HASTINGS & BEXHILL 25 WHITSTABLE 7

It was a game of last man standing. Both teams were starkly aware that for the loser there would be no realistic chance to escape relegation from London League Three. And for the first 40 minutes, they battled it out toe to toe, throwing themselves at each other and each other’s tryline in the muddy, windswept cauldron of William Parker with more passion than precision.

But in the second half, H&B’s team-in-progress showed that they have been learning from adversity all season, playing with their heads as well as their big hearts, and in the process breaking the hearts of their battling Kent rivals and showing they have what it takes to live in this league.

The game they had to win didn’t start propitiously, with two key backs forced to pull out late in the week, and the pre-match run-through full of nervy errors. But from the first whistle, the home side showed their intent, turning over the ball from kick-off, then launching an incisive attack through hands, with Ashley Diedericks’ nicely judged chip through and chase barely failing to touch down over the line.

A grim arm wrestle between the two hefty packs ensued, with H&B disrupting the visitors’ lineout ball, getting the better of the set scrum, and winning the lion’s share of 50-50 ball in broken play. But though the ball they won was mostly slow, quick hands and accurate passing from half-back set a clearly hungry backline off on a number of attacks, contained by some determined defence.

It was good defence that opened the score against the run of play, turning over a promising H&B attack in the Whitstable half. A long kick to the corner, fumbled by the defence, led to the ball being moved to one of the visitors’ big backs who scythed through for a 0-7 lead 10 minutes into the game.

The visitors’ heads were up now, but the hosts didn’t lose theirs. With both sides determined to dominate the collisions, neither created clear-cut opportunities. Paul Sandeman kicked a penalty to reduce the lead, and H&B then camped in Whitstable’s 22 for several minutes, winning more penalties, until a ball was moved smartly down the line, for Bruce Steadman to finish well with a try in the corner.

The rest of the half was fiercely contested, end-to-end, with Whitstable winning a series of penalties in H&B’s 22, but the home side doing enough to keep them out. With the narrowest of leads, 8-7, at half time, the game was still anyone’s to win.
 
H&B came out in the second half with the same resolve as they started the game. The forwards hit up the ball with real effect, and then recycled effectively, until Kit Claughton slipped a pass to man-of-the-match Martin Sheppard for the big prop to steam over for a try, converted by Sandeman off the post.

An eight point lead was a rare luxury for H&B, but they clearly didn’t think themselves home and dry, because for the remaining 35 minutes of the game they threw everything at a tiring but still game Whitstable. With a quarter remaining, Piers Claughton dispossessed his opposite number behind the scrum, broke and moved the ball to Diedericks, who repeated his chip and chase, this time winning the race to the touchdown. Sandeman again flirted with the post, this time rebounding the wrong side of it, but H&B now had a reassuring 20-7 lead.

With Whitstable still fighting, but having to force the game, and running everything out of their own half - clearly not a tactic that suited their style - H&B created a series of great backline moves, which only foundered on last-ditch imprecision or try-saving tackles into touch. Murray Whittington, whose ground-devouring arcing runs twice came within a whisker of a try, showed his determination to get on the scoreboard with a third attempt that ended in a touchdown under the posts, and a 25-7 final score.

This really was a team effort, no player failing to up his game, make his share of big tackles, go that extra yard in attack. The result was the resurrection of realistic hope, a move (for the moment) out of the relegation zone, and a reminder of just how good it feels to win and win well.

H&B: Sheppard, Davies, Spatchurst, Adams, Clifford (Luff), Hitch, Sandeman, Piotrowski, P Claughton (c), K Claughton, Whittington, Diedericks, Lee, Campbell, Steadman. Subs: Holewell, Petty.