RUGBY: Gravesend Double for H&B
9 November: Old Gravesendians 7, Hastings & Bexhill 15
16 November: Hastings & Bexhill 17 Gravesend II 5
Hastings & Bexhill notched two wins in the Kent League on successive Saturdays, both against opposition from Gravesend.
Away wins in this league are always precious, and the victory in north Kent against the old boys team on 9 November was won by “unbelievable grit and determination”, according to H & B coach Ben Petty. The team took advantage of a considerable slope in the first half and built up a 15-0 lead with tries from Matt Stringer and Jacob McDonagh; the first was converted by Tom Hirst, who also kicked a penalty.
In the second half, playing up the hill, they set up a solid and resilient defence, conceding only a single try. There were good performances throughout the side, especially from two of the younger players in the back row of the scrum, Matt Shepherd and Wes Lorman; the tackling of the backs was excellent, with Hudson Wales and Joe Field putting in some great hits.
A week later H & B entertained bottom-of-the-league Gravesend 2nd XV at their Ark Alexandra ground, with former players gathering at the clubhouse as part of the club’s centenary celebrations. A home victory was duly recorded. However, they’ll need to play rather better tomorrow (Saturday) when they travel again, this time to Tunbridge Wells. Their hosts will be another 2nd XV, but these are league leaders, having won seven matches out of eight so far this season.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply