Season Restart!!

1/24/2010 10:06:36 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield & Waldron U13’s 44 - East Grinstead U13’s 12

Captain Carr leads the Greenies to a fine victory

This was the penultimate game in the league for Heathfield’s ever improving U13 side.  However due to rain, snow and flooding they hadn’t played any competitive rugby since their victory away to Uckfield on the 22nd November  so they could have been excused for being a  little rusty with the Christmas break too!

Playing at Waldron in some well received winter sunshine the game drew a good number of vocal supporters.  East Grinstead had recently put a big score up against Uckfield in the league so there was anticipation of a tough game.

Heathfield kicked off and were soon running hard at the East Grinstead backs with direct runs from the two centres Will Ross and Sam Benians. Carr soon shipped the ball left with the ball finding speedster Danton Laroche who was quickly over the line to score for the Greenies.  Will Ross duly converted.

A second came shortly after a series of penalties in the visitors half with the Captain running in a try. Carr duly converted his own effort.

The third try came from deep in the greenies half with Carr again running hard up the touch line and dummying and drawing the opposition in. A few more phases saw the very mobile tight head prop Jack ‘Irish’ Baird score and looking unstoppable.

East Grinstead then got back with a big solo effort from their full back running through 3 or 4 tackles to score under the posts to a bewildered Greenie’s team – they had been caught asleep and paid dearly as the visitors struck back.

Back on the attack the Green pack had won a scrum and launched a back row move just spilling the ball close to the line. Within a minute or two following a couple of attacking line outs on the right hand side – Carr touched down after wrestling the ball off a retreating East Grinstead defence. Just before half time winger Laroche went over again to leave the score 29 – 7.

With half time over the Heathfield team punched hard up the hill to set a fantastic try for scrum half Tom Taylor. A richly deserved reward for the green 9 whose ball distribution and speed always sets up the platform for the back line to operate.

Just as in the first half the Greenies lost some concentration and were made to pay with another try from the tenacious East Grinstead visitors. Danton Laroche then had to make a try saving tackle on the left hand proving he is growing in defence as well as attack.

East Grinstead’s forwards weren’t giving up and scrummaged hard and competed at the breakdown but could not match the quick ball enjoyed by the Heathfield backs.

Dommy ‘pocket sized - man mountain’ Woods came on in the second half on the right wing and after a few good runs finally linked with Connor Lacey to score a very popular try. Props Jack Baird and Phil Sutton were ever present in the second half running hard and straight and making some very hard yards.

Last play of the match saw the man of the moment Fly-half Carr again cross the line for a well earned hat trick.

A great display from the Greenies with the ball moving well on a very sticky pitch. Some stuff to work on in the week – but the coaches will be satisfied with a great result and good team effort.  The lads move on to the final game of the league next week for a showdown with the only other unbeaten side in the league – Burgess Hill.

 Come on the Greenies!

1/24/2010 9:37:47 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Brighton 15 Heathfield 5

Heathfield’s unbeaten run in the league this season came to an end at Brighton in a close game in which the home team were deserved winners albeit helped by some uncharacteristic mistakes and poor options by the league leaders.

This was illustrated from the kickoff as Heathfield allowed the ball to bounce and Brighton were up quickly to snatch possession and take up a position in the 22.  The green defence was hard pressed but successful and gradually began to work upfield and bring the backline into the game.  After ten minutes one attack reached the home half but a scuffle as he was tackled into touch resulted in Seb Jones being yellow-carded.

Brighton duly counter-attacked back into the Heathfield half and although their kicker missed one attempt at goal from a penalty he was successful two minutes later (3-0).

The Heathfield front row (Chris Watton, Tom Pritchard and Richard Cooley) were starting to exert pressure on their opponents and from this platform the team was able to play some decent rugby.  After half an hour a five metre scrum saw the home pack pushed aside for Simon Wilson to claim a try (3-5).

Brighton came back and just before half time a penalty five metres from the green line was successfully exploited by the Brighton pack in a well-drilled move as they drove over the line for an unconverted try (8-5).

At half time Heathfield would have had reasonable hopes of success since they would have the steady breeze in their favour in the second half.  However another poor start saw Brighton run the ball back to the other half.  The Brighton number 8 is not a big man but he made a couple of elusive runs to keep the pressure on.  Eventually this resulted in a pileup on the Heathfield try line from which Wilson was sin-binned.  With the man advantage the Brighton pack were able to muscle their way over for the decisive score (15-5).

However with half an hour left in the game Heathfield kept their belief and even though a man short soon reached the opposition 22 and were awarded a penalty.  The decision to go for a scrum although still a man short rather than take the easy three points puzzled many observers, especially when Brighton then turned the ball over.

For the rest of the match Heathfield just about had the edge with some of their runners in the backs looking very dangerous.  Damien Pestell took over at fly-half and this did no harm to the attacking potential, albeit without success.  The Brighton backs have some pacy individuals but did not look as organised as they had in the earlier match between these two teams.

Coach Dave Jones was disappointed with some of the play around the fringes so this will doubtless be dealt with at training this week.  Heathfield are still four points clear of their nearest rivals in the league and will be looking to correct their mistakes this weekend (30th Jan) at home against Old Gravesendians (2.15 kickoff).

1/23/2010 5:39:41 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield 25 Park House 0

Normal service was resumed at Waldron as Heathfield remained unbeaten in the league with a convincing win by five tries to nil.  After a break of nearly a month because of the wintry weather, the pitch at Waldron demonstrated its resilience when most other grounds in the region were still snow covered.  A wet surface meant that running was difficult and sudden changes of direction impossible.

The home team were glad to win the toss and naturally chose to play uphill.  Park House are normally noted for their sizeable if sometimes unsubtle pack and they would have hoped to use the slope in the first half to pressurise the home defence.

However they rarely reached the home 22 as the green pack matched them at close quarters with great commitment from all eight, excellently supported by Lee Vockins at scrum-half. Scrummages and lineouts were even although cold conditions and occasional rain made handling difficult and knock-ons common.

The game benefited hugely from a display of refereeing of the highest quality that we will probably see this season.  David Sainsbury has handled games at a much higher level than this and his sympathetic, quiet yet firm management allowed for a much better game than might have been expected in the conditions.

Heathfield had a distinct edge in the backs and only the wet surface prevented them from collecting many more tries.  Sam Goatcher, Matt Skinner and Tom Sheffield each made incisive breaks and Sam Thewlis as usual baffled defenders with his elusive running.  Several final passes went astray or the ball-carrier slipped over with just one defender to beat.
The first try came after a good break by Sheffield and the move was well finished by Ollie Brown (5-0).  In spite of Heathfield playing uphill a lot of the game was in the Park House half.  Kobe Tonkin collected the second try after a period of sustained pressure on the visitor’s line (10-0).

Turning round Park House now had to play up the hill and it was always going to be difficult for them to come back. Their hopes were soon further dimmed when Seb Jones forced his way over in the left hand corner after some good handling by forwards and backs combined.
Both Park House props were sin-binned at different times leading to uncontested scrums for those periods.  Bruce Pestel was also yellow-carded in one of those incidents for some solid hand-bagging.

Sheffield now finished off another decent move (20-0) but Park House never gave up and for long periods they managed to stay in the top half of the pitch, mainly through their pack.  However they lacked penetration and the green defence was as reliable as ever.  Their right winger was clearly a dangerous runner but they could not get the ball to him as much as they would have liked.

Ollie Smith, Jim Davies and Levi Willis made cameo appearances as replacements with all noted making an impression. Finally Goatcher finished off another decent move with the last try (25-0).

Next week Heathfield travel to Brighton for a critical league and Sussex Cup double header – kickoff 1.45.

1/16/2010 5:37:48 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Richmond AwayDay!

12/14/2009 6:54:59 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Uckfield II 17 - Heathfield & Waldron III 41

Heathfield 3rd team travelled to play Uckfield 2nds in a top of the league clash on Saturday with both sides desperate to secure an advantage before Christmas.

Uckfield 2nds were unable to field a front row from the start of the game and whilst the ten point advantage was some conciliation, the travelling side were disappointed to see Uckfield 3rd team playing on an adjacent pitch with a scrum.

Without the need for larger stronger forwards, Uckfield filled their side with lots of young fit players and the question was going to be could Heathfield contain these runners and then impose their game on the opposition.

The match started at a tempo and Uckfield were soon pressuring the Heathfield line. Some good tackling and counter rucking, particularly from Rob Streeter and Chris Ambrosino, held the home side but Heathfield failed to put boot to ball on several occasions, inviting more pressure. Somewhat against the run of play Heathfield spotted an overlap in their own twenty two and some quick passing down the line found Ashley Sutton, on the wing in space and he duly engaged the afterburners for a superb solo try. Tom Gooders converted to make it 0-17 to Heathfield.

Uckfield came back even stronger and soon were on the score sheet themselves with some excellent offloading rugby that Heathfield found hard to contain. 5-17.

But again the travelling side spotted a miss match out wide and again some excellent hands, drawing the player and passing, especially from Tom Gooders, put Ashley Sutton in for his second. The winger still had plenty to do but a lovely step inside the covering defence gave him the score. The conversion was missed. 5-22.

The final score of the half came from Uckfield who were playing some really good rugby but were handed a try when yet again Heathfield failed to clear their lines and a silly turnover was punished with a score under the posts. The conversion followed leaving the score at half time 12-22 with everything still to play for.

Thankfully it was Heathfield that came out the stronger in the second half. Nick Seddon moved from centre to the flank and was outstanding in the second half. His replacement James Usherwood injected some extra pace out wide and Kenny Lewis and Mike Brown came on to give the team some fresh legs and both played well.

The changes produced more points as James Usherwood took a great line to outpace the defence and score in the corner and then the forwards used the rolling maul to great effect against the lighter Uckfield pack to drive over the line for Mike Brown to touch down. One conversion was kicked and one missed by Gooders but the game now looked secure. 12-34.

The icing on the cake came when again Heathfield produced some slick passing and James Usherwood put Ashley Sutton in space and again the winger’s pace from the half way line was too much for the defence and he secured his hat trick. Tom Gooders converted 12-41.

Uckfield came back with a good conciliation try again using their young runners and off loading well but it was too little to late and Heathfield secured the win 17-41.

Man of the match could have gone to Nick Evans who was aggressive and tackled superbly throughout, Nick Seddon also made a case for his second half performance and a mention must be made for him playing on with a broken nose after 5 minutes and then being taken to Hospital from the last play with a nasty head cut sustained in a committed tackle. However, for his hat trick performance scoring three great tries, this week it has to go to Ashley Sutton.

Match report by Simon Hollingdale

Team: Mike Powderly, (James Usherwood – 40), Chris Ambrosino, Nick Evans, Mike Dilley, (Kenny Lewis – 50), John Parsons, Rob Streeter, Ian Schlieder, (Matt Overy – 65), Tom Ralph, (Mike Brown – 50), Tom Keylock, Tom Ingram, Julian Wates, Nick Seddon, Ashley Sutton, Mike Shallcross, (Peter Snow – 70), Tom Gooders.

12/12/2009 7:08:38 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield 10 Charlton Park 3

With half the league programme now completed Heathfield remain unbeaten at the top of the table with a four point cushion over their nearest rivals.  That proud record was severely threatened at Cross-In-Hand when Charlton Park provided the sternest test yet.  Their large pack continually pressured the lighter green eight and it took a performance by the whole team of complete commitment and bloody-minded determination not to lose for the home team to survive and then deliver the decisive blow right at the end of the game.

The pitch was soggy but playable and this probably favoured the visitors more. As usual recently Heathfield started well, going through several phases and looking the settled side that they are.  However the Park pack gradually came into the game, using their big men to run at the home defence.  They also successfully upset much Heathfield ball and thus nullified the home backs who looked to have a distinct edge on the few occasions when they did have possession. The visiting scrum half was very effective around the scrum and their number seven seemed to be on or over the offside line the whole game – a sign of a good flanker as the ref rarely penalised him.

Most of the game consisted of the two packs hammering away at each other and the brisk chilly wind meant that handling was difficult for the backs when they did finally receive the ball.

Chris Watton pulled up with a leg injury and so veteran Jim Davies came on for rather more of the game than he had expected.

Just before half time the visitors were penalised at the breakdown and some incautious backchat resulted in them being marched back ten metres.  This put the posts in range for Sam Goatcher and he duly landed the first points (3-0).

The second half followed a similar pattern and Heathfield rarely escaped from their own half.  Goatcher did have one long range shot at another penalty but was just short.  The visitors’ pack was using the driving maul very effectively and on one occasion this was only stopped illegally by the home team although their kicker missed the resulting penalty attempt.  However he was successful a few minutes later with an impressive kick from the ten metre line, albeit with the assistance of the strengthening wind (3-3).

Bruce Pestell had been having a fine all round game including some useful lineout catches but an exceedingly bloody nose meant that he had to be replaced by Ollie Smith.  As a welcome relief from the forward battle Matt Skinner demonstrated his class with a fine touchline run but the cover defence stifled the attack.

Then with just a few minutes remaining Heathfield managed to reach the opposition twenty two and were pressing for the deciding score.  Unfortunately they conceded a penalty and the chance looked to be gone. However a Park player chose to tap and go when a clearance kick would have seemed more appropriate. Heathfield managed to turn him over and quick hands moved the ball to Seb Jones in the centre.  With men outside him holding the defence he ran a lovely line at pace to touch down for the winning try duly converted by Goatcher (10-3).

On Saturday 19th December Heathfield entertain Hastings 2.15 kickoff.

12/12/2009 5:34:54 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Horsham 0 Heathfield & Waldron 36

Another convincing win for unbeaten league leaders Heathfield puts them four points clear of their nearest rivals. Horsham are having a difficult time at the moment with multiple injuries, especially in the pack, and Heathfield dominated in the scrummage.

From the kickoff Horsham gathered the ball and kicked long where Sam Thewlis ran the ball back into the home 22. Quick ball from the resulting ruck came to Tim Evans who found Thewlis at pace on a good line to pierce the defence for a fine try, converted by Sam Goatcher (0-7). A few minutes later more quick ball from a ruck again saw Thewlis break the defence for his second try (0-14).

Heathfield looked awesome at this point but the home side gradually came back into the match and their three quarters offered a real threat whenever they did have possession. However Heathfield had the majority of possession through their pack which is performing consistently well this year. The three quarters are not quite so effective in attack at the moment but the defence remains as miserly as ever.

With five minutes to go in the half Horsham had managed to reach the visitor’s 22 but lost the ball and Thewlis delivered a delightful pass to Tom Sheffield who used pace and skill in a classic winger’s run scoring a superb try under the posts (0-21).

Horsham gamely came back and on the stroke of half time just missed a penalty kick.

Not long into the second half Thewlis, later named as man of the match, again produced a lovely pass to put Sheffield away and although he crossed the try line the defence managed to prevent him from grounding the ball. However a few minutes later at a five metre scrum the green pack drove the opposition back for Oliver Robertshaw at number 8 to claim a try on his first start this year for the first team (0-26).

Chris Watton was replaced by Jim Davies and Damien Pestell by Oliver Brown. The green scrum continued to dominate but on two occasions attacking scrums right on the home try line ended with a penalty to Horsham, thus wasting good scoring opportunities. A Horsham player was now yellow carded for a serious stamp on Brown who was fortunately able to continue.

Horsham continued to threaten when they did have the ball. One attack on their left wing broke down and the ball bounced around between several players. While Horsham were claiming a knock on by a green shirt, Sheffield gathered the ball and was away. The cover defence just caught him near the line but Brown was on hand to touch down under the posts (0-33).

The last few minutes were played in increasingly murky conditions and with occasional drizzle. Heathfield were awarded a penalty in front of the posts and collected their final points with the last kick of the game (0-36).

This Saturday 12th December Heathfield play Charlton Park at home in another crucial match, 2.15pm kickoff.

12/7/2009 11:37:10 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield & Waldron II 13 - Newick 11

This week proved another testing one for Heathfield II, playing at home against Newick.

Heathfield turned the ball over early with great play and consistent pressure. However Newick are a sizeable pack, and halted early breaks by Heathfield.

Dan Bird and Jack Bayley led the forward pack well with numerous turnovers and good ground made. The half looked good for Heathfield until they conceded a penalty, and Newick edged into the lead: 0-3.

Five minutes into the second half Will Drinkwater converted a penalty, and Heathfield were back in the running: 3-3.

However it was a fierce forty minutes. Newick spread the ball wide to their full back, drew the defence and shifted it to their wing who scored a well-worked try. Fortunately for Heathfield the conversion was missed:3-8.

This ignited Heathfield and their backs and they too spread the ball. With great running and a well placed grubber kick from Ross Riley, Drinkwater pounced on the ball and touched down, converting it seconds later: 10-8.

With the score so close both teams fought harder. In one moment Heathfield gave away a penalty and Newick moved one point ahead: 10-11. Heathfield then showed their fighting spirit and won another penalty. Drinkwater converted and Heathfield snatched victory.

The game was a story of Newick’s good defence, but brilliant rubgy from Heathfield. Although at times they failed to convert possession into points, the home side played their best half this season.

12/7/2009 11:28:10 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield & Waldron III 14 Brighton III 7

Heathfield 3rd team took to a very boggy and slippery Waldron field on Saturday to play their latest Sussex 2 league fixture against Brighton 3rd team.  Last week Brighton had convincingly beaten Uckfield 2nds and so Heathfield were under no elision that this would be an easy game.

Thankfully the rain held off but the ground conditions made it hard for both sides to run with the ball and so most of the action resulted in a close forward battle. Brighton were well drilled up front particularly with the rolling maul, but Heathfield had the edge in the scrums and the line out and this gave them superior possession for most of the first half playing up the Waldron slope.

John Parsons is gets caught as Heathfield attack up the slope at Waldron...

In particular Tom Ingram kicked well to keep the action out of the home sides’ half and Jamie Ward Smith was tackling well to stem any Brighton attacks but even given their greater possession Heathfield lacked the final killer pass or move to turn this into points and just when you thought a score would come a mistake would be made and Brighton would clear their lines. Mike Shallcross was unlucky to miss a penalty attempt and then against the run of play Brighton broke and a silly miss tackle close to the scrum and a good supporting line saw them score under the posts and then convert, 0-7.

At half time Heathfield felt a bit hard done by but knew that going down the slope at Waldron is worth at least two tries and so it proved. Again in the second half Heathfield dominated territory and possession and Brighton had very little of the ball. When they did get a foot hold Ashley Sutton did very well to snub out their fast Italian winger and the forwards, in particular John Parsons, props Will Greaves and Nick “Furry” Evans made the first up tackles count and stopped any Brighton momentum.

Good line out lead to some excellent possession for Heathfield in tricky conditions...

At last Heathfield turned their pressure into points and levelled the scores with a fine try from fly half Tom Ingram. Slipping through the first tackle in the Brighton 22 and then having the strength to muscle over through the remaining covering tackles. Mike Shallcross slotted the conversion in front of the posts on the second attempt after Brighton were penalised for shouting on his first go, 7-7.

Heathfield pushed on for the win. Substitutes came on and made a difference, in particular Ian Schlieder and Charlie Jones. Julian “that’s all my good kicks gone” Wates tried to chip the defence to no avail and Dan Heyler was unlucky to get held up just short of the line. The forwards were also held up on several occasions and credit must go to Brighton for the way they doggedly defended. The break came aptly from scrum half Tom Keylock who had been excellent throughout. A quick snipe down the blind saw the covering tacklers take the dummy to the wing and he scurried over. Mike Shallcross kicked the conversion given the home side victory, 14-7.

The scrum was strong and Scrum Half Tom Keylock did well against an experienced opposition...

Credit must go to Heathfield for the way they battled to win this game against a very good Brighton side. The team showed that not only can they run the ball when the conditions allow but that they also have a plan b and can muscle and wrestle with teams when required. Their were a couple of confrontations throughout the game, one involving the whole team in the second half but the way the Heathfield players responded, showing discipline to walk away and listening to their captain after the event was a credit to their captain and them all and something the referee praised after the game.

Man of the match this week was between three players. Tom Ingram was excellent, took control of the game, kicked well and obviously scored an important try, Tom Keylock at scrum half boxed kicked well but then chased the kicks relentlessly. He also scored an important try but looked lively throughout the game. However this week’s man of the match (selected by his fellow team mates) was Will Greaves for his strength around the park, his rucking and tackling and his super work in the scrum.

Match Report by Simon Hollingdale

Team:  Will Greaves (Mike Powderly – 70), Chris Ambrasino, Nick Evans, John Parsons, (Kenny Lewis – 60) Mike Dilley, Alex Hodge, Jamie Ward-Smith, Mike Brown, (Ian Schlieder – 55), Tom Keylock, Tom Ingram, Julian Wates, James Usherwood, Ashley Sutton, Dan Helyer, (Charlie Jones – 65), Mike Shallcross. (Ben Cox, Simon Hollingdale, – not used).

12/7/2009 8:29:56 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

League Match 4 of 7

11/29/2009 6:12:11 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Rain fails to dampen H3 spirits

  The Under 18 girls from H3 were matched against a strong Folkestone side at Heathfield on Sunday in a Kent and Sussex league fixture. Playing in gale force winds and almost continuous driving rain, both teams put up strong performances in conditions more conducive to water sports than rugby.

  H3 dominated the first half by making excellent use of their fast back line to create scoring opportunities for Nina Crowther and Debs Harwood. The swirling winds made converting tries a real challenge, but Katie Bauer and Laura Baker both added to the points total.

  The heavier Folkestone pack set a real challenge for the H3 forwards and they had to work very hard at every set piece, showing great determination especially in the maul. As the game moved into the second half and the playing surface deteriorated into a series of puddles joined by mud, the Kent side found their rhythm and steadily chipped away at the home sides lead.

  The difficult conditions led to both sides making handling errors, but H3 were able to stick to the task and tries from Georgia Gray, Nina Crowther and Amy McCarthy, and conversions from Katie Bauer resulted in a 48 - 34 victory for the home side. Both teams showed a great deal of determination and  massive amount of good humour to keep the drenched and frozen spectators entertained.

11/29/2009 12:07:48 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield II 19 Plumpton 12

The match against Plumpton started aggressively, with Heathfield enjoying the early possession. Heathfield came close to scoring an early try in the bottom corner, but Ross Riley unfortunately fell short and the ball was spilled. Minutes later though, Plumpton conceded a penalty as a result of consistent pressure by Heathfield, and ill discipline at the breakdown. Chris English converted: 3-0.

Moments after the restart, Plumpton stole the ball. The resulting scrum led to an up-and-under kick by Plumpton’s fly-half, allowing their outside centre to weave his way through a broken defence for a try – easily converted from under the posts: 7-3.

Plumpton then gave away two more penalties, allowing Heathfield to bring the score to 9-7 by the end of the half.

Heathfield started the second half brilliantly, with the forwards working together to bring the ball up to the twenty-two. This allowed Will Drinkwater to run a piercing line through the short side of Plumpton’s defence to score a try: 16-7.

However, Plumpton fought back and the right wing jinked his way through a dispersed defence to score a well-worked individual try in the bottom corner, though they failed to convert: 16-12.

Heathfield finished off with another penalty kicked by English. The match was full of character and aggression from both teams, and Heathfield will be looking to stay at the top in tomorrow’s game against Newick.

11/28/2009 5:29:17 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield 17 Medway 5

This critical match produced a fine good-spirited game in soggy conditions watched by a good crowd of cheerfully vocal supporters from both sides. Although Heathfield won by three tries to one, Medway contributed fully and will be a real threat in the return fixture.

Heathfield started with some of their best rugby played this year, attacking across the field with forwards and backs combining well. After just four minutes a tap penalty near the Medway line was taken quickly by Matt Skinner and a looping pass found Bruce Pestell who crashed over in the corner. Sam Goatcher converted impressively. (7-0)

A few minutes later Simon Wilson made some hard yards in midfield and quick ball gave Goatcher the opportunity to step though tackles and touch down near the posts, although he failed to convert this much easier kick.  (12-0)

Skinner was deputising at scrum half, not his normal position, and made a fine job of it keeping his backline moving and making several useful breaks.  Coach Dave Jones picked him as man of the match. Tom Sheffield also caught the eye throughout the game with several speedy runs down the wing which stretched the defence.

The home scrum had a definite edge and the visiting No 8, Roger Ryneheart, had a difficult day tidying up ball on the retreat which he managed well and he had an impressive game overall.

After such a blistering start by Heathfield, Medway might have folded but they are a decent team with a fine set of backs. Their coach felt that they had been standing back in defence initially but they now gradually came back into the game which became a close contest.
After thirty five minutes a five metre scrum on the visitors’ line produced a positive return from the green scrummaging superiority as Wilson collected a pushover try. (17-0)

After half time Medway began to play with more confidence and most of the game was in the home half.  The visiting backs showed their quality and repeatedly stretched the typically reliable home defence. The Medway no 14, Luke Burns, looks a speedy menace.
Ollie Brown, playing his first game for Heathfield first team, had had a decent game thus far but now suffered a calf injury and was replaced by Levi Willis.  Shortly afterwards Jason Holewell came on for Chris Watton.

With ten minutes remaining, Heathfield made one of their rare visits to the Medway twenty two with Willis making two useful contributions as they pressured the visitors’ try line.  However a Medway flanker and their hooker made a try-saving turnover and started an impressive counterattack which ended with a try at the other end as the visiting backs combined well and finally penetrated the green defence. (17-5)

Medway scented the possibility of achieving a remarkable turnaround.  Their scrum now had the upper hand and they had plentiful possession but Heathfield were determined and successfully held out.

This Saturday (5th December 2.15pm) Heathfield visit Horsham as they seek to maintain their unbeaten league record.

11/28/2009 5:26:59 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)