that opposition didn’t seem to want to lay all over the ball anymore, in fact they complained a little... apparently 4 or 5 strapping lads trundling past you on their way to the ball isn’t much fun! A penalty on the home sides 22 for hands in the ruck was over turned because of our overzealous approach and the pressure was momentarily relieved. But we were focused again now and more strong running from the forwards and backs kept the pressure on and we were soon back in the oppositions half. A nice break from Ian Schlieder and quick ball from the forwards was given to the backs, Ingram passed to Wates who drew in the tacklers before throwing a long pass to put Nick sands away on the outside [I know I’m shamelessly bigging up my part!], Sands got close to the posts but not quite close enough as the conversion was missed again [22-15].

Unfortunately that was the last Tom Ingram would play in the game, having to go off with a rib injury. Luckily, freshly returned from St. Tropez and a modelling assignment, young Will Chipchase was ready to make his senior debut... and whatever anyone says I liked his tights! So moving the experienced Dave Rhodes out to fly half, we had 10 minutes to get another score.

hmmm nice TIGHTS St.Tropez!

Well the effort was finally being put in by Heathfield and with the fresh and skilful Chipchase getting us quick ball we pressured and pressured but just couldn’t break down an excellent Haywards Heath defence. Trying everything we could eventually a mistake was made and up stepped the nippy Haywards Heath winger to score his hatrick with almost the last touch of the game [29-15].

This was a game to learn lesson from and even though it was very disappointing I’m sure we will now concentrate on what we have learnt and use that in the remaining three games to try and get as good a league position as we can.

Man of the Match is a hard one to call this week, especially it was such a disapointing result but there were good performances. Dave Rhodes was as always excellent and so was Will Chipchase when he came on. All the forwards worked hard especially in the later stages, but for his excellent tackling Ian Schlieder gets the Man of the Match award.

Boars Team – M. MacLeod, J. Sharp, R. Burchett, P. Hookway, T. Rose, K. Lewis, Tony Flint [I. Schlieder - 20], S. Cooley,  D. Rhodes, T. Ingram [Will Chipchase - 65], J. Wates, S. Hollingdale, J. Gavor, P. McEvoy, N. Sands.

Match Report by Julian Wates

3/9/2009 8:11:48 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

The Rugby Burdetts

On Saturday, 14th March 2009 history will be made in Sussex.

Three generations from the same family, grandfather, father and son, will take to the field as scrum-half, fly-half and inside-centre representing their local rugby club, Heathfield & Waldron RFC in a local derby with Hellingly RFC.

Back Row, Left to Right: Brian Burdett, Jeremy Burdett and Brady Burdett
Front Row, Left to Right: Leo Burdett and Kieran Burdett

Brian Burdett, aged 68, is the senior member of the trio and Jeremy Burdett the youngest, turning 17 on 1st March. At fly-half, Brady Burdett, aged 45, is the third family member who will take to the field between his father and son.

Rugby is major part of family life for the Burdetts: Jeremy was named by his father after Jeremy Guscott and his brother, Kieran, after Kieran Bracken. They also had a cat named “Rory” after another former England player.

Brian and Brady have been key members of Heathfield & Waldron RFC since the club’s foundation in 1980 and both were members of the same Heathfield team for their first ever match against Seaford.

In the intervening years the Club has progressed into the London South-East divisions and today, with over 500 players, is one of Sussex’s leading clubs. In 2004 this was acknowledged when it was awarded the coveted Sports England Seal of Approval.

3/9/2009 5:34:12 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

A Frolic in the Sunshine

Heathfield U14   44     Vs.     5    Lewes U14

The squad arrived at the Lewes ground to be greeted by blue skies, “fairly” warm temperatures but with a stiff breeze tugging at the corner flags. This match was always going to be of “concern” to the coaches due to the previous league matches and the players involved so it was really good to have a turnout of 20 players.
Heathfield started the match with 2/3rds of the backrow missing and with only the scrum half being in the position played in the previous game, with a completely new back line. Heathfield started strongly and proceeded to play in a similar vein to the previous match against Haywards Heath. The forwards were in commanding form winning most of the contested ball. Excellent running from props Lewis Spencer and Alex Borg (back at prop from his 2 month stint in the backs) with commendable support from Will Morris and Henry Ross kept Lewes on the back foot. This allowed the backs to start moving the ball down the line and it was from one of these moves that Gareth Lloyd was able beat a couple of tackles and dot the ball down with Harry Reilly converting.
From the kick-off Heathfield took the ball rapidly back into the Lewes half and from a scrum against the head the ball again went down the backline to Gareth who was able to commit a number of tacklers. From the ensuing ruck, Lewis Golding picked up well to drive into the corner to score an unconverted try.
The third try of the day was from a very similar series of events. Great forward play released the backs who committed tacklers before releasing the ball for driving forward play where Henry Ross was able to pick-up and drive over the line for Harry to convert.
Again from the kick-off, Kieran Burdett fed Will Morris on a charge. The recycled ball went to Greg Pearce who galloped 35 metres up the touch-line only to be tackled when seemingly clear. The ball was recycled a couple of times before getting to Gareth who managed to evade a number of tackles in scoring his second of the day. This brought up the half-time whistle.

Half-Time: 24 – 0 to Heathfield.

In the second half, Heathfield made a number of changes which seemed to upset the command of the forwards and the change to both centers certainly disrupted the back-play. Indeed, it was the change to the centers after 5 minutes that allowed Lewes to break through some weak tackling there and score in the corner. This spurred on the Lewes side which proceeded to play their best rugby for the next 5 minutes, threatening the Heathfield line on a number of occasions. However, Heathfield maintained their discipline and weathered the storm with Harry Reilly beginning to join the line from full-back with much more effect.
After about 10 minutes, a series of rucks and excellent driving play saw Alex Borg break through to score. This was followed a few minutes later when Heathfield managed to turn over ball from a Lewes penalty. A series of drives saw captain Jasper Wrenn receive the ball in the line where he proceeded to show a good turn of speed in an arcing run to beat the covering defence and score in the corner.
Lewis Golding kept up his excellent work-rate and scored his second in the same corner as Jasper after some quick hands saw him receive the ball out wide to again beat the cover defence.
The final try, and the best team try, fell to Jack Koops after some (again) excellent work from the forwards. Great hands from both backs and forwards, brilliant ball retention and support play meant that when Jack received the scoring pass there were actually 4 other players, two of them forwards, who could have taken that pass to score.

Final score was Heathfield 44, Lewes 5.

3/9/2009 10:16:22 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield & Waldron II 17 Eastbourne II 5

Heathfield 2nds travelled to Eastbourne for this league game.

At the start of the season playing at home Heathfield lost to Eastbourne, but hopes were high that the improved Heathfield performances of late would put them in a strong position to win this game.

Eastbourne made a strong start and spent most of the first tem minutes in the Heathfield half. However it was Heathfield that struck first when Sam Goacher received the ball from a breakdown in the Heathfield half, produced some silky running, weaving his way through the entire Eastbourne side to score under the posts, and of course converted his own try.

The second, try in this close game was scored by Eastbourne from a well worked move by there forwards to score in the bottom corner of this sloping pitch.

Sam Goacher was in fine kicking form as he showed when he kicked a penalty from forty metres out. This gave a half time score of 10 - 5 to Heathfield.

Heathfield had the advantage of the slope in the second half, also the very strong Eastbourne pack that had been in control of the scrums during the first half, began to tire. Add to this the addition of the powerful Furry Evans as prop, and this resulted in taking control of the set piece, often winning balls against the head, but always producing good ball for the backs, or powerfully driving moves for the forwards, more often than not led by No 8 and Captain Levi Willis.

It was after a period of five minutes of being camped on the Eastbourne try line that the power of the Heathfield scrum came to the for front when Eastbourne were given a scrum which Heathfield won against the head and produced a good old fashioned push over try, which was scored by Levi Willis, although it was all eight forwards that made it. This was converted by Sam Goacher giving a final score of Eastbourne 5 - Heathfield 17.

This was a timely win not only for the league but as the two teams meet again in two weeks time for the Sussex Bowl semi final, it also helps to boost confidence for this upcoming game.

3/8/2009 10:06:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

So near and yet....

Heathfield U14   14     Vs.     22    Haywards Heath U14

On a very pleasant spring Sunday, Heathfield entertained Haywards Heath in a league match that was billed as a county championship finalist decider - the winner would go on to meet Brighton in the County Finals in April as they would end up 2^nd in the Sussex ‘A’ League.

Heathfield started the match in fine form and took the game to HH. Great forward work meant that HH were always struggling to get any momentum. This was displayed to the fullest from an immense catch and drive from a Heathfield lineout on half-way where they managed to set up a rolling maul and proceeded to drive HH into their 22 before going into touch again. It was a scenario to be repeated a number of times as Heathfield had complete domination in the lineout most of the match. However, in a foray by HH into the Heathfield 22, a good break by their no 8 led to HH getting an overlap for one of their speedy wingers to score. This was converted extremely well by their fly-half.

Heathfield cam back at HH and maintained their dominance in the loose and set piece forward play. It was this dominance that forced HH to give away a number of repeated penalties for a multitude of infringements close to their line. After a number of attempts, Heathfield managed to take advantage of one of these penalties when big Will Morris went crashing over close to the posts to score a well deserved try on half time. Harry Reilly converted and the half-time whistle went.

All square at half-time: 7 – 7

The second half started much as the first had left off with the Heathfield forwards causing problems for HH and the HH backs causing problems for Heathfield. The game swung too and fro for a number of minutes until Heathfield gave away a very kickable penalty which the HH fly-half duly converted taking the score to 10 – 7. Heathfield came back strongly but it was an error by the referee (who otherwise had a very good game) that provided the next score. HH attacked up the middle and got to 10 metres from the Heathfield try-line before a crunching tackle from Henry Jolliffe dislodged the ball from the HH player straight towards a supporting Heathfield player who knocked on in trying to gather the ball. However, the referee missed the HH knock-on, spotted the Heathfield one and played advantage. HH executed the “play to the referees whistle” mantra to perfection and scored an unconverted try in the corner. This took the score to 15 – 7 to HH.

Heathfield again came back strongly and worked their way up towards the HH try-line. From a 5 metre scrum Heathfield exerted a phenomenal drive allowing scrum-half Keiran Burdett to squeeze in to score. Harry Reilly again converted taking the score to a nail-biting 15 – 14 to HH.

Heathfield still maintained strong pressure which was relieved primarily from some astute kick and chase moves and some good back play from HH. With 10 minutes left Henry Jolliffe latched on to a kick ahead and managed to fall on the ball first when over the try-line. However, the referee was unsighted and unfortunately could not award the try to Heathfield. More excellent play from both sides between the 22 metre lines followed until there was a break in play for an injury to the excellent Jamie Wardle which curtailed any more play from him. From the ensuing scrum, the HH no8 managed to break a couple of tackles to help set up what was to be the final converted try of the match. A raucus cheer from the HH players, coaches and spectators when the final whistle went was testament to the tight nature of the contest which was an excellent game of rugby to watch. Sadly Heathfield came out the wrong side of the score-line but played an excellent game of rugby against a large and committed HH side. Well done to both teams for a great advert for junior rugby.

Final score was Heathfield 14, Haywards Heath 22.

3/4/2009 9:37:27 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Sussex Young Team of the Year Award!

Heathfield Hurricanes under 10 squad win Young Team of the Year Award!

The Heathfield Hurricanes under 10 squad have been awarded the prestigious title of Sussex Young Team of the Year at the recent Courier Media Group's Sussex Sports Awards held at the Salomons Conference and Events Centre on Tuesday 24th February 2009.

Mike Shillabeer, the teams Head Coach, collected the award on behalf of the team from sporting legend and guest of honour John Surtees, the only man to win a world championship on both two and four wheels.

The team had been nominated in recognition of their successes this season, these successes include winning the Hastings Festival, Thurrock Festival, Beckenham and Crawley Festivals to name just a few!

The team took part in the London Irish Festival and did not concede a single try on their way to winning the London Irish Matchday festival in front of 10,000 spectators at the Madeiski Stadium. The team, who were reigning champions of the event, are proof that the future of Heathfield Rugby Club is very bright indeed.

Speaking at the awards dinner, coach Mike Shillabeer admitted: "This is recognition for all the hard work that goes into sport. It's an acknowledgement that through hard work, dedication and a never say die attitude anything is possible. Coming here tonight tops it all off. It's terrific for a small club like us to be in such company."

Hailing the success of the Sports Awards, sports editor Glenn Garrett paid tribute to the sporting talent on show. "Not only did we have one of the greatest British sportsmen of all time handing out the awards, we had a room full of dedicated individuals and teams, who deserve to be in such exalted company. "These awards are only in their third year but you can see by the quality of winners, the number of nominations and the overwhelming number of votes that they have captured the imagination of the public.

3/3/2009 6:59:21 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield II reach Sussex Bowl Semi Final

Heathfield 2nds were at home for this Quarter Final game of the Sussex Bowl knock out competition.

The strong Lewes side which contained a number of colts players took full advantage of the drier conditions with some fine open running play. Heathfield were also up for this game showing huge commitment at the breakdown area, keeping possession which a few weeks earlier may well have been turnover ball.

Both sides matched each other during the first twenty minutes with Lewes finally breaking the stalemate with a penalty conversion, this was followed within five minutes, with a penalty converted by Sam Goacher to bring the scores level. 30 minutes in to the game possession was won by the forwards and then passed out wide, quick ball was won at the break down and scrum half Simon Jackson scampered over to score in the corner converted by Sam.

Half time score, Heathfield 10,  Lewes 3.

It was only fitting that the first score in the second half was by a back row player, Jack Bayley, because the work rate of all three, Jack, Phil Gander and Captain Levi Willis, who was named as man of the match, was producing lots of ball from the break down area, allowing the backs to string together many attacks which were only halted by some equally impressive Lewes defence.

Half way through the second half Lewes kicked a penalty and ten minutes later they scored a try, which they had been threatening to do for a while. This led to a nail biting last ten minutes, the scrum which Heathfield had controlled for most of the game kept most of the possession on the Heathfield side and after a number of rucks the forwards crossed the try line, but as the referee was unsited the try was not given.

Heathfield held there nerve and ran out winners, Heathfield 15, Lewes 13. Booking themselves a place in the semi final against Eastbourne 2nds.

3/3/2009 6:51:44 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Brighton 13 - Heathfield & Waldron 20

After a narrow loss to East Grinstead last week Heathfield had something to prove and with things getting close at the top this was a must win game. It was obvious that Brighton at home would be a different team from the one that came to Heathfield earlier in the season. They looked young and fit and well prepared with a full complement of 7 substitutes just in case!

But it was Heathfield who exerted the early pressure and the pack in particular was dominant. Several good phases of simple rugby moved the greenies close to the Brighton line and it was from there that the forwards battered the line until Rory Burchett drove over to open the score. Up stepped Dave Rhodes for what was going to be a fantastic display of goal kicking, slotting the conversion [0-7].

The first score seemed to cause Heathfield to relax and let Brighton back in the game. From the kick off Brighton started a good spell of possession, their backs looked lively but couldn’t seem to break through the Heathfield defence and when they finally did a handling error prevented them scoring. Yet the sustained pressure eventually resulted in points as a good chase following a kick, finally saw the Brighton backs get behind the Heathfield defence, the conversion was missed [5-7].

It was Heathfield’s turn to wake up and some good work through the forwards and backs resulted in a penalty in front of the  pasts, Dave Rhodes stepped up to tap the ball over the bar to increase the lead [5-10]. The game had now become an end to end affair with neither team really stamping their authority on the game and this was going to be the pattern for the rest of the day.

The second half started as the first had ended, with both teams having good spells of pressure but it was probably Brighton who deserved the first points and they got these in the form of a penalty, [8-10].

This was a hard fought match with both teams working hard and creating chances. The Heathfield forwards again found themselves making good yards with especially good performances coming from Matt Overy playing his first game at flanker and Chris Ambrosino. Several powerful runs from number 8 Sam Cooley forced Brighton backwards and then a couple of good breaks through the backs worked the ball down into the Brighton 22. Dave Rhodes stepped up again and when Heathfield were given a penalty he snatched up the ball and headed for the line, popping a lovely ball to Wates who with just 10 metres to go crashed over to increase the lead; Rhodes converted neatly again [8-17].

But Brighton weren’t finished and from several good moves down their backs they stretched Heathfield all over the pitch until they scored a deserved try, the conversion was missed [13-17].

The final 15 minutes were tense for Heathfield, with the Brighton backs gaining the ascendency, they continually stretched the Heathfield defence, but again it didn’t quite crack and when the Heathfield forwards got hold of the ball they managed to calm things down. Again Sam Cooley’s rampaging runs were very welcome to see and from one of these another penalty was given and Dave Rhodes stepped up to teasingly chip over the bar for the final score of the game [13-20].

Both teams played with aggression and passion and I’m sure it was exciting to watch. Unfortunately for Heathfield they could have done with scoring just one more point as the losing bonus point helped to keep Brighton above Heathfield in the league.

The backs played well in defence but really were playing as individuals in attack and need to work on that, with Wates showing why he isn’t encouraged to kick the ball very often!

The forwards were again fantastic, with many great performances, including Paul Hookway who was as solid as ever, Paul Watton who made his welcome return to the team and Mike Brown for his inspirational play and leadership. There were several contenders for Man of the Match, including Dave Rhodes for another timeless performance and Chris Ambrosino and Matt Overy for their work around the pitch. But there is a certain joy in seeing Sam Cooley handing people off, trample players underfoot and generally causing carnage in the enemy ranks, so he takes the Man of the Match award this week.

Boars Team – P. Watton [M. MacLeod - 60], C. Ambrosino, R. Burchett, P. Hookway, T. Rose, M. Overy, I. Schlieder [M. Brown - 50], S. Cooley,  D. Rhodes, T. Ingram, J. Wates, T. Keylock, S. Hollingdale, J. Gavor [P. McEvoy], N. Sands

Match Report by Julian Wates

2/23/2009 10:30:16 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield & Waldron 15 - Tonbridge Juddians 23

Tonbridge Juddians have been unbeaten in league matches this year and Heathfield have not lost at home for nearly two seasons, so one 100% record was bound to be lost at Cross-In-Hand this weekend.   In the event the visitors won in one of the highest quality matches seen at Heathfield for some years in front of an appreciative crowd of over 350.

The pitch was in good condition on an unusually warm day for February.  Judds had only played one match in recent weeks because their pitches had been under water and were perhaps lacking some match fitness.  They certainly became stronger as the game wore on.

The opening exchanges were even with play flowing end-to-end but both defences held firm.  Heathfield eventually broke the deadlock after eighteen minutes with a penalty by Matt Skinner (3-0) and although two minutes later the Judds kicker missed a chance to level the scores, he was finally successful a few minutes after that (3-3).

The good conditions allowed an open game with handling movements by both sides.  The Heathfield scrum had a slight edge and took a couple against the head but the visitors’ lineout was impressive, very secure on their own ball and disrupting some of the home team throw-ins.  As usual a sound defence was critical and Rob Lawrence was noticed with several good hits while Bryn Jones did well against the visiting back row, especially their powerful No 8.  Tom Sheffield on the left wing made some exciting runs that were only just contained.

Just before the half hour an extended sequence of play ended with an excellent Heathfield try.  Lawrence  cross-kicked precisely into the left-hand corner and Sheffield timed his jump to catch and ground the ball despite the attentions of two defenders. (8-3)

Ten minutes after that further green pressure resulted in a lineout near the right hand corner and a well-rehearsed move at the front saw Lee Vockins scramble over for another try.  Skinner converted impressively from wide out. (15-3)

This represented the high water mark for Heathfield.  In the last few minutes of the half Judds collected another penalty (15-6) and then their impressive fly-half used some quick ball to chip ahead and beat the defence to touch down under the posts. (15-13)

This was the first time this season that the visitors had been behind at half time and they started the second half in a determined manner, putting Heathfield under increasing pressure.  This resulted in number 8 Simon Wilson, being yellow-carded for coming round a ruck and hacking the ball away before it was out and Judds took advantage in the next ten minutes.  First their scrum half, a talented but overly vocal individual, dropped a goal (15-16) and then the Judds no 8 scored a fine solo try under the posts from the back of a scrum, duly converted (15-23).  He is a quality player but Heathfield will be disappointed at their tackling on this occasion.

For the rest of the game Judds had a slight edge without ever threatening the green line again.  By contrast Heathfield repeatedly moved the ball to both wings where Ed Armah and Sheffield were causing serious problems for the opposing defence.

On balance Judds were the better side on the day and they duly held on for the win.
Heathfield coach Dave Jones could not choose a man of the match given a fine all round performance.  He and the team relished the support of the large crowd and hopefully the quality of the match will encourage similar turnouts in the future. Sadly Judds did not stay for any refreshment after the match. 

There is no match for the Heathfield first team next week but the week after that (7th Mar) they are looking forward to a challenging league match away to East Grinstead.

2/23/2009 9:19:34 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

A great day for H&WRFC!

On Saturday 14th March the BBC outside broadcast team will be visiting Cross-in-Hand to cover an historical occasion. At about noon, 3 members of one family will run out onto the 1st XV pitch to play a game of Rugby.

Why, you may ask, is this so momentous? The answer is that the 3 players are all from a different generation!

“Yes”, the Burdetts have scooped the jackpot, and Brian, Brady and Jeremy, are scheduled to go into the record book, which will be recorded for posterity by the BBC. It is rumoured that Jeremy Guscott may be on hand, for as everyone knows, (or at least those who knows a thing or two about Rugby Football), Jeremy Burdett was named after Jeremy Guscott, and for those of you who didn’t know this, where have you been for the last few years?

This is not the end of the fun, for after this game the 1st XV are playing a London Division 4 (SE) league match, against “Charlton Park” RFC. It would be rather good to get 350 supporters to watch both the games.

Sandwiched in between the games is a Vice Presidents lunch, and for those who would like to attend, and have not already done so, please contact Mike Baird ASAP.
Let’s show the viewing public that H&WRFC are, not only a successful Rugby Club, but must be serving the Elixir of Life at the Clubhouse!

2/23/2009 9:13:31 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

HEATHFIELD WIN AGAIN

Heathfield U14   28     Vs.     10    Midhurst U14

Heathfield made the long journey to Midhurst in good spirits and were welcomed with one of the most scenic settings for a rugby match, the pitch being in the lee of the Cowdray castle ruins.

Heathfield started the match electing to play down the slope. With almost a full team available for the first time since Christmas, they played in the opening 10 minutes, some of the best rugby the squad has played all season. Great support, aggressive rucking and mauling and power in the scrums during this period meant that Heathfield were permanently camped in the Midhurst half. Indeed, this constant pressure led to Heathfield creating the first score when a missed tackle on Henry Jolliffe allowed him to break clear and eventually score under the posts.

Heathfield continued where they left off from the re-start and kept pressuring a well drilled and resilient Midhurst defence which thwarted Heathfield from scoring twice more with some timely tackles close to the line. However, more great work from the forwards with Lewis Golding and Will Morris to the fore in the loose, eventually forced a Midhurst defensive scrum in front of the posts. A timely win against the head allowed Zack Llamas to pick up and drive over for his first try of the season.

The half ended at 14 – 0 to Heathfield with Harry Reilly making both conversions.

Heathfield knew they had it all to do in the second half, playing up the hill and against an opposition that was beginning to assert pressure based on their defensive play. Heathfield made a number of changes to the pack which upset their rhythm a little but they still managed to score again after good play from the backs and some clinical finishing from Alex Borg who beat two tackles in the act of scoring. Harry Reilly again converted to take the score to 21 – 0 to Heathfield.

This try seemed to galvanise Midhurst into playing their best rugby of the match. Concerted pressure from their backs, in particular a rather large inside centre, and good hands found Heathfield short of cover twice to allow Midhurst to score two unanswered but unconverted tries and provide a tense finish to the match.

Heathfield managed to get their game back on track for the final 10 minutes, even with all the changes made and the injuries encountered. Again after good play and ground gained from the forwards, Harry Reilly was able to turn the Midhurst defence with an astute kick to the corner. Good chasing from Louis Chavannes forced the Midhurst fullback to clear hurriedly giving away a lineout 10 meters from their try-line. A catch and drive followed by some excellent mauling allowed captain (and man of the match) Jasper Wrenn to break clear and score another converted try to seal the match.

An excellent game, played in excellent spirit and hosted by a welcoming Midhurst squad meant that this is one fixture to keep for the future.

Final Score was Heathfield 28, Midhurst 10.

2/23/2009 10:27:51 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield II 10 - Worthing III 43

Heathfield hosted Worthing 3rds for this top of the table clash. The last encounter early in the season at the start of October resulted in an overwhelming victory for a very impressive Worthing.

Before the game had even started flanker Jack Bayley injured his back in the pre match warm up enforcing changes to the starting line up.  This game started in a similar way to the last encounter as Worthing ran in a try within the first three minutes.There well drilled and strong set of backs always looked threatening every time they gained position of the ball. But Heathfield showed that they new how to counter attack as outside centre Chris English scored a breakaway try, which was converted by Sam Goacher.

Worthing managed to run in five further tries during the remainder of the first half, and Heathfield converted one penalty.

This game was not all doom and gloom, the Heathfield forwards played a major role by winning most of the set pieces, captain Levi Willis having a particularly strong game, never taking a backward step. The backs improved there defensive line and began to cut down the space that Worthing had, this pressure began to produce more mistakes from there very slick backs. During the second half the hard work and character of all the Heathfield team, proved that they could match Worthing by not allowing them to score a single point.

So the final score was the same as the half time score.

2/16/2009 10:07:51 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Horsham 16 Heathfield & Waldron 26

Heathfield defeated an improving Horsham side at Coolhurst in convincing style. Horsham’s fly half kept his team in the game with some fine place kicking and a good all round display but the visitors were ahead throughout the game and the try tally was four to one in Heathfield`s favour. Apart from conceding too many penalties at the breakdown Heathfield treated their supporters to some excellent all round rugby showing exactly why they feature in the top three places in their league.

Matt Skinner opened the scoring for Heathfield with a penalty in the third minute but his side soon conceded a penalty for obstruction allowing Horsham to level the scores after ten minutes. Heathfield were already winning good possession from their forwards which produced two good tries inside the first quarter of the game. The first score came after Tom Pritchard tapped down to Richard Cooley at a line out between the ten metre line and Horsham’s 22. Heathfield`s outstanding prop accelerated through the gap in the lineout and gave a fine impression of a centre three-quarter by way of a deft sidestep and  a perfect pass to his backs who moved the ball swiftly down the line for winger Jo Reilly to score in the corner. Cooley and Reilly were involved in the next try soon after the restart when Cooley stole the ball from Horsham in a maul and Heath’s backs again passed the ball down the line with a missed pass in the centre giving Reilly the space to score again. This was fine rugby and Heathfield were well on top and were dominating all phases of the game.

Although it looked likely even at this early stage that Heathfield would maintain their lead, Horsham continued to contest every forward phase and their very young scrum half gave showed great promise linking with his outside half who showed touches of real class and kept his side in touch with two sweetly struck long range penalties before half time.

Although Heathfield could not match the quality of the home teams place kicking they did score another fine try before half time which involved hooker Rob Lawrence in some skilful passing down the touchline and it was he who won the touchdown to put his team in the lead by 18 points to nine at the interval.

Sadly the Greenies lost their highly mobile prop Shaun Hammond at half time with a recurrence of a knee injury but such is the depth of coach Jones squad that he was able to bring on another powerful and in form prop in the person of Chris Watton and was also able to introduce speed man Sebastian Jones for Will Drinkwater.It was also really pleasing to see flanker George Leney return to action when Bruce Pestell was taken off with multiple blood injuries to the face. With Heathfield still applying the pressure during the second half Bryn Jones went over from close range and Horsham finally breached the Heathfield defence after good work once again from their  No 10.

Heathfield`s victory was comprehensive and well deserved and they now relish the opportunity to spoil Tonbridge Juddians unbeaten record at Cross in hand this Saturday (kick off 2.30). Every Greeny supporter and member is encouraged to support their club for what should be a thrilling match.

2/16/2009 10:03:37 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)