2022: The Year in Team Sport
After two years of major disruption from lockdowns and social restrictions associated with the Covid pandemic, 2022 has seen a welcome resumption of sporting normalities. By Hugh Sullivan, Peter Knight and John Morgan
Hastings United celebrate title victory April 2022
CREDIT: Scott White
Football
The long term future of Hastings United and of its century-old ground at the Pilot Field is the subject of news headlines which threaten to overshadow the team’s performances on the pitch. However, 2022 has been an excellent year for manager Gary Elphick and his squad, gaining promotion to the Isthmian Premier League in April, and maintaining their position in the top half of the higher league table during the first four months of the current season.
This time last year the ‘U’s were lying only fifth in the South Eastern Division, but by the middle of January they had risen to the top, then won a pivotal game at the end of that month on the 3G pitch at Ashford, their nearest challengers. From that point on they were in cruise control, and never seemed likely to falter, suffering only one defeat in 20 games between November and April.
Complementing this run of success came bumper crowds. From December onwards, home attendances regularly topped 1,000; at away matches the travelling supporters from Hastings often out-numbered home support. A remarkable 3,000+ showed up at Pilot Field on 2 April for the match against Haywards Heath, when promotion would be secured by a victory. Frustratingly, that game ended in a 0-0 draw, but the following Saturday a draw at Faversham sealed both promotion and the league title.
Season 2022-23 so far has been one of consolidation. The team remains extremely hard to beat, with Louis Rogers excelling in goal and Alex Brefo, newly added to the squad, a commanding figure in defence. Only 13 goals have been conceded in 18 league games.
Scoring has been rather harder. Summer recruits brought in by Elphick to provide a supply line to striker Ben Pope have disappointed. However, the occasional appearances of Joe Gbode, a 17-year-old loanee from Gillingham who looks to have a bright future in the professional game – he has been playing recently in the League Two side’s first team – have shown that, with some sustained quality up front, Hastings could be in with a shout for at least a play-off place, come April.
The United women’s team narrowly missed out on promotion from the South Division of the London & South East Regional League (tier six of the women’s football pyramid) despite winning 15 out of 18 games, including twice against eventual champions Crawley. This season, staying at the same level, they have won all nine league games – but so have near neighbours Ashford. The championship may again go to the wire.
H & B team 2022/23 beneath new posts at Ark
CREDIT: Peter Knight
Rugby
The Hastings & Bexhill club has seen major changes and developments on and off the pitch.
The 1st XV completed their 2021-22 season in the Kent League as runners up to Park House and narrowly lost the Kent Vase Final to the same Bromley-based club.
This season saw a major reorganisation of the Kent League structure. H&B have been placed in County League 2 and are currently holding their own against some very strong opposition.
The mini and junior sections continue to thrive; a very successful mini festival was held in October. On many occasions the 1st XV squad of 18 contains 14 or more players who started their rugby career in the minis.
Chairman of over ten years Jerry Hohenkerk retired in May, to be replaced by former club skipper Neil Redman.
During the close season the goal posts which had been installed over 30 years ago were replaced; the job took three weekend sessions undertaken by members volunteering their labour.
A sponsorship deal for 1st XV shirts, post protectors and corner flags was signed with Greymoor Homes.
Sadly, the club mourned the deaths of four long term members. David Sansbury and Ron Yates passed away in February, Richard Sheppard in September and David Grey in November. They had all served the club as players and in other roles as sponsors, coaches and committee members.
Cricket
After such a successful season in 2021 – the 3rd XI promoted as champions, the 2nd XI finishing 3rd in Div 4 East and the 1st XI completing a miraculous Premier League relegation survival by winning the last four games – the cricketers of Hastings & St Leonards Priory were always going to find the 2022 season a challenging one. There was more than usual unavailability at the start of the season, impacting on all the teams, and the 1st XI suffered a major setback when overseas recruit Abhay Negi, of whom much was expected with both bat and ball, broke his arm within the first month of the season and spent most of the summer nursing it on the sidelines.
These misfortunes increased opportunities for younger players, however. For the majority of the season there were on average six or seven teenagers in the team – quite an ask in Premier League cricket – who put in some excellent individual performances. Harvey Faulkner, Dylan Woolley, Iden McCleave, Dan Pascall and Seaver Cowley all shone on occasion, and there were many games where the team should have got over the line to record victories but didn’t quite do so. Despite eventual relegation it was a great exposure and experience for the younger players to take forward to next year. The 3rd XI were also relegated but in a ten-team division where four teams were relegated, retaining status was always going to be a tall order. The 2nd XI enjoyed a great end-of-season run to win four of their last five matches and retain their place in a highly competitive Div 4 East.
Off the pitch, the move away from Horntye – home of the club since 1995 – to Claremont was overall a pretty successful one. Work undertaken on the ground pre-season paid off: the wicket and pitches played very well, scoring highly on the league umpires’ pitch reports. The plan for the 2023 season is to remain at Claremont, with hopes that a new cricket square and net training facilities will be laid in March 2023 in readiness for the 2024 season.
Jason Finch, leading Priory all-rounder for many years and father of Sussex batsman Harry Finch, has been appointed as Director of Cricket at the club with the task of mentoring and co-ordinating all the men’s teams. It’s hoped that all three team captains will resume their roles next year under his guidance. Whether there will be another overseas recruit has not yet been decided.
Ladies doubles at Amherst club September 2022
CREDIT: Anthony Hickey
Tennis
The Amherst club, formed in 1922, celebrated its centenary in style in September, well in excess of 100 past and present members sharing self-catered food and undertaking a variety of tennis challenges promoted over its seven courts. Most rewarding was the number of former child players who have left the town as adults but returned for the day to meet their former coaches and play again on the courts where they had first learnt their skills.
In county doubles competitions both men’s and ladies’ first teams retained status in respective winter and summer leagues. For the men Quentin Soucek and Dylan Preece have formed a formidable pairing, while the ladies team led by Jane Garrett and Nikki Crowhurst continue to compete at a very high level, often matched against professional coaches in opposing ranks.
Down the road at The Green, the men’s first team have been holding their positions in county competitions, while the second team won Division 6 of the 2021-22 winter doubles league. The ladies found it difficult to compete at previous standards while leading player Amanda Ruck was out with injury, but she has now returned – with the added personal satisfaction of claiming Amherst’s singles title in September. The Green’s mixed doubles team currently heads the Wealden League standings.
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