END OF SEASON AWARD DINNER

The U14s end of season awards event will be held at the clubhouse on Thursday 18th June!!  Players, family, friends & siblings are all welcome!  Obviously, the next day is a school day, so we’ll try to be speedy on the night:  Food and awards will start promptly at 8.00pm.

Time: 7.30 for 8.00

Catering:  Curry will be provided, the bar will be open.

Price: £12 per head, U11s: £5.00 (payable on the evening, note that price now allows for purchase of the awards!).

Could you please respond via email and let me know:

-          that you will be attending!

-          number in your party (please specify how many are U11)

-          dietary preferences (number of vegetarians)

We plan to have a DIY raffle, so could each group aim to bring a prize?  (This event is priced to provide a contribution to 2010 tour funds. Raffle proceeds will also go towards 2010 tour).

2010 Tour:  This has now been booked. Please watch your email for further details. There will also be information available at the presentation evening.

Player’s Player Award: Could each player please provide nominations for this award. Please provide three names in preference order. Email to myself and Guy.

6/3/2009 2:33:03 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Newbury 10s Plate Winners

Heathfield travelled to Newbury for their annual National 10s Tournament on a bight and breezy (VERY EARLY!) Sunday morning and were greeted by a wonderful ground and exceptional 1^st team pitch, complete with grandstand!

Heathfield started off playing against Harrow who presented us (and many other teams) with the problem of an inside centre who looked like he could have played for the colts! Heathfield lost this match 14 – 7 but actually came off the pitch feeling a bit aggrieved as they played the much better rugby. Not the best start to the tournament!

Next up was host team Newbury who we beat 12 – 7 but it was close! Heathfield were 12 – 0 up at half-time but relaxed noticeably to allow Newbury to come back at them and were relieved when the final whistle went.
The final pool match was against Devonport Services (Navy). We lost this one 19 – 0 and really were not at the races at all. It seemed at this point that the boys were a bit “jet-lagged” and suffering from the end of a long season!

And so to the knock-out stages…

Bournemouth were beaten fairly convincingly 19 – 0 with the team beginning to get their playing legs back again. There was certainly more drive and commitment in all phases of play above and beyond the previous match and the team started playing with pride again!

Heathfield faced Redingensians in the semi-finals and really got back into their playing “zone” for this match. An early try be Redingensians was matched by Heathfield who went on to score a second before half-time. Redingensians fought back strongly in the second half to register their second try to take the lead 14 – 12 with about 3 minutes left to play. Heathfield then managed to get a 30 metre rolling maul going which culminated in the ball being held up over the try-line. Heathfield managed to score from the ensuing scrum with the final whistle going on the failed conversion. That was a close shave with Heathfield winning 17 – 14 in the end.

The Plate Final was held on the Newbury 1^st team pitch against the hosts, Newbury. Heathfield were now well and truly in the right frame of mind again. It seemed the knock-out stage of this tournament was the catalyst they needed! Heathfield started strongly and never really let the hosts into the game at any point. Heathfield’s first score was a penalty try for a high tackle against Henry Jolliffe when he was seemingly in the clear… perhaps a bit harsh but we weren’t going to argue the point with the referee! A second try followed before half time with Heathfield now commanding the game. The final try was a sublime dummy scissors between Henry J. and Fergus Diplock which completely fooled the opposition (and some of our own players including Fergus!) which allowed Henry to skirt through to seal the victory 17 – 0.

Well done all the players, and parents for this rather long day out!

5/5/2009 8:02:22 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield U14 – East Coast Champions

Heathfield U14 departed for the distant shores of…. err….  Norwich on Friday morning for their end-of-season tour; in good spirits but with a number of players unavailable or injured. We arrived late afternoon  in Norwich under a cover of fairly thick mist and cold conditions and decided to warm up using the time-honoured and traditional touring methods. Available at the bar!

Saturday start of tournament

The tournament format was a “try fest” with no conversions and 12.5 minute halves. Heathfields opponents for the day were Middlesbrough, Cheshunt and Oakham (Leicester).

Middlesbrough
Heathfield started slowly and allowed a very useful Middlesbrough side packed with very large forwards and backs to dominate. Their backs in particular were quick and quite large and managed to score after about 5 minutes of play. This seemed to stir the Heathfield U14 beast a little and from the kick-off there was an obvious greater urgency from the players. This led to an incisive run from Gareth Lloyd at outside centre, who dummied and stepped his way through four attempted tackles to score under the posts. Half time soon arrived and it was with great trepidation that Jasper Wrenn, the squads injured captain was brought on. This had an immediate effect on the pack which began to gain dominance over the MB pack. An excellent scrum win allowed the backs to move the ball to give George Bending, on the wing, a run down the line to score a relieving try to take the lead. The match was still very much in the balance with Heathfield defending well to prevent the MB backs from breaking free. However, with 2 minutes left of the match and Heathfield with a lineout on the MB 5m line, the ball was swiftly moved to Gareth, who had switched places with inside centre Travis Parsons, to run a loop, draw the last defender and dummy to George and cut back to score close to the post.
Heathfield win 15 – 5.

­Cheshunt
Heathfield were now “warmed up” and started this match fully fired up. After 2 minutes Heathfield crossed the Cheshunt line for the first time after some sweeping play taking the ball right, then left and back to the right wing again. This resulted in Henry Ross receiving the ball with a big overlap which he decided he didn’t need as he crashed over to score. The next score started from our 22m line when Jasper took quick ball from a ruck, went about 20 and kicked for touch. Heathfield won the lineout with Lewis Golding going 40m before being brought down close to the try-line. A series of rucks eventually saw Freddy Jones pick up and drive through to score. This brought up the half-time whistle.
The second half started with a number of changes to the team but not to the attitude and commitment on display. Tim Farrell scored from excellent  possession and continuity, Will Morris from a lineout 5m into the Cheshunt half with Heathfield driving and rucking in a series of phases and finally Henry Ross from a cross-field kick from Harry Reilly that ended up in a ruck near the try-line that Henry Ross gathered and grubbered through to fall on the ball. Unfortunately an injury Gareth meant he was to play no further part in the tournament having played some sublime rugby up to this point!
Heathfield win 30 – 0.

Oakham
This was the Alex Borg match… fastest prop in the east!
From the kick-off, Henry Ross fielded the ball and popped to Alex who proceeded to step and hand-off half a dozen Oakham players on his way to the line. Indeed, Alex was so excited he almost dropped the ball 5m from the line with no defenders left to beat! Next was a lineout on our 10m line. Catch by Henry, peel by Greg Pearce, pop to Alex and he was away again scoring close to the posts. Not to be outdone, Harry Reilly took the ball from the Heathfield 10m line dummied and accelerated and was past the defence to score under the posts.
The second half was more of the same. A minute after the restart and directly from a lineout catch, Alex again burst straight through the cover defence to score his third of the match. He was promptly substituted!. Next Will Morris got in on the act from a tap penalty 20m from the try-line. No one really had it in them to stop him and he crashed over for another try. Kieran Burdett  was next with a quick tap from a penalty 15m out and was able to step his way to the try-line. Finally Will again, this time targeting the number 10 who made a brave attempt at a tackle but failed, as did a couple more tacklers left will just able to make the line.
Heathfield win 35 – 0.

End of day one. Scored 16 tries and conceded 1. We were the overnight leaders, being the only side to be unbeaten.

Sunday – day 2

Heathfields opponents for the day were Worthing and Norwich.

Worthing
Heathfield started the match playing some scintillating rugby with forwards and backs combining beautifully to score 3 tries without reply by half time. From a scrum on the Worthing 10m line, Zach Llamas picked, gained good yards, set up a ruck and from there Lewis Golding was able to pick up and smash through the remnants of the Worthing defence. Next, the ball went down the line superbly to a ruck. Kieran stepped a couple of tackles from the ruck and the ball went back down the line to George Bending, now playing at centre, who was able to saunter over to score in the corner.. Finally, after 2 against-the-head scrum wins in a row (the count ended up at 5 against the head that half), the ball was fed to Jack Koops on the wing to put in a great burst of speed and a step to beat the last defender to score.
With a raft of changes in the second half, Worthing came back strongly in a good passage of play to score 2 excellent tries which left all the Heathfield players and parents just a bit nervous for the final few minutes. Heathfield managed however to hold out for a well deserved win. Louis Chavannes was concussed in a tackle in this match and would take no further part in the tournament.
Heathfield win 15 – 10.

Norwich
Heathfield, still unbeaten, now had an unassailable lead at the top of the league table which meant we would go through to the main cup final regardless of the outcome of this match. There was, however, considerable pride to play for! Heathfield took to the field with a makeshift side with a combination of preserving players where possible, getting good game time for everyone in the squad and a long injury list.
The game started with Norwich taking the game to Heathfield and were camped for pretty much the entire first half in Heathfield’s half. Only some absolutely stunning defensive work from everyone on the pitch, particularly George, Zach and Kieran on the wing prevented Norwich from scoring during this period. These were nervy times but the players showed the same grit and determination as the previous weeks outstanding defensive performance against Saracens.
The second half was to have a similar script to the first. Outstanding defence with the occasional foray into Norwich territory was the order of the day. However, with 5 minutes to go and a raft of changes to try and tip the balance of play, Heathfield managed to alleviate some of the pressure with some fantastic scrummaging from the front row of Lewis Golding, Max Ellery and Alex Borg, the like of which I have not seen at this level. Norwich’s front row was lifted in the scrum a number of times through technique and power from Heathfield and this meant they were unable to exert any more pressure for the remainder of the match. Tim Farrell was concussed in this match and would take no further part in the tournament.
Heathfield draw 0 – 0.

And so to the final which was to be played against Middlesbrough on Norwich’s first team pitch (a very nice ground by the way with some excellent pitches). This match was 15 minutes a half.

Heathfield were fired up for the final against a much bigger side in general. Large forwards and some very exciting (and large) backs. They knew from the previous days match what trouble this Middlesbrough side could cause and ensured there was no recurrence of the MB early score of the previous day. Indeed, Heathfield completely dominated play in this first half with an awesome display of scrummaging power. The first try came about from a DSP making good yards from the Heathfield 10m line. The ball was recycled quickly left to find Jamie Wardle in the line. Jamie stepped and handed off two would be tacklers to score a real tension busting try. This seemed to fire up an already fired up Heathfield side. Next a great scrum win against the head saw the ball nicely moved down the line to George who proceeded to chip the oncoming defence. He easily outpaced the back-pedalling defence and wasn’t to be denied by the bounce of the ball to score an excellent try in the corner. The final passage of play of the half saw a similar move to George’s score. Another astute chip ahead by George saw a ruck formed close to the try-line. Travis Parsons was first to the breakdown in good support of George and was able to pick-up and dive over for his first try of the tournament.
The second half saw Middlesbrough dominate for the first 5 minutes. During this period of pressure, they managed to put together a number of good phases which culminated in Heathfield giving away penalties. From a quick tap, MB was able to get the ball wide to their speedy winger who outpaced the covering defence to score in the corner. Heathfield did not however, let this disrupt the game they had been playing. Instead, some excellent defensive work from Dean Pennell and great covering and support by all the players saw Heathfield again take control of the match. Harry Reilly kept MB pinned in their half with some astute kicks and it was from a series of these kicks and subsequent line-outs that Heathfield moved from their try-line to the MB try-line. A good lineout win on the MB throw and subsequent ruck saw Kieran Burdett snip on the blind side and score in the corner. There was about a minute left of play before the final whistle went to some ecstatic scenes.
Heathfield win 20 – 5.

Tour Stats

4/14/2009 9:17:41 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield & Waldron A Colts do it again!

• Zac Abbott - A newcomer to our squad and will feel unfortunate not to have been on the field earlier. Good impact.
• Chris Flockhart - Came on in the second half and worked hard around the park and added strength. Great prospect for the seniors. Gritty player and a throw back to the Flankers of the 70s. 
• Ollie Hancock - His usual strong scrummaging but looking more mobile and showing good aggression. Showing no signs of the knee problems that have dogged him this year, a good 35 minutes.
• Luke Hanner - What pace! Nervous start but in the 2nd half made Brighton's life miserable, even from behind our own try line. The Worthing 7s is going to be a treat if we get Luke the ball.
• Alex Langton - Showed what he can do when running with confidence. Not just short bursts but 40+ metre runs at full tilt. Never lacking in defence, Alex let nothing past.
• Ben Cox - Solid game and one particularly great take and 25 metre run out of defence beating 2 players and then shipping, showing why he should be more confident.
• Mike Abbott - Best kicking game of the season. Playing at Outside Centre was given more freedom to run aggressively and exploit his pace. Gave us more options wider and lots for the coaches to think about.
• Leon Cullen - Solid in all ways. Big hits in defence and massive carries in attack. Showed glimpses of deceptive pace when running into space and moved the ball well.
• Jez Burdett - Why isn't he more confident? He controlled the pace of the game and made things happen, varying the options and bringing the backs into play. Great pace for the try of the game.
• Greg Salmon - Best game of the season with precise passing. Good bossing of the pack and a thorn in the side of his opposite number. Great vision to kick, chase and tackle to set up 5th Try.
• Angus Taylor - Captain and leader by example. Started his game in the changing room bringing out his team well fired up. Angus worked for every minute of the game. Surely a future Club Captain.
• Matt Halls - As seen in the match report was involved in nearly every score. His mobility meant there was always support whether in open play or at the breakdown. A forward but the hands and pace of the "Pretty Boys".
• Tom Keylock - Ever the maverick but a great performance. The work rate was exceptional and Tom was first at nearly every breakdown. His try from 35 metres showed why he can also play at Centre.
• Alex Scott - What Alex lacks in size he makes up for in coverage around the park and work. Alex' work in the lineout meant that Heathfield dominated in this area. Worked well in defence.
• Dylon Eames - What an asset! Dylan is huge, very tall and more weight than I would want to tackle but still one of the quickest forwards. Some good carries and very destructive in the contact area. Controlled the lineout.
• Shrek - Our Man Mountain. Tom's work rate was phenomenal and I saw much extra aggression with the ball in hand when carrying. As usual he dominated the scrums with his enormous strength. Unsurpassed this season.
• Rob Horsfall Turner - Hooked well securing the majority of scrums. Rob's fitness and pace meant that he was always with the play and his carrying always a menace.
• Andy Godwin - Another cornerstone to our scrum. Andy was as always effective with the ball carrying well and making ground. Yet again Andy had chance to show his versatility when standing in at Hooker.
• Rob Lawrence - For masterminding the performance and managing to arrive on time despite the clock change.
• Richard Abbott, Fiona & Ian Godwin - For their majestic use of e-mail & mobile phone.
• Brady Burdett - For taking Jez 70 miles away and then having to get him back.
• Steve Sherlock - On tact and diplomacy
• Salmo - for his ability to write complete rubbish.  

3/31/2009 7:34:17 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

HEATHFIELD U14 Season 2008 / 2009 - Detailed Results

Guy's official detailed results for the season are shown in the table below.

DATE	TEAM	RESULT	T(F)	T(A)	SCORERS
05/10/2008	BRIGHTON	(L) 0 – 5	0	1
12/10/2008	Eastbourne	(W) 61 – 5	11	1	Jolliffe(4), Bending, Borg, Ingham, Farrell, Jones, Lloyd, Wardle
19/10/2008	Lewes	(W) 50 – 0	8	-	Jolliffe(4), Borg(2), Jones, Llamas
26/10/2008	CHICHESTER	(W) 21 – 0	3	-	Diplock, Jolliffe, Ross
09/11/2008	Medway	(L) 17 – 36	3	6	Jones, Golding, Jolliffe
16/11/2008	HOVE	(W) 15 – 5	2	1	A.Davies, Ross
23/11/2008	Uckfield	(W) 48 – 0	8	-	Borg(2), Lloyd(2), Diplock, Koops, Dunn, Burdett
14/12/2008	CROWBOROUGH	(W) 12 – 10	2	1	Bending, Jolliffe
18/01/2009	PULBOROUGH	(W) 10 – 5	2	1	Borg, Wardle
01/02/2009	Crawley	(W) 24 – 12	4	2	Jolliffe (4)
22/02/2009	Midhurst	(W) 28 – 10	4	2	Jolliffe, Llamas, Borg, Wrenn
01/03/2009	HAYWARDS HEATH	(L) 14 – 22	2	3	Morris, Burdett
08/03/2009	Lewes	(W) 44 – 5	8	1	Lloyd(2), Golding(2), Borg, Koops, Ross, Wrenn
15/03/2009	EAST GRINSTEAD	(W) 48 – 0	8	-	Jolliffe(2), Bending, Morris, Wrenn, Lloyd, Wardle, Reilly
22/03/2009	Lewes	(W) 20 – 0	4	-	Jolliffe(2), Borg, Lloyd
22/03/2009	Eastbourne	(W) 27 - 0	5	-	Bending(2), Borg, Diplock, Jolliffe
29/03/2009	Saracens	(W) 8 - 7	1	1	Jolliffe
TOTALS			76	20	Jolliffe(22), Borg(10), Lloyd(7), Bending(5), Diplock(3), Golding(3), Jones(3), Ross(3), Wardle(3), Wrenn(3), Burdett(2), Koops(2), Llamas(2), Morris(2), A.Davies, Dunn, Farrell, Ingham, Reilly

 

 

 

Overall Season Results

 

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points (F)	Points (A)
17	14	0	3	457	122

 

 

Early bird catches the worm

Heathfield U14   8     Vs.     7    Saracens U14

An early start was needed for this match, the final official match of the U14 season, away to Saracens at their Bramel Road ground in North London. A 10:00 kick-off meant that the squad left Heathfield at the bird twittering time of 07:30 (06:30 in old money as the clocks went forward!!!) for the 1 hour 40 minute trip up north.

Saracens kicked-off and applied instant and constant pressure to a still bleary-eyed Heathfield. It wasn’t really until after about 15 minutes into the match that Heathfield started to properly contest play. However, they did manage to keep the constant Saracens attacks at bay by excellent support and defensive play marshaled superbly by centres Fergus Diplock and Gareth Lloyd. A number of last ditch tackles were made against the Saracens players striving to cross the Heathfield line. Indeed, during the entire first half, Heathfield defended on the backfoot with Saracens crossing the line three times but being prevented from putting the ball down by some excellent smothering tackles.

Heathfields forwards played exceptionally well during this first half against a much heavier and physically more mature Saracens pack winning 2 scrums against the head and a couple of lineouts as well as holding all their own feeds. Heathfields rucking and mauling were also helping to keep them in the game with Heathfield winning a number of turn-overs in the loose. It was from one of these turn-overs deep in the Heathfield half that saw a break by Alex Borg, supported by Lewis Golding take Heathfield into the Saracens half for the first time in the match. Interplay between the front rowers through a number of tackles saw them (with the pack in full support) take the ball into the opposition 22 before the move broke down with illegal hands from Saracens. Harry Reilly teed up and converted as the last kick of the half. So, Heathfield managed to weather the Saracens storm and came away with 3 points to lead at half time, completely against the run of play.

Half Time: Heathfield lead 3 – 0.

The second half started with Heathfield buoyed by their defensive performance and beginning to come more into the game. Indeed, although Saracens still had the majority of the territory and  possession, Heathfield were beginning to make more of an impact in attack. After about 8 minutes, Heathfield again ventured into the Saracens half but this time it was to be the start of a period of good pressure. A scrum on the Saracens 22m was won by Heathfield with a T2 being called. Henry Jolliffe received the ball at pace but found his path blocked. A couple of steps back inside saw him facing a big 2^nd row whom he proceeded to skin on the outside leaving him suddenly in the open with the winger to beat. Again Henry applied the gas and was able to take a couple of tacklers with him to score in the corner. Harry just failed to make the conversion from out wide.

Saracens fluffed the re-start and this, along with the try gave Heathfield the confidence to really start playing some good rugby. However, Saracens still had the majority of the field position and territory. It seemed that every time Heathfield went deep into the Saracens half, a couple of referee decisions meant they were right back where they started, back near their own try-line! Heathfields backs  were still making the breaks and threatening against the general play and on another of these forays into the Saracens half, a concerted effort from the pack close to the line saw Henry Ross cross the line only for the referee to give a 22m drop out to Saracens?

A number of injuries to Heathfield disrupted their play a bit and it was from a Saracens quick penalty that they were able to take the ball wide and finally beat the cover defence. An excellent conversion from wide out meant that a nerve jangling final 10 minutes was to come with the score 8 – 7 to Heathfield.

Thankfully, over these final few minutes, Heathfield were able to maintain their composure and defence with excellent tackles from Louis Chavannes and Dean Pennell on the wings preventing the final pass getting out. The final whistle blew and there was considerable elation and relief from all the Heathfield players (and coaches and parents!).

This was, by some considerable distance, the best defensive performance from Heathfield and is testament to the work and commitment the squad put in on the training paddock and reinforces how miserly this squad are in conceding scores against them.

Well done everyone! Tour to Norwich next week and let’s ensure we keep this level of commitment, enthusiasm and fun throughout the tour.

Final Score: Heathfield win 8 – 7.

 

 

3/29/2009 7:30:25 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Quiz Nite Madness Hits H&WRFC Again!!!

On Friday 17th April The Clubhouse will again be the venue for the next fantastic Quiz Nite.  Hosted by the Junior section of the Club, compared by the Dynamic Duo Helen Goacher and Alison Bending, pencils will need to be sharpened, thinking caps put firmly on and a rallying cry of 'oooohhhh I know this one' at the ready!

Everyone is welcome, the atmosphere is always electric with excitement and anticipation of not being on the bottom of the scoreboard!

To enter your team all you will need is 4-6 players, a silly name, a £20 note, and to notify either your Squad Manager, Helen or Alison.  See Easy!

SEE YOU THERE!!!

3/25/2009 10:18:30 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Colts

Thank you for the very good match yesterday and "bon camaraderieship". I think your lads did well seeing as they played against a much larger squad which probably took its toll towards the end. I hope you all got back OK without mishaps and wish you all the best for the future. We would welcome a return fixture next season if league commitments allow.

3/24/2009 9:37:31 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

TRIANGULAR FIXTURE

Heathfield U14   20     Vs.     0    Lewes U14

Heathfield U14    27      Vs.     0    Eastbourne U14

On another beautiful warm and sunny Sunday morning, Heathfield U14 arrived at Eastbourne for a triangular fixture with Eastbourne and Lewes U14 teams. The format was for shortened games of 15 minutes a half, playing “round-robin”.

Eastbourne and Lewes played the first match with Lewes beating Eastbourne (I think) fairly comfortably although I am unsure of the score.

Heathfield V Lewes

Lewes then played Heathfield with their dander up and looking to avenge their defeats in previous meetings. This match started with Heathfield applying lots of pressure without really creating too much phased play. This was a bit disappointing after the way they played against East Grinstead the previous week. After about 8 minutes, Lewes gave away a series of scrums and penalties close to their line and it was from one of these penalties that Alex Borg was able to crash over for a well earned try. More pressure from the kick off eventually led to a fine mis-pass from Harry Reilly finding Gareth Lloyd taking the ball at pace to outflank his opposite number and score. Both these tries were unconverted.

Half Time: Heathfield lead 10 – 0.

The second half started in much the same vein with a total of five substitutions being made. This did result in the scrum losing some of the strength and guile of the first half but this was made up with good support play in its stead. After about 10 minutes of Heathfield attacking play, with the occasional Lewes foray into the Heathfield half, the ball was re-cycled from a ruck to the backs only to find Will Morris loitering at outside centre. Will proceeded to skin his opposite number on the outside and went storming 40m upfield. It was only an exceptionally brave Lewes tackle that prevented him from making the line himself. However, the ball was extremely well recycled through three more phases to Henry Jolliffe who was able to beat the last tackle to score in the corner. From the kick-off, Heathfield again pressured the Lewes line and an excellent dummy switch with Fergus and Gareth saw Harry pop to Henry who again scored in the corner. Unfortunately, Harry didn’t bring his kicking boots today and all conversions were missed to leave the score at full tome of 20 – 0.

Full Time: Heathfield win 20 – 0.

Heathfield V Eastbourne

The next match was Heathfield against Eastbourne. The Heathfield team that finished the Lewes match started the Eastbourne match and struggled to better a much larger pack. This was unusual for Heathfield who normally manage to dominate most packs in the county so the players really had to work hard. Eastbourne contested scrums and rucks manfully but didn’t really threaten the Heathfield line until a break and some missed tackles saw Eastbourne just kept at by by an excellent try-saving tackle from Fergus. However, the half ended with a penalty to Heathfield about 35m from the Eastbourne line which saw a quick tap, quick recycled ball out to Henry who delayed a long pass extremely well to a drifting Fergus Diplock who was able to round his opponent and race down the line to score. Harry missed the conversion and so half time came up with Heathfield just ahead and the game in the balance.

Half Time: Heathfield lead 5 – 0.

The second half saw a raft of changes to the props, the 2^nd row and centre, and a bit of a rollicking from Jasper the (non-playing) captain saw a distinct mood change from Heathfield. They proceeded to dominate the Eastbourne pack but it took a further 6 minutes before a scrum on the Eastbourne 22m line allowed the backs to use a simple move learnt 10 minutes before the start of play! With the ball won at the scrum, a quick release of the ball to Harry saw him spin a 20m pass, missing both centres to Henry Jolliffe entering the line from fullback at pace in the outside channels. Henry proceeded to speed past the Eastbourne winger before dotting down close to the posts. Harry converted this try.
This seemed to do the trick for Heathfield who now started to play some decent rugby. Alex Borg was the next to score after crashing through a number of tackles when receiving the ball in the line. The forwards had a big say in the next try. From a 3^rd phase ruck the ball was spun out to the backs only to find Alex. Alex took the ball on and drew a number of players to him before passing to Max Ellery with a quick pop to Henry Ross (that was 3 forwards in the packs PASSING THE BALL!!!). An excellent overhead pass from Henry missed Fergus and went to Henry Jolliffe joining the line with the Eastbourne defence shredded. Henry drew the last defender to pass to George Bending to score an excellent and well worked try in the corner.
A similar move followed with what was to be the last play of the day. From a penalty 30m from the Eastbourne line, Heathfield spun the ball quickly down the line. Good confident passing, with Henry Jolliffe making the extra man between the centre and wing saw him draw and give an excellent pass to George Bending on the wing. No one was going to stop George at full pace and indeed he managed to win the race to the line without being touched. An excellent way to close the days play.

Final Score: Heathfield win 27 – 0.

3/23/2009 10:49:16 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)