Cold & Wet!

2/23/2010 5:27:49 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Smith stars as Heathfield close in on title

2/21/2010 7:17:11 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield & Waldron II 13 - Hove III 18

This week proved a difficult one for Heathfield II, at home against Hove III. Heathfield looked to have built a solid platform at the start of the game, but within minutes Hove took the home side by surprise and shot over the line for a try. Heathfield responded with good communication between all players, but possession was largely Hove’s. The visitors worked extremely well with consistent attacks on Heathfield’s defence. Following a successful formula and capitalising on the home side’s lack of structure, Hove scored two more tries long before the half time whistle: 0-15.

This ignited Heathfield in the second half and the forwards worked together, to battle their way over the line for a well worked try: 5-15.

Minutes later fast passing down the line allowed Ross Riley to fly down the wing, touching down in the corner to bring the score to 10-15.

Hove then kicked a penalty: 10-18. However Heathfield kept going, managing to turn the ball over and gain good ground. Will Drinkwater then kicked a penalty, closing the gap to 13-18.

Despite a hard match, the home side only conceded three points in the second half. Josh Mullet and Sam Pearce worked hard all game and scrum half Mike Jaques came on in the second half making a real difference, directing and encouraging more aggressive play. With an eagerly anticipated game against East Grinstead tomorrow though, Heathfield will need to fight hard.

2/20/2010 12:31:50 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield & Waldron 83 Whitstable 0

Heathfield consolidated their position at the top of London SE3 with a thirteen tries to nil victory over a game but limited Whitstable.  There was little doubt about the result after two tries in the first few minutes. Matt Skinner was involved in both, first following a high kick and pressurising the visiting full back resulting in quick possession for Sam Thewlis to touch down the first of his three tries on the day, and then Skinner scored himself with a clean break in the centre (14-0).  Skinner also collected nine conversions in the match.

The green pack secured majority possession with a dominant scrummage, secure lineout and effective work at the breakdown although the Whitstable blind side flanker was one of their few successes on the day making several turnovers.  Rob Perry at scrum half had an armchair ride behind a dominant pack and set the back line moving well.  Bryn Jones had his first full game back for the first team returning after injury and marshalled affairs excellently to enable the pace and skill of Tom Sheffield and Skinner to overwhelm the visiting defence.  In the current jargon, the backs executed well.

Quick clean possession and fast hands provided two tries for Thewlis, one for Seb Jones and one for Sheffield. All were converted to give the half time score of 42-0.

The outcome of the league could yet depend on points difference so it was important for Heathfield to keep concentration and avoid the temptation of showboating when in a dominant position.  Early on in the second half Perry went close in the left hand corner with some neat footwork but soon after Ollie Smith was more successful with one of his characteristic bullocking runs (47-0).  Sheffield’s pace was causing severe problems for the defence and he soon touched down twice more to give him three on the day (59-0).

Angus Taylor now made his debut appearance for the first team as a blood replacement for Bruce Pestell and then permanently for George Leney, continuing the successful introduction to this level of game of young players from the development squad.  Chris Watton replaced Jim Davies for the last quarter. Davies was penalised twice early on in the scrum although he was well in control. His conversation with the referee continued in the clubhouse later.

Ollie Robertshaw now collected an inside pass from B Jones and brushed several defenders aside on his way to the try line (66-0).  With ten minutes remaining the referee awarded a penalty try following green scrummage pressure on the Whitstable try line.  S Jones then collected his second try on the day and his brother B Jones capped a fine individual performance breaking through several tackles to complete the scoring (83-0).  Whitstable kept trying but with minimal possession and outpaced in the backs they never looked like scoring.  An impressive quietly authoritative referee and two generally well-disciplined sides were reflected in a very low penalty count.

This Saturday (27 Feb 2.30) Heathfield travel to Crowborough for what is likely to be a close encounter.

2/20/2010 10:10:10 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

All Bar One!

2/14/2010 7:01:23 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield & Waldron III 22 - Lewes III 5

Heathfield 3rds played Lewes 3rds in their latest league match on Saturday and faced a Lewes side with lots of new faces since their last encounter.

he game kicked off in very cold but dry conditions and both sides looked eager to run the ball when ever possible and an exciting game ensued.

It was Heathfield that started brighter and the forward pack was quick to the breakdown and even quicker to ship the ball. The home side were without their regular fly half due to injury but Dave Rhodes stepped in and as usual delivered a composed and knowledgeable edge to the key position and soon the Heathfield backs were looking dangerous. The first Heathfield try was generated from this platform. Quick ball secured by the forwards and quick simply hands from the three quarters saw full back Tom Gooders supply a great pass to winger Simon Hollingdale putting him one on one with his opposite number. The wide man muscled through the tackle and (just about) had the legs to win the race to the corner. The difficult wide conversion was missed but Heathfield were on the front foot, 5-0.

The second score from the home side came from their other wing Ashely Sutton. Again good simply hands put him in space just inside the Heathfield half and as demonstrated in several games this season Sutton’s pace was too much for the covering defence. A neat change of direction saw him cut inside the full back to touch down under the posts and this time Gooders slotted the extra points 12-0.

Making this all possible was the hard work of the forward pack. The back row in particular of Nick Seddon, Tom Ralph and Mike Brown covered every inch of turf , tackled superbly when Lewes had possession and worked tirelessly in the loose to keep the ball in Heathfield’s hands when ever possible. This work was soon rewarded with a try of their own. Scrum half Tom Keylock broke left and made a good pass to wing Hollingdale who drew wide and then passed inside to Tom Ralph on a great supporting run. Nick Seddon collected from Ralph and was driven over the try line only to be held up by good Lewes covering defence. A five metre scrum followed and a strong platform from the front five, in particular props Paul Watton and Mike Powderly edged the Lewes eight backwards allowing number eight Mike Brown to somehow wriggle over through strong Lewes tackles. Again the tricky wide conversion was missed but Heathfield were in control on the game 17-0.

Turing around at half time Heathfield made several changes and this may have disrupted their rhythm somewhat when the game kicked off again but credit must also go to Lewes who stepped up a gear and attacked the home side from the second half whistle. Some missed tackles and then a failure to clear their lines when in their own twenty two saw Heathfield punished and Lewes run in a deserved try. They narrowly missed the conversion leaving the score 17-5 and a sniff of a come back.

Thankfully Heathfield heeded the warning and returned to playing simply but effective rugby. Penalties and possession in their 22 was kicked deep and then once in the Lewes half the backs were unleashed and on a couple of occasions were unlucky not to score with great hands and running from James Usherwood, Tom Gooders and Jeremy Burdett with support from hooker Jack Bayley. Tom Keylock was also playing well, disrupting the Lewes scrum half when ever possible and starving the opposition of quick clean ball as was Kenny Lewes who made a nuisance of him self amongst the Lewes attackers when ever possible.

Finally Heathfield scored again securing the win. Again Ashley Sutton had a good run down the touch line only to be just nudged into touch five metres out. Keen to press home the advantage the Heathfield forwards spoiled the Lewes line out and then had several players pushing and just failing to reach the try line. Finally Sutton fished off the move he had started and picked a good line on an inside pass to crash over giving a final score of 22-5 to Heathfield.

A good win against a young mobile Lewes side builds Heathfield 3rds nicely for a tricky away game against Ditchling next week. Hard to pick out individuals from the side as no one had a bad game but in particular Nick Seddon and Mike Brown both played very well. Dave Rhodes had a great first half and put the Heathfield backs on the front foot and Ashley Sutton as always looked dangerous ball in hand. However, for the second week running Tom Keylock earned man of the match for some excellent disruptive work around the pitch and an all round great game.

Match report by Simon Hollingdale

Team:  Paul Watton (Albert Wright – 40), Jack Bayley, Mike Powderly (Chris Watton – 70), Kenny Lewis, Mike Weekes (Paul Hookway – 40), Nick Seddon, Tom Ralph, Mike Brown (Jamie Easton – 60), Tom Keylock, Dave Rhodes (Brady Burdett – 40), Julian Wates, James Usherwood, Ashley Sutton, Simon Hollingdale (Jeremy Burdett – 40), Tom Gooders (Ian Parker – 70). 

2/13/2010 4:34:02 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Burgess Hill U13’s 5 Heathfield & Waldron U13’s 12

Greenies beat Sussex All Blacks to win League

Having had this fixture cancelled last week due to frost there was an increased tension when the two unbeaten sides in the Sussex B East met in the deciding match of the season.

Heathfield & Waldron U13’s, League Champions 2009-2010

Heathfield kicked off and were quickly deep into Burgess Hill territory. The strength  of the green pack was quick to show against the big Burgess Hill forwards  and quick ball from ever present scrum half Tom Taylor’s hands was quickly moving out to winger Danton Laroche who had two good runs down the left wing thwarted. The game remained tense with the green forwards consistently winning line out to feed the backs. The green forwards were playing hard and the rucking was supreme with lots of ball being recycled to the next phase. However, apart from Sam Benians breaking the gain line a couple of times Heathfield could not convert the pressure into points with ball seemingly to go from side to side and not forward. Then from a series of penalties against the visitors the Burgess Hill side moved down hill to score against the run of possession and territory. The green team boy’s heads went down and they knew then they had a big game on.

John Parsons the Heathfield Forward coach then could be seen making a passionate speech to his players at half time, calling for extra effort and to dig deep. Playing downhill the greenies appeared to move up a gear and soon it was Will Ross at outside centre taking a direct lovely angle to score underneath the posts for Heathfield and Waldron. Cameron Carr then converted to take the visitors ahead by two points.  The green army supporters exploded!  The last quarter of the game remained tight but playing with renewed confidence Carr fed his backs with speedster Danton Laroche scoring on the left wing with a display of his natural speed and balance. Close to full time the greenies were again near the try line only to leave empty handed with Connor Lacey coming close to scoring.  Full time brought a huge cheer for the Greenies who had delivered an unbeaten run in the league this season. The victory was won on a real team effort.  The tight 5 provided great grunt and scrummaged hard against a big pack. Larry Osman at hooker threw well in the line out and carried the ball well at close quarters. The back row were quick to the breakdown and were fearless at the ruck, Liam  Parsons  playing at open side flanker had a big tackle count, and Miles Geldart winning good line out against a muscular and taller opposing no 8. Half backs Taylor and Carr were inspirational with some lovely sniping runs from Tom Taylor and Cameron Carr as all this season controlled things well from the 10 shirt, and led his team to a fine victory.  Backs got their reward from tries from Ross and Laroche sealing the game. All in all a great team effort. Well done the greenies!

Squad- Forwards:  Sutton, Osman, Baird, McGarvey, Macleod, Parsons, Baker, Geldart, Paul, De Bruin, Woods, Sweetman. Backs:  Taylor, Carr (Captain), Laroche, Benians, Ross, Rigby, Cuming, Gribble, Michael, Lacey.

2/7/2010 12:44:57 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield 54 Hastings & Bexhill 0

Heathfield continued their recent good form with a decisive eight tries to none victory over Hastings.  Use of the new pitch has encouraged them to play exciting and pacy rugby with tries coming from all parts of the team but especially on the wing where Sam ‘Mono’ Thewlis again collected three. Nonetheless the last two tries were scored by the back row in support of the backs.

Hastings have had some better form since Christmas but they were clearly second-best on the day.  They managed to exert some pressure on Heathfield at various points but the well-organised green wall are rightly proud of their defensive record and were confident enough to run the ball out from behind the try line at one point. Man of the Match Ben Foy has been increasingly influential recently in the inconspicuous hard work done by the pack in defence and he was outstanding in this match.

Scoring started early as Thewlis squeezed in at the right hand corner and Sam Goatcher converted impressively.  A few minutes later the home pack drove a maul over the line for Tom Pritchard to claim the try (12-0).

The home pack had a distinct edge in the scrummage and at the breakdown although lineouts were more even.  Plentiful possession allowed all of the home three-quarters to show pace and skill which worried the Hastings defence throughout the game.

A well struck penalty by Goatcher was soon followed by a classy solo effort for a try by Matt Skinner who was at scrum-half for the day as Lee Vockins needed to rest a sore knee (22-0).

Pritchard was replaced by Ollie Robertshaw because of injury so Ollie Smith moved to hooker. This did no harm to the scrummaging effectiveness as they immediately took one against the head for Skinner to draw the defence one way and then switch play back for a clear overlap well-finished by Thewlis (27-0).  This tight dominance was continued when Jim Davies replaced an injured Chris Watton.

The second half also started with an early score as Ollie Brown capitalised on a lovely break and pass by Damien Pestell, again converted by Goatcher who soon followed it up with another penalty (34-0).

After twenty minutes Goatcher was replaced by Bryn Jones who was returning from a broken arm and this did nothing to inhibit the home backs who continued to attack from anywhere.  Tom Sheffield had made numerous breaks and one such attack had only been foiled by a late interception.  Now he again sliced through the midfield and this time Thewlis was on hand for his third try, converted by Skinner (44-0).

Sheffield was again the instigator of the next try as Simon Wilson arrived in support on the left wing and had too much power for the defence (49-0).

To their credit Hastings now had an extended period of pressure on the home try line albeit without any reward.

The scoring was completed when another Heathfield backs move was completed as Brown found George Leney in support (54-0).  Brown is highly effective in attack but for the second week running his clinical tackling also caught the eye as he snuffed out attacks by Hastings.

Next Saturday (13th Feb 2.30) Heathfield visit Folkestone where they have had a patchy record recently.

2/6/2010 5:44:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Hove VI 0 - Heathfield & Waldron III 35

Heathfield 3rd’s returned to winning ways on Saturday with an away trip against Hove 5ths. The previous week had seen a sluggish and disappointing loss away to a very strong Hastings side but in greenies second game of the New Year, some more intense and faster paced rugby secured (in the end) a comfortable win. 

Heathfield played up the slope in the first half and started brightly against a much larger Hove pack. It was clear from the start that Hove would want to keep it tight and use there considerable size advantage to stop any decent Heathfield possession but if the travelling side could avoid being drawn into this battle and move the ball wider when ever possible the game was theirs for the taking. So it proved. Heathfield opened the scoring with the forwards securing quick ball deep in the Hove half and then quick hands through the backs found Mike Dilley on a supporting run to take the final pass and crash over. The tricky conversion out wide was missed.

The second Heathfield try came soon after this. Again fast but controlled ball from the forwards was shipped down the back line with precision to put Josh Mullet in space on the wing. He duly took his chance and outpaced the covering defence to score almost under the posts. This time with an easier kick Tom Gooders made the conversion and Heathfield were in front 0-12.

Just when it looked like the flood gates were going to open the nature of the game changed. Whether it was Hove lifting their game or Heathfield keeping it too tight some great kicking down the slope from the Hove fly half took his side deep into Heathfield territory and here the game stayed for much of the rest of the first half. The travelling side defended stoutly with Ian Schlieder, Tom Ralph and John Parsons in particular making some strong tackles. They also resisted several destructive mauls from the large Hove pack close to their line but failed to generate any good ball that could be used wide and consequently Hove kept the score line as it was to half time.  

Turning around to play down the slope in the second half Heathfield hoped to return to the game plan that had seen them take the lead in the first half. However Hove battled on for the first ten minutes and still the ball failed to come wide. In fact the next score came from a lucky break. A poor pass from the Hove scrum half went over the head of his fly half and sharp thinking from Heathfield fly half Tom Ingram saw him pounce on the loose ball and score. This break through lifted Heathfield and they began to execute what they had threatened to do from the start. The forwards stopped trying to battle Hove up front and instead rucked good ball which was shipped to the backs. Josh Mullet and Tom Gooders combined well for Josh to score his second. Mike Dilley who was lively all game and covered every inch of the pitch throughout scored a deserved second try and a chip over the defence by Simon Hollingdale was collected smartly by Tom Gooders to touch down with three Hove defenders hanging off him. Heathfield could have had more but for a bit of bad luck or at times silly errors that will need to be tightened up before their next outing.

All round a decent performance this week and Heathfield were playing with smiles on their faces for most of the game which is how it should be. Man of the match was between three. Mike Dilley for his effort, being everywhere and scoring two tries, fullback Tom Gooders also played well, giving the scoring pass on a couple of occasions and making lots of ground with some strong running, but it was returning scrum half Tom Keylock that got the award. He tackled superbly taking down guys twice his size, made some lively breaks and most importantly spread the ball wide (most of the time) when it needed to go.

Match report by Simon Hollingdale

Team:  Rory Burchett (Mike Powderly – 50), Dan Bird, Greg Kneller, John Parsons, Mike Dilley, Kenny Lewis (Mike Weekes – 70), Tom Ralph, Ian Schlieder (Mike Brown – 40), Tom Keylock, Tom Ingram, Julian Wates, Ross Riley, Josh Mullet, Simon Hollingdale, Tom Gooders.

2/6/2010 4:27:41 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)     

Heathfield 65 Old Gravesendians 0

An emphatic victory by eleven tries to nil kept Heathfield at the top of London SE3 and unofficially christened the club’s new pitch in delightful style.  The main pitch was frozen in parts but the excellent grass cover on the new Cypress field allowed the game to proceed.
The visitors are at the bottom of the league and although they kept plugging on they never threatened the home try line.  The foundation for the result was provided by a dominant scrum where Jim Davies, Tom Pritchard and Richard Cooley had control from the start and a pushover try after six minutes, touched down by Ollie Robertshaw, told the visitors that they were in for a difficult day.  Sam Goatcher converted (7-0).

After fifteen minutes the ball was moved quickly to Sam ‘Mono’ Thewlis on the right wing and he finished well for the first of his three tries on the day (12-0). Bruce Pestell was unfortunate to be yellow-carded for handbags as he was severely provoked but the scrummage remained in control, gaining more than one ball against the head even with a man short.  Most of the game was being played in the visitors’ half and repeated attacks finally produced a second try for Robertshaw just before half time (19-0).

Heathfield played up the slight slope in the second half but any hopes that the visitors may have had that this would help them were dashed as the green scrum took another ball against the head and swift hands moved the ball to Ollie Brown on the left wing for the first of his three tries.  His second followed three minutes later as he had too much pace and skill for his opponents (31-0).

Damien Pestell at full back now received the ball from a clearance kick by the defence and he ran it back to claim a fine try although by now the visitor’s tackling was showing a lack of enthusiasm (36-0). The visitors’ captain, Michael Hodge, at outside centre was one of their few bright points but he struggled with little ball or support.

After nearly fifteen minutes a delightful looped pass by Matt Skinner found Thewlis for his next try (43-0).

Lee Vockins had taken a knock earlier and was replaced with Skinner moving to scrum half and Seb Jones coming on at centre.  However tries continued to come as D Pestell now claimed his second of the day.   Davies was replaced after his impressive performance and this allowed Sam Buckland to make a very decent first team debut – he has earned this through impressive efforts for the development team.

With ten minutes remaining Thewlis collected his third try and from the kickoff Brown collected his third following a break by Skinner as the defence wilted and waited for the final whistle (60-0).

After some interplay on the left wing Jones dived over from a ruck to complete the scoring (65-0) in a match that suggests that the new pitch will suit the home team.  The pitch will be officially opened next Sunday.

This Saturday (6thFeb 2.30) Heathfield entertain Hastings in another league match.

1/30/2010 5:41:28 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)