Hard-running H&B make light work of Plumpton challange

NEW league opposition two weeks running for H&B, and neither of them looking likely to be promotion contenders.

Last week H&B saw off East Grinstead, down from London Four. On Saturday they opened their home campaign with a visit from newly-promoted Plumpton, and demolished them, just as Uckfield had the previous week.

Plumpton had worked hard on their previous week's porous defence, and certainly fronted up to H&B throughout the game.

But they had little to offer in attacking weaponry, and H&B's hard-running game, with good support and for the most part skilful off-loading, proved far too much for them to handle.

Indeed, their successes were limited to an early penalty kick that put them ahead before H&B had laid hands on the ball, a period of 20 minutes after the break where they competed well up-front against a suddenly clumsy H&B, and an opportunist kick and chase try against the run of play.

For the most part, though, H&B controlled the set-pieces with relative ease (taking three scrums against the head), and showed off their abundant handling skills - though a little less over-elaboration, a tad more backing themselves on the outside - and less unsympathetic refereeing - might have put the score into three figures.

In a comfortable team win, players who caught the eye included man-of-the-match Jimmy Adams, who again stylishly kicked every conversion but one, seemingly filling an enduring H&B place-kicking vacuum; Ben Campbell, whose tireless running ate up huge amounts of territory for H&B again and again, and who earned himself a hat-trick of tries; Kit Claughton, who went one better with his second four-try haul in successive seasons thanks to great support play, as well as once again creating space where there seemed to be none; Ben Davies' and Paul Northen's dynamic ball-carrying and intelligent inter-play; and Piers Claughton's silky running and recycling skills.

Although the performance was far from unflawed, some of the tries were impressively well-worked even allowing for the limited opposition.

Other try-scorers were Adams, Ben Arnold - drafted from the thirds and showing flashes of real power and promise at centre, Tom Eason, and Piers Claughton.

"It was a good all-round performance," said chief coach Roger Stanley. "The only downside was a shoulder injury to Roger Roberts (who joins a worryingly long injury list).

"The quality of the support play was the outstanding aspect of today's game. It just overwhelmed Plumpton.

"Maybe our clearing out wasn't as good as the week before, but I was pleased with the way we kept our discipline, even when we were being constantly penalised."

H&B: P. Northen, Davies, Calloway, Redman, Saunders, Roberts (Edmunds), Roche, McManus, P. Claughton, K. Claughton, Campbell, Arnold, Adams, Eason, Stokes.