Hastings and Bexhill 20 - 0 Heathfield and Waldron

With every game a must win if H&B seconds are going to win the Sussex 2 league, the visit of second place rivals Heathfield to William Parker had all the hallmarks of a tight and tense game.

Yet again the seconds were able to pick a fairly unchanged team, losing Stinson, Hopkins and Steadman to the ones and Aidy Mahoney of on Sussex under 20s game, however gaining Ben Arnold and Rob Simmons from the thirds.  Paul Northen was unavailable due to injury still, but Illian Granville was welcomed back into the front row after a short break.

When H&B played the away fixture earlier in the season they went away with only 14 players and then lost another to injury during the first half, with a full and fit squad the home team felt sure of a good result, especially after last weeks win at Uckfield putting them top.

Before the start of the game both teams observed a minutes silence in honour of David "Trigger" Northern who died the same weekend the previous year.

From the delayed start due to frozen patches on the pitch, the home team took the upper hand.  With most of the ball and spending most of the first 20 minutes in the oppositions half a score was just a matter of time.

The sure foot of Ben Lee kicked a penalty mid way through the first half soon followed up by Rob Macmanus scoring a well worked try, Lee added the conversion.

At half time the general opinion was that the home team still had more to give.  H&B started the second half in the same vein as they finished the first with more of the ball.  " I don't think that Heathfield ever made more than 5 or 10 yards past the gain line" said skipper Kemp-Milham " unlike our boys who carried the ball with confidence all day".

After 2 tactical substitutions bringing on Arnold and Simmons, the game broke wide open.  With his first touch Arnold side stepped and then forced his way over.  After another excellent phase of play Simmons crashed over in the corner.

"It really shows the strength of depth within the club that players can move up through the teams with no loss commitment" said Kemp-Milham "we can put the league to bed for a week now and set our sights on the Vase semi-final"

Matt Harboard was named "Man of the Match".

The seconds are in Sussex vase semi-final action next week at home to Crowbrough.