Maidstone V 38 Hastings & Bexhill Vets 26

The veterans of Hastings played their 1st game of the season on Saturday against a Maidstone team that play in the same league as the Hastings 3rd team. This was the first time in the club history that Hastings fielded 4 adult sides on 1 day and this made it a true vet’s side with an average age of 42. It was obvious from the start that the Maidstone game plan was to get the ball as early as possible to their very large inside centre and almost with his first touch of the ball he broke several tackles to score under the posts. The conversion was missed as Neil Redman rose from the ground like a leaping salmon at the falls to block the kick, 5-0 Maidstone.  As if to rub salt into the wound almost immediately from the restart Maidstone recycled the ball and used exactly the same method to score again, this time the try was converted. It looked like being a long afternoon for Hastings.

But these old boys never know when they are beaten and Hastings started to control the set pieces, especially the scrum. An injury to Tim Morgan meant that Old Mike Lawless came into the backs at inside centre and this made a instant difference as both him and no 10 Ben Arnold started to make big hits on the Maidstone centre who now knew that he was in a game. Hastings first score came from Mike a gap being served up by the H&B forwards picking and driving some 20mtrs of the pitch, he then charged through the Maidstone defence to scored under the posts, Peter Eames converted the try.

As Hastings found their match legs and the rocking chairs got put to one side the game suddenly became very open and both sides made and lost ground at regular intervals, unfortunately for Hastings Maidstone scored a 3rd try via their young, fast winger (compared to the old boy’s), this was converted to make the half time score 19 – 7 to the home team.

The second half was a feast of rugby as first Hastings scored through Peter Eames after a good break by Neil Redman created an overlap and Eames sidestepped the last 2 defenders to score under the posts, the try was converted by Ben Arnold. Maidstone came straight back to score via there scrum half who somehow managed to wriggle out of 3 defenders hands to score in the left corner, the conversion was missed.  By this time Hastings despite the difference in age looked the fitter team with good breaks coming from Ricky Cowlard and a great performance by the 60 year old Dave Upton.  H&B concentrated on the pressure using the pack and this gave them a 3rd try in the corner Duncan Dobson scoring.

H&B then stepped up putting everyone in attack, unfortunately with a quick turn-over this gave Maidstone an easy run in scoring and converting. Maidstone took another score and it looked like H&B may start to falter, but no instead they go on the attack again and soon find themselves on the Maidstone try line, 3 or 4 attempts to get over fail before the house named Matt Dawes takes a quick pass and throws himself over the line to score, another two points added by Arnold.

Time ticking down H&B get a penalty on the halfway line, and checking with the ref if they had time for the line-out a kick puts H&B within 15mtrs of the line, a catch and drive is called for and the ball goes up, Gus Godden takes it clean and the rolling maul it set, on comes the drive and Redman’s at the back, as the maul starts to break up he splits right, gets taken down 2mtrs out popping the ball up to McNeilly as he trys to cut back behind the broken play for the corner, less than half a metre, and he get hit by two Maidstone players, he turns another Maidstone players hits along with support from Dobson but to no avail as they tumble into touch just outside the corner flag. The ref sounds his whistle for the end and the game finishes 38  - 26 to Maidstone.

Speaking afterwards Vets Capt Brian McNeilly said “I’m very proud of the performance and accept that if we only woke up 5 minutes sooner the score could have been much closer, but hey we’re out again next week  and if the old legs are willing so are we”.

A break by Andy Small with support close behind