Hastings & Bexhill II 13 Heathfield & Waldron III 5

Hastings and Bexhill were able to start the game against top four team Heathfield and Waldron 3rd XV with only one change from the previous weeks game with second row Andy Sanders returning to bolster the scrum and lineout.

The game started badly for H&B as after only three minutes a speculative kick ahead brought a fumble from full back Ben Lee and Heathfield scored the first try out wide but were unable to convert the conversion.

Hastings and Bexhill were stunned but steadily gained ground through probing kicks from Percy Fitzgerald and strong runs from Jacob MacDounough. However after 15 minutes of pressure and players being held up on the defensive try line H&B took the option to close the gap with a penalty after an infringement at the ruck. Percy Fitzgerald quickly followed up with another penalty kick to take H&B into the lead with ten minutes left in the first half.

Shortly after taking the lead flanker Luke Auckland was sin binned for obstruction and H&B needed to tighten up their defence for the next ten minutes as Heathfiled worked hard to take advantage of the reduction in H&B numbers.

H&B stuck at their job and held onto the lead for the next 40 minutes despite losing Andy Sanders and then his replacement Dom Sewell both with ankle injuries replaced by John Joe Dawes and Chris Jarvis respectively.

After a series of penalties and rucks H&B found themselves ten metres out from the Heathfield try line and prop Andy Dalton continued with his try scoring record by crashing over with ten minutes to go and Percy Fitzgerald slotted the conversion for H&B to stretch the lead to 13 - 5.

Heathfiled had no answers to the strong H&B defence in the last ten minutes and the home team survived the pressure to beat one of their closest rivals.

Skipper Pete Mahoney said "Tthis was the most physical game of the season so far and both sides deserve credit for the way that the game was played. The commitment of the H&B players told in the end and this was the right result and shows how our squad is coming together and performing as a team when the pressure is on".