RUGBY
Narrow Margins
22 October:
Park House 20,
Hastings & Bexhill 13
29 October:
H & B 33,
Maidstone 32
By Peter Knight
H&B gave sterling performances in these two games. They more than matched a big and strong Park House team in their match at Bromley on 22 October, earning a bonus point from the eventual seven-point margin of defeat. A week later they squeezed past visitors Maidstone by just a single point to register their second league victory of the season.
Against Park House it was not until the last minute of the first half that the home side managed to break through the Hastings defence to open the scoring, after a move wide across the pitch put the right winger in for an unconverted try.
In the second half Tim Sills was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock on, Park House scored with a penalty and also a converted try, while skipper Bruce Steadman replied with two penalties for H&B.
H&B show off new kit
CREDIT: Peter Knight
After prop Josh Clarke was injured the game was restricted to uncontested scrums and Steve McManus had to be sacrificed, leaving H&B with 14 players. Park House scored another try giving them a 14-point lead, but H&B hit back with several strong attacking moves of their own in the closing stages. Eventually, the ball was secured from a five-metre line-out and whipped out to Sills who surged through the home defence to touch down under the posts. Steadman’s conversion cut the points gap to seven,
Special mention among great performances throughout the team should go to full back Harry Walker, fly half James Gardner, No 8 Adam Baker, and Chris Pillow in the front row.
Entertaining Maidstone
Back at their Ark Alexandra ground last Saturday, H&B took to the field for their match against Maidstone wearing their new kit sponsored by Kent-based Greymoor Homes, who have also donated post protectors for the 1st XV pitch.
The visitors immediately opened up a 12-point lead, including a first try scored opportunistically after a lucky charge-down. And the Hastings team suffered further misfortune when fly half James Gardner had to come off with a leg injury. But a converted try scored by centre Joe Field brought H&B back into the game; Steadman narrowed the gap with a well-taken penalty; and in the 33rd minute Hastings took the lead with a try from Pillow, which Steadman again converted to make the half time score 17-12.
The second half started with a yellow card for Walker’s high tackle. Although Steadman extended the lead with another penalty, the defence were now under pressure, and some Inexperience and confusion led to a series of Maidstone penalties which eventually resulted in a penalty try being awarded. Then a lucky rebound from a clearance kick allowed the Maidstone centre to score under the posts. Conversion was followed by a successful penalty kick, which put the visitors nine points ahead.
Steadman led the fight back with a penalty. The Hastings forwards were winning vital ball and it was their turn to put the Maidstone defence under pressure. Flanker Max Mowbray crashed over the line, and Steadman converted: H&B were now back in front by one point.
Maidstone attacked again and H&B conceded a rather naive penalty for entering the ruck from the side. The kick was successful, so the visitors now held a two-point lead with only two minutes to play. The Hastings heads did not drop and they immediately put their opponents under the cosh. They were awarded a penalty and the skipper’s increasingly reliable boot did the business. H&B had won a hard fought game.
• Tomorrow (Saturday) they travel to Meopham (outside Gravesend) to play Vigo RFC.
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