19/09/09 v Heathfield and Waldron Lost 06 - 54

H&B kicked off their home campaign in London League Three with a disappointing but not unexpected drubbing at the hands of old foes Heathfield.

It’s only a couple of seasons ago that H&B were dishing out a similar hiding in the same fixture in a lower league. But Heathfield have grown since then, unlucky last season not to have won promotion, while H&B are rebuilding with some young players, and older hands drafted in to fill the void left by long term injuries to their trio of skippers, Kit Claughton, Steve McManus and Roger Roberts, several ‘retirements’, and the current unavailability of half a dozen more experienced first team regulars.

So while to the touchline spectators - it would be stretching credulity to describe some of them as supporters - the season’s prospects looked pretty desperate, the players themselves and their coaches could see a further improvement on last week’s performance. Fragile as their confidence still is, and fundamental as the work that has to be done is - especially on defensive duties - week by week they are playing more periods of promising rugby. And team morale, despite frustration at their performance over 80 minutes, remains high and optimistic.

As last week at Folkestone, H&B came out fired up, and for the first half took the game to the opposition. The forwards picked and drove effectively, and hit the line off the short ball, while the reorganised backline functioned far more effectively than before, with Richard Brooks making some penetrative runs from outside centre.

They spent much of the first 30 minutes in Heathfield’s half, and created at least two clear-cut try-scoring opportunities, which foundered on the usual rocks of a final sloppy pass or clumsy hands leading to a turnover. Heathfield made the most of these turnovers, attacking the gaps left by H&B’s slowness to adapt from attack to defensive mode, and could have scored more first half tries, had not loose handling let them down too.

As it was H&B scored first, 10 minutes into the game, from a penalty well struck by David Milham. But Heathfield took the lead 3-7 at the end of the first quarter after working the ball well down the line until they created an overlap and ran in the try.

H&B hit back with another well-crafted multi-phase attack, earning a penalty on the 10 metre line, again well-converted by Milham for 6-7.

With a few minutes of the half left a fine break by Brooks just failed to end in a try due to some loose passing, and the turnover ended with a touchdown the other end leaving H&B trailing 6-14 at the break, still well in the game.

But Brooks and prop Tom Spatchurst came off injured at halftime, followed shortly after by prop Anthony Roche, and H&B’s game - already fragile at the setpiece - completely lost its impetus. Heathfield’s confidence fed off H&B’s lack of it, and the home side spent the second half battling waves of attacks, but inevitably conceding a barrage of tries, including a couple of embarrassingly unopposed runs through a dismantled defence.

Amid this second half punishment, there were plenty of brave performances. Teenager Bruce Steadman demonstrated courage and attacking appetite way above his weight, including a gallant last-ditch try-saving tackle. Jimmy Adams carried the ball tirelessly through Heathfield’s coalface, and tackled his heart out. Skipper Piers Claughton snapped up every opportunity to set up potent attacks, and scythed down back row attackers. Ben Davies took the ball forward at every opportunity. The team as a whole put their hearts into the game, it was a shortfall in collective skills and experience, not of commitment, that scuppered them.

H&B: Spatchurst (Edmunds), Davies, Roche (R McManus), A Mahoney, P Lawless, Piotrowski, Sanders, Adams, P Claughton (c), Milham, Steadman, Campbell, Brooks (Woolcott), Harbord, Diedericks.