Uckfield RFC Colts v Heathfield & Waldron RFC Colts

Uckfield RFC Colts v Heathfield & Waldron RFC Colts – 26th January 2020
Result: 19-20 (win for Heathfield)

It’s been a while since Heathfield‘s Colts team have been able to play a competitive match, frustrated by an assortment of weather, seasonal festivities, and the inability of other clubs to raise a side for scheduled fixtures. But a mild and grey Sunday in January saw them visit, for a second time this season, a robust Uckfield side who were lying a healthy fourth in the Colts Premiership and the division above Heathfield’s. The previous meeting had concluded in a comfortable 40-plus point victory for Heathfield’s old foe; this was to be a much tighter affair.
Heathfield kicked-off into a rain-specked breeze but enjoyed much of the possession and territory in the opening ten minutes. Adam tested the mettle of the opposition centres with several blasting runs, Reilly turned the defence with a neat chip, George Callow made the first of many barging, bustling charges, and Carr began to assert his dominance at the front of the line-out. However, Uckfield’s front row had the nudge in the scrum, and it was from one such set-piece and somewhat against the run of play that their scrum-half made a fine blind-side break and scampered home from half-way. Heathfield came back strongly though but found themselves halted, temporarily at least, by a combination of frustrating handling errors and determined Uckfield defence which disrupted promising attacking positions. Cam Reader was not to be deterred though, and soon put in a crunching tackle in midfield on his opposition number, a physically much broader player and one whom Reader had correctly identified as a potent threat. Such small moments can raise a side and, sure enough, Heathfield were again soon pressing for a try in response: lovely interplay between the resolute Flint and Hayter saw the visitors over the line but not down. From the resulting scrum, Carr scooped the ball up from number 8 and swept over the try-line unopposed. Uckfield have not built a strong side on nothing though, and they soon again showed their resilience and skill in creating an overlap on the left for that centre to step through the stretched rival defence and score in the left corner; an impressive touch-line conversion now opened up a seven-point gap as the home support on the clubhouse balcony voiced their approval.
Heathfield now replied themselves in emphatic fashion. Another series of tight drives followed with skipper James Stevens excellent in close-quarters encounters: Carr and Beaton both went close, but it was the hard-working Ellis Wilson who plunged over the line on the blindside to close the gap to 12-10. Despite leading his backs well during the game, Reilly couldn’t quite land his conversions on this occasion – he could probably feel the furrowed glances (or glares?) of his elder fly-half brother and father behind him as he lined up his attempts. With the game now entering a tense phase just before the mid-match interval, clearance kicks began to become the safe option – one, in fact, nearly carried the ball into the mud-coloured and bursting waters of the nearby stream. It took a while to return, as various middle-aged spectators kindly offered to hold the cap and coat of anybody else who would be prepared to scramble down the brambled bankside to retrieve the now somewhat damp, and almost floating, ball. Perhaps the short break gave the visiting side the chance to re-focus their minds and energies though, as what followed was quite possibly their try of the season: a narrow-side dart from the elusive Finn Scott-Taggart linked with Carr who, in turn, released Beaton to stride down the five-metre channel. A perfectly-timed and executed inside pass saw Carr receive the ball in return and show his athleticism in racing home from 30 metres: 12-15 at half-time.
The interval itself saw an unusual contrast in approach. Heathfield gathered collectively on the pitch to encourage, exhort, and make some changes to their on-field personnel: Matt Anthony came on for Dudgeon (whose gutsy wing-play continues to improve and impress), McAlister brought on his own brand of Caledonian courage to the other wing, and Sam Tiley made a welcome return after a period of injury-induced absence on the flank of the scrum to replace Sam Walley who had again contributed much in terms of tenacious tackles and fearless work at the breakdown. Uckfield, though, retreated to the changing room and took quite some time to re-emerge, quite possibly receiving some brusque advice on how to right matters in the second half.
Whatever the case was, a squall of rain swept in as the second half commenced and the subsequent twenty minutes were pretty scrappy, with emphasis on the scrappy rather than pretty. Adam continued to offer a bruising menace in midfield with further rollicking runs, as both sides sought a break-through. Oli Tooke’s fine cover tackle, reflective of the excellent all-round game he was having, halted one such dangerous Uckfield switch-back move. Angus Paterson, at full-back, was also having an excellent game running back any clearing kicks strongly and making some crucial last-man tackles. It was, however, becoming clear that the next score was likely to be the decisive one: again it was Adam who made the key break through a yawning gap and, with neat hands, Anthony was released to dive over on the right. Uckfield were still not done and, to their great credit, they worked another converted try down the blind-side to narrow the gap to just a single point. In the dying moments of the match, Heathfield (whose discipline had been excellent all match up to this point) conceded a kickable penalty on their own 22 for inaccurate entry at a ruck. Rightly, the home side opted to go for goal and in a dramatic denouement, the unfortunate Uckfield place-kicker pulled the kick wide to end what had been a wonderful game of rugby, especially for Heathfield whose victory by that single point was richly deserved and evident of how much progress they have made as a squad this season.

Team: 1. Ollie Tooke; 2. George Hayter; 3. George Callow; 4. Ellis Wilson; 5. Jack Flint; 6. Sam Walley; 7. James Stevens (c); 8. Oliver Carr (c); 9. Finn Scott-Taggart; 10. Tom Reilly; 11. Jon Beaton; 12. Archie Adam; 13. Cam Reader; 14. Kieran Dudgeon; 15. Angus Paterson
Replacements: 16. Sam Tiley (35) for Tiley; 17. Matt Anthony (35) for Dudgeon; 18. Hamish McAlister (35) for Beaton

Scores:
11 mins: Uckfield – unconverted try: 5-0
23 mins: Heathfield – unconverted try: 5-5
27 mins: Uckfield – try and conversion: 12-5
30 mins: Heathfield – unconverted try: 12-10
34 mins: Heathfield – unconverted try: 12-15
Half-time score: 12-15
60 mins: Heathfield – unconverted try: 12-20
64 mins: Uckfield – try and conversion: 19-20
Full-time score: 19-20