Lewes III 7 - Heathfield III 38

Having only won one of their away league games last season, Heathfield and Waldron 3rd team travelled to play a Lewes 3rd team on Saturday with the aim of getting this campaign off to a good start.

Unfortunately the home side were unable to field a front row from the start of the game leading to a ten point penalty in Heathfield’s favour, but the game reverting to uncontested scrums from kick off.

Heathfield started the game with a fast tempo that Lewes struggled to cope with at first and good tackling with excellent rucking from the Heathfield forwards gained good yards in the early exchanges. From this solid position the Heathfield backs started to move the ball but good defence from Lewes after several Heathfield breaks held the away side at bay.

Mike Dilley has another charge at the Lewes Defence.

Eventually the pressure told and Tom Ingram at fly half made an arching run through the Lewes defence, the space he created opened the field for Justin Wates on his shoulder to take a pop ball and crash over for the first try. The conversion duly followed by Rob Woods.

The Second Heathfield try came again from a solid platform and quick ball from the forwards feeding a back line keen to run with the ball in hand. Billy Hickson fed fullback Rob Woods on an excellent line carving a hole in the home side’s defence only to be held up just short of the line. Heathfield attacked the breakdown quickly and Lewes were penalised for killing the ball. From this penalty Dan Bird reacted sharply and wrestled his way over in the corner to score. Rob Woods made a superb kick from the touchline to take the extra two points.

Heathfield competed well at the lineout, Jamie Ward-Smith nearly stealing Lewes Ball.

Whilst Heathfield’s defence and control of the breakdown were superb throughout the game, handling mistakes, silly penalties and a few wild passes were giving Lewes a chance and they duly took it ten minutes before half time. With Heathfield in possession of the ball and on the attack they threw another wild pass which Lewes snapped up. Heathfield were disorganised by this turnover ball and Lewes spread it through several hands for a try. The home side’s kicker duly converted.   

Frustrated from this lack of concentration Heathfield struck back almost immediately. Another break from Tom Ingram saw him taken down by what looked like a trip, the referee played advantage as Julian Wates took the pop ball on and Tom managed to get back to his feet and take the return ball to score under the posts. Rob Woods made it three kicks from three with the conversion.

Good defensive work from the Heathfield pack keeps out another Lewes attack.

The Second half was not as eventful as the first, possibly due to the hot weather taking its toll on what had been a fast paced game so far. Heathfield still looked the more dangerous side and at times played some excellent supporting running rugby. Keeping the ball alive and away from contact with several runners supporting the ball carrier they were unlucky not to turn these runs into more points. Greg Kneller was lively throughout and Mike Dilley was involved in almost all the action.

However, the final Heathfield score of the game came from defensive strength rather than attack. Tom Ralph who had tackled everything that moved throughout the game made yet another great hit on a Lewes player and the loose ball found its way to captain Julian Wates. With great support outside him keeping the Lewes defence in two minds, he gave a little (ok a large) show and go to open up the space to score. Rob Woods maintained his 100% kicking performance with the conversion. The final score 7-38. 

Heathfield's pack was strong all day and another maul leads to good field position.

With a majority of the side relatively new to playing together hopefully with more game time Heathfield can tighten up their handling and cut out the silly errors. What was promising today was the speed of ball the forwards were keen to provide, the supporting runs and quick passing in the open and most importantly the defensive tackling and rucking that more often than not generated turnover ball.

Man of the match again was a hard choice. Tom Ingram looked dangerous ball in hand until he had to go off in the second half with a head injury and Rob Woods ran some excellent lines in attack and kicked the extra points which can make all the difference in tight games. Dan Bird was strong around the park and put his body on the line making several crucial tackles but it was Tom Ralph who edged the award for his technically brilliant tackling throughout the game.

Team:  Greg Kneller, Dan Bird, Mike Powderly (Paul Hookway – 40), Mike Dilley, Kenny Lewis (Jono Sharp – 30), Jamie Ward-Smith, Tom Ralph, Ian Schlieder, Will Chipchase, Tom Ingram (Dave Rhodes – 50), Julian Wates, Charlie Jones, Billy Hickson, Josh Pitman, Rob Woods. 

Match report by Simon Hollingdale

9/28/2009 11:08:43 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Worthing U16 7 - Heathfield & Waldron U16 46

 Heathfield started their league campaign with a well earned win against a decent Worthing side.

The visitors started brightly but Worthing took the lead after a cruel bounce of the ball from a clearance kick enabled a nippy Worthing winger to intercept and sprint in under the posts.

This stirred the visitors into action and captain David Bayly led the way with some strong running and ferocious tackling to pin the home side back in their own half. Waves of attacking moves from the backs eventually came good when centre Harry Clewley took a great line between two opposition centres to score from 25 metres out.

 Flying winger Joe Hastings added a second five minutes later with a trademark sprint to the corner as the backs began to really click and spin the ball out wide. Harry Clewley showed his kicking prowess with an amazing conversion from the left touchline.

As the visitors grew in confidence they applied yet more pressure on the home side and a solid scrum on the 22 metre line provided time and space for fly half Matt Barber to dummy the pass out, neatly sidestep his opposite number and drive through the tackle of the full back to score a well earned first try of the season.

The forwards were now taking full control and excellent driving play from locks Ben Smith and Alex Benson caused havoc in the opposition defence. Hooker Jack Fellows showed the speed and grace of his forbears in sprinting 40 metres down the right flank and although unlucky not to evade the covering tackles the ball was kept alive and quickly spun out to the left where Harry Clewley popped up again to crash over for his second try.

Heathfield knew that Worthing would give everything to get back on even terms and for the first part of the second half the home side played some excellent rugby, using their lineout to good effect. A penalty in midfield provided captain Bayly with a chance to give his defending troops a moment's rest and Harry Clewley stepped up to add three more points with a fine long range kick.

 This stirred Heathfield on to another level and strong, direct running from forwards James Morrell, Sam Saunters and Will Maltby battered the home side backwards and gave quick ball for the midfield trio of scrum half Tom Faraone, Matt Barber and Harry Clewley to create exciting and unstoppable running rugby. Three more tries were added in this period with one from  Clewley and two trademark bursts from Toby Warren who returned from injury to add yet more power to the back line in the final stages, all converted by Matt Barber.

Stong performances from all over the pitch contributed to this victory including very pleasing contributions from prop Ed Owen, centre Joe Sandford and a typical blockbuster performance from full back George Wardle who tackled and counter-attacked with equal efficiency.

 The choice for the man of the match award was very close with displays of high individual skill from Matt Barber and Harry Clewley. However the award went to Captain David Bayly who was simply everywhere throughout the game with a true captain's performance from No. 8.

9/28/2009 8:40:37 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield & Waldron 10 Crowborough 3

A fiercely contested encounter finally saw Heathfield emerge the winner although Crowborough take much credit for their performance and will be looking forward to the return fixture at their ground. A warm sunny day attracted plenty of supporters from both clubs and produced an excellent atmosphere.  The match was close and there was little flowing rugby but it never lacked excitement or competition.

Multiple injuries to Heathfield’s three quarters meant that they started with the untried combination of Robert Perry at standoff with Bryn Jones at inside centre.  This soon looked to be an inspired selection as Perry showed excellent skill to put Jones away for a try after just six minutes. (5-0)

At this stage Heathfield looked very impressive and seemed to be in complete control. Sam Thewlis and Seb Jones are both playing really well at the moment and made good contributions in both attack and defence.  However Crowborough had prepared carefully for this game and gradually their planned rush defence began to become more effective.  Overall the home team had more possession but the visitors defence generally coped well.

In a series of attacks on the Crowborough line the green pack were just denied a try on more than one occasion from their favoured catch and drive from a lineout. In one case when a try looked imminent a critical pass was accidentally blocked by the referee.

Bruce Pestell took several Crowborough lineouts but both sides failed to achieve reliable possession from this area.  In set scrums the defending side was normally able to pressurise their opponents with Crowborough being especially effective. Simon Wilson at number eight for Heathfield did a fine job tidying up possession whilst in retreat.

Poor first phase possession and stifling defences resulted in little open handling.  However in one concerted attack Ross Riley was finally brought down just short of the line and in the resulting ruck Crowborough were perhaps fortunate to receive a penalty that allowed them to clear their lines.

The second half followed a similar pattern with defences dominating.  Kobe Tonkin had taken a couple of heavy knocks and was now replaced by Ben Foy whilst Damien Pestell replaced Riley.  Perry moved to the wing and this talented player continues to make useful contributions wherever he plays. Pestell moved to his normal position of inside centre and in due course provided the penetration that Heathfield needed.  After several phases the ball was moved to the blind side of a ruck and Jones found Pestell on a well-timed run allowing him to cross for the decisive score. (10-0)

Crowborough continued to contest strongly and achieved more possession and therefore pressure in the final period.  On several occasions they chose to take quick penalties rather than go for the posts although they did eventually collect three points from a Heathfield infringement at the base of the scrum (10-3).

Crowborough can take much credit for an improved performance compared to their earlier matches this year, especially in defence, while Heathfield will be glad of the win in spite of a moderate performance.  They remain on top of London League SE 3 on points difference.
Heathfield have no fixture next week but return to league action on 10th October away to Park House (3pm).

9/26/2009 6:19:34 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

U15s Fixtures & Results 2009 - 2010

We have just added a new section to the Fixtures page for the Under 15's. You can use the link there to see the Under 15's fixtures for this season and we will also keep this updated in regard to the results.

Keep watching this space for match reports and other information.

9/21/2009 8:22:11 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Season Opener

9/21/2009 8:14:01 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Hastings 6 Heathfield 52

After two games, both away, this emphatic result with eight tries to none puts Heathfield at the top of the London SE III league table on points difference.  Early days and tough games to come but the season looks promising - all four Heathfield adult teams won on Saturday. 
Hastings had some early pressure and duly picked up the first score from one of rather too many penalties against Heathfield (3-0).  However a few minutes later some good handling allowed Rob Perry to put Lee Vockins in for the first try, and Bryn Jones made the first of his six conversions (3-7).

The home team used their big men to charge at Heathfield throughout the game and a high tackle now resulted in Hastings’ only other score (6-7).

In excellent conditions Heathfield were possibly being over-ambitious and trying to do too much too quickly resulting in moves breaking down. But eventually they put several excellent phases together and a three on one overlap was clinically finished by Perry (6-14).

For the second week in a row a slightly misfiring green first half performance was followed by a distinctly better second half.  Heathfield’s lineout was working well although the referee seemed to be having some difficulty in managing the front rows in the scrummage. Hastings never stopped trying but their limitations and lack of pace were exposed the longer the game went on. Jason Holewell made a serious impression against his old club with some excellent work in critical but often unobserved aspects.

Rob Lawrence showed his kicking skills to put the ball in the corner and from the resulting lineout a set move put Sam Thewlis under the posts (6-21).  A few minutes later a good passage of play, including some smart work by Will Drinkwater down the touchline, resulted in Thewlis claiming his second try of the day (6-28).

Another fine lineout catch by Grant Stewart provided quick ball to the backs where prop Ollie Smith showed impressive pace from over 30 metres out, bursting through tackles to touch down under the posts (6-35).  Three minutes later a driving maul was expertly managed to provide Lawrence with a trademark try (6-40).

Lawrence was replaced by Jim Davies, and Lee Vockins by Ross Riley who went on the wing when Perry moved to scrum half.  Both these replacements showed their value.  After some quick handling Riley demonstrated good finishing skills down the left wing beating covering tacklers (6-47).  Davies scrummaged well as expected but then surprised some with a couple of fine bullocking runs.

The scoring was completed when a scrum against the head and good handling were capped by a determined and well-judged run by Drinkwater to crash over in the left hand corner (6-52).  A yellow card for Tom Pritchard for an infringement at the breakdown encouraged the home team to try for a consolation score, to no avail.

In their first home league match of the season Heathfield next face local rivals Crowborough (26th September 3pm).

9/19/2009 10:18:30 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield & Waldron III 49 - Hove V 10

Heathfield and Waldron 3rd team took to the field on Saturday somewhat depleted of numbers and with several players forced out of their regular position. They faced a Hove side with similar problems but it was Heathfield that rose to the challenge best.

Almost directly from the kick off , quick ball from the scrum and good hands from the backs saw Charlie Jones pick a good line in attack and jink his way to the corner for the first Heathfield try. 

Shortly after this forwards and backs combined well and Chris Ambrasino, who was tackling ferociously around the park, demonstrated great skill with a little chip behind the defence for second row Mike Dilly to chase and touch down in the corner.

Even with heavy Heathfield pressure and good out of hand kicking from Fly Half Ben Cox, Hove were putting up a strong fight and made a break themselves in the backs for what looked like a certain try only to be held up over the line by a superb covering tackle from Will Chipchase.

Again good pressure from Will on the Hove fly half saw his kick go astray and find its way to Ian “chase me” Schlieder playing out of position on the wing. His recovery and quick pass found its way through several Heathfield hands and it was Mike Shallcross that made the final run past several tackles to score under the posts. Ben Cox duly finished the move off with the conversion.

Hove retaliated well and scored themselves soon after when Heathfield were too slow to react to a quick tap penalty.

The final score of the half came from Charlie Jones. Dave Rhodes who had moved to fly half after Heathfield lost Ben Cox to injury made a lovely dummy to full back Mike Shallcross on a decoy run and then picked out Charlie on an angle who carved up the defence to score.

The second half was very similar to the first. Heathfield looked strong ball in hand but Hove battled and tackled well and made breaks themselves to cause Heathfield problems. There was good running from Kenny “Forest” Lewis and Ian “chase me” Schlieder but it was Mike Brown’s pressure and positioning that eventually paid off as he scored two tries in quick succession. Mike Shallcross with the conversions.

A miss tackle saw Hove break and score their second try but Heathfield hit back again quickly with two tries both from quick tap penalties with fine running lines from Charlie Jones and Mike Shallcross.

Hove lost a player to the sin bin (not before time) late in the second half and Mike Brown completed his hat trick with a fine run to finish off the scoring.

Credit to Hove for the way they battled and never gave up but if Heathfield can continue like today to play simple rugby with quick ball and good support running they should hold there own in this competitive league.

Man the match was a close call with all the squad rallying together and playing well. Dave Rhodes directed the troops superbly, Mike Brown covered every inch of the pitch and scored three tries and Charlie Jones also scored three tries picking good lines for them all and produced some quality passing. However man of the match goes to Chris Amrasino for stepping up to prop when required and tackling like a man possessed.

Team:  Chris Ambrasino, Jono Sharp , Mike Powderly, Craig Moir, Mike Dilley, Kenny Lewis, Sam Cooley, Mike Brown, Will Chipchase, Ben Cox (Nick Sands – 30), Ian Schlieder, Dave Rhodes, Charlie Jones, Billy Hickson, Mike Shalcross. 

Match Report by Simon Hollingdale

9/19/2009 10:16:58 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield Boars vs Forges les Eaux

Heathfield and Waldron Boars played host to the touring side of Forges les Eaux. The two teams have had encounters in the past, but this was the first on English soil.

On a sunny saturday afternoon everything was set for a good game.

Forges arrived with 12 players and in the spirit of the game Heathfield lent them the necessary players.

Heathfield started strongly and let their presence be known especially in the forwards. not long in Heathfield were awarded a scrum on the forges 5m line. Rob Streeter broke from no 8 to power over the line. The second try came from quick ball in the middle to see Rob Woods run one of his trade mark lines to cut the forge defence in half. Brady Burdett slotted the conversion.

The home side then slipped into a lull thinking that a walk over was on the cards, but the french had different ideas.

after a period of sustained pressure on the boars line and 3 held up tries forges earned a penalty and decided to go for the posts. Benoit duly kicked this straight through the posts to put the visitors on the score sheet.

This spurred the home side on to settle down and play some good phases of flowing rugby. during this period one of the visitors made a tackle landed badly and received a broken ankle for his efforts. Heathfield lent another player and the game resumed. More flowing rugby rewarded by another try from Woods cutting through the French once more. Up stepped Ian schlieder to convert. The Half time whistle went and the teams turned round 19-3 in the favour of the home team.

After a few changes at half time Heathfield lost their dominance in the scrum and had to turn to moves from backs to keep the score moving. Brady Burdett scored next after managing to sell one of his trade mark dummies to fool the visitors and touch down.
Winger Simon Hollingdale finally scored in the corner after several good attempts were stopped by spirited defence from the French.

The next try went to the visitors after Manu broke the line and won the footrace to the try line.

The final score of the match went to the backs again seeing Adam Farrell bully his way through the French defence to score near the posts. Jeremy Burdett stepped up to convert.
The final whistle was not long after, and drew a close to a well spirited game of rugby which had been easy for the ref due to the sportsmanship entered into by both teams.

The whole day was a success for Anglo french relations and will continue on monday with le Marche being held in Heathfield.

Many thanks from all the Boars for Mike Macleods efforts over the years. Player, Manager, Captain general organiser. Played his last game for heathfield today. Good luck to you as a referee.

Special thanks to Dave and Alison Henry for organising food, accommodation and entertainment for our French tourists.
 
Team: Joe Geesin(Andy Sutton 30),Jono Sharp(Neill Newport 40),Mike Fellows(Paul Hookway 40),John Parsons,Jim Cumming,Ian Schlieder(Tom Ralph 40),Kenny Lewis,Rob Streeter,Dave Rhodes,Brady Burdett,Dave Groom(Jeremy Burdett 55),Julian Wates,Adam Farrell,Simon Holingdale,Rob Woods(Brian Burdett 70)Chris Ambrosino, Jack Bayley,Mike Macleod,Josh Henry.

8/29/2009 10:09:01 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Haywards Heath 31 Heathfield 12

Pre-season friendlies are not a reliable guide to what happens subsequently but there can be no doubting that Heathfield will be happier than Haywards Heath after this entertaining match.  Sadly London South Africa had decided that they could not face the arduous journey to Sussex and this alternative match had been agreed late on Friday.  Haywards Heath play three divisions above Heathfield so a one-sided affair might have been expected but the green team are definitely on an upward path.

The early exchanges were even but after eight minutes a set piece miss-move brought the home full back into the line and he had the pace to touch down in the corner. Their kicker achieved a one hundred percent record on the day with four conversions and one penalty.
A second home try came from broken play when a chip ahead stood up nicely for their left wing to collect at pace and avoid the defence.  At 14-0 Heathfield might have wilted and accepted their lowly place against the higher-ranked team but there were already signs that this was not going to be a one-sided affair.  The green scrummage was starting to exert pressure and neither side achieved dominance at the break down.

Heathfield now struck back with a well-taken try by Seb Jones following up a precisely weighted chip by his brother Bryn (14-5).  Shortly afterwards Haywards Heath extended their lead with a penalty kick (17-5). The fact that they felt it necessary to take the penalty gives an indication of how concerned they were about the result.

The game was now very much in the balance and Heathfield were looking increasingly competitive.  However a promising green attack broke down when a chip ahead was charged down, the full back pounced on the loose ball and again had too much pace for the wrong-footed defence (24-5).

Just when the home supporters had begun to feel comfortable Heathfield now surged into the opposition 22 and again dominated a scrummage to collect a push-over try that was claimed by Simon Wilson at no 8 although Lee Vockins at scrum-half disputed this – twas ever thus.  Whoever did touch down, the front row of Cooley, Lawrence and Watton take the major credit for a moment that will have given the home management some serious concerns for the season ahead.

At half time Haywards Heath made at least five substitutions (the coaches had previously agreed on unlimited subs as the match was a friendly) while Heathfield initially continued unchanged.

The pattern of the game continued with the Heathfield having the edge in the pack but Haywards Heath looking slightly more dangerous outside.  There were chances at both ends with the defences just proving adequate. The home team made a number of additional replacements during this half and they probably used over 25 players during the match as they justifiably used the match to evaluate their squad so this was not a true reflection of their likely first team.

Finally three minutes from time a well-angled run by a home three quarter cracked the Heathfield defence to touch down under the posts for the only score of the second half and the conversion completed the scoring at 31-12.

Heathfield look a settled organised team for whom Ollie Smith and Jason Holewell made very satisfactory first appearances in a green shirt adding welcome depth to the pack.  They now look forward to their first league match on 12th September away to East Grinstead.  A good standard has been set – now to maintain and improve it.

8/29/2009 10:04:11 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Old Dunstonians 0 Heathfield 40

Heathfield toured South London on Saturday and came away with a very satisfactory win in their second practice match.  Old Dunstonians are in the league above Heathfield but this was not apparent with an emphatic five tries to nil result for the visitors.  At this stage of the season both teams were inevitably short of several key individuals so it would be unwise to read too much into this – however some new faces for Heathfield seized their opportunities to make a strong case for future selection and the established players all looked in good condition and eager for more success.

Playing up the steep slope Heathfield collected an early try from a lineout near the home line, almost inevitably scored by Rob Lawrence (0-5).  It soon became apparent that the home front row was in for a difficult afternoon.  Richard Cooley had his prop in trouble from the start in spite of the usual big difference in size and new recruit Jim Davies had a very solid day on the other side of the scrum.

Another of the new faces, Ben Foy, was making an eye-catching contribution all over the field giving coach Dave Jones some pleasant selection difficulties in the back five in the weeks to come.

Old D’s came back and occasionally reached the Heathfield 22 but the defence proved adequate – just.  They had some sizeable players who looked dangerous coming down the hill but green tackling normally prevented them from doing much damage.  Shortly before half time a standard backs move from a set scrum put Sam Thewlis in under the posts, converted by Bryn Jones (0-12).

After half time Heathfield took immediate advantage of the slope to set up a rolling maul that gained some 20 yards before quick hands put Rob Perry, another new face, over for an impressive try, duly converted (0-19).  Perry later moved to scrum-half, his preferred position, and showed skilful touches and excellent involvement. Then in more open play Lawrence created space for Seb Jones who duly went in at the corner, again converted (0-26).

In the last quarter both teams made a few replacements and Grant Stewart showed his well-being with some pleasing contributions.  Kobe Tonkin muscled his way over for another try, also converted (0-33).  The final score came when Seb Jones pounced on an error near the home try line and Bryn Jones rounded off a very satisfactory performance with yet another conversion (0-40).

Next Saturday (29 August 3pm) Heathfield have a potentially more difficult final practice match against London South Africa.  This should be a very competitive game and will be preceded at 1pm by a match between the visiting team from Forges-Les-Eaux, the French village twinned with Heathfield, and a Heathfield side brimful of experience, banter and skill (not necessarily in that order).

8/22/2009 10:01:06 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

50 Club Results

March 2009

£50 Bob Hodges

£25 Ben Taylor

£10 Rob Streeter

April 2009

£50 John Cashmore

£25 Mike de St Croix

£10 David Langdon

May 2009

£50 Rob Streeter

£25 Mark Hassall

£10 Peter Mercer

June 2009

£50 Alan Cavers

£25 Dave Rhodes

£10 Chris Hicks

8/2/2009 7:30:15 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

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)