Hastings & Bexhill 15 Park House 25

Match Report follows

Courtesy of Hastings Observer

H&B commitment bringing reward

Hastings & Bexhill chairman David Hirst has attributed the rugby club's improved form largely to greater commitment. Relegation from London Three South East seemed a strong possibility at the turn of the year after some makeshift sides suffered some heavy defeats.

But prospects suddenly look much brighter following a spirited performance in defeat to Brighton and an excellent 10-3 victory at home to fifth-placed Medway last weekend.

Hirst said: "We had a meeting with the players before the Brighton game over the Christmas break. We took stock of our position and our base of players and we just laid it on the line.

"If we want to stay up, we need the players to commit to training and, more importantly, to the Saturday games. We picked a squad of 25 players who will take us through January and give us the commitment we're looking for.

"We've also got a number of our key players back and we've instigated playing people in their best positions. I've given Ben Davies the responsibility to try to put a tactical plan together for each game."

Much work is still to de done of course, but H&B are up to fourth-bottom - two places above the anticipated drop zone - ahead of the trip to Park House tomorrow (Saturday).

Park looked virtual certainties for relegation after a 10-point deduction in the autumn, but a sixth win in seven games tomorrow could lift them off the bottom two.

"We've targeted another five games as winnable," added Hirst, "and if we get five more wins that should be enough.

"Park House will be an interesting one. I will be surprised if they're bottom of the league by the end of the season if they continue the way they're playing at the moment."

Match Report

THERE are two ways for H&B to view Saturday’s London League Three defeat.

The first is that it’s another nail in the relegation coffin against one of the only three sides below them in the league; and that they could barely muster two-thirds of the side who so triumphantly defeated fifth-placed Medway the previous week.

The second way to look at it is that though the handful of teenage backs in their squad had between them played less than a dozen first team games, these young tyros played major roles in three sparkling tries. And that against a side that has carved out five wins from its last six games in a dogged fightback against a harsh 10 point deduction, H&B started and ended the game with creative ambition and no little flair.

And statistically, if it weren’t for two uncharacteristic gaffes within the course of five minutes - a pair of clearance kicks, both charged down and touched down for a total of 12 points - H&B would have won this game.

But ‘if only’ cracks both ways, and if, during H&B’s darkest half hour either side of half-time, Park House had converted some of the half dozen golden scoring opportunities prevented either by their own errors or H&B’s last-ditch tackling, the end result would have justifiably been the same.

From early in the game the hosts’ tactics were clear: use the artillery boot of their fly half to pin H&B in their own 22, then lay aggressive siege.

H&B responded by varying their own attack-from-anywhere instincts with some kicking of their own - an aerial battle in which they were outgunned all game, despite assured catching and some wonderful running out of defence from their young back three.

H&B’s forwards, who had done so much towards last week’s win, found it harder against Park’s big pack, and the ball the visitors’ did win was slow. Worse, their line-outs, a banker for them all season, were slightly shaky, and fast attacking ball was at a premium.

Despite this, H&B were first on the score sheet. Kit Claughton took the ball on in front of the posts, and from the ruck it was whipped down the line for debut wing man-of-the-match Jake Stinson to force his way through a tackler for the touchdown.

From the kick-off H&B conceded a penalty, which Park converted to close the gap to 3-5.

An end-to-end game then turned into a siege by Park House, indiscipline by H&B allowing them to mount a series of varied attacks on the visitors’ line. After several let-offs for H&B, including several five metre scrums, the inevitable try came easily from the back of another scrum, leaving the half-time score 8-5.

Park continued in attritional mode after the break, booting the ball into H&B’s 22, and then working hard to keep them pinned there, notably their dynamic back row - a ploy the now accident-prone H&B seemed unable to counter.

A pushover try was quickly followed by the two charge-down tries, which transformed a close score to 25-5 - at which point H&B’s engine suddenly started firing again.

From a great catch by Jimmy Adams, the ball was moved beautifully through hands and worked upfield for Murray Whittington, who had just come on, to race in at the corner.

With minutes left, a well-worked lineout saw Christian Hollingsworth dance down the wing, and then through supporting quick hands - via an opponent’s head! - for Kit Claughton to dive over, and close the score to a more acceptable 25-15.

H&B: Roche, Davies, Sheppard (Hopkins), Clifford, Adams, Holewell, Sandeman, Madigan, P Claughton (c), K Claughton, Stinson (Whittington), Brooks, Diedericks, Hollingsworth, Steadman. Sub not used: Knight.