H&B go top after battling win

With St Francis shamefully becoming the second team to drop out of the league (Old Brightonians rolled over last year), H&B were left unexpectedly leading the league, albeit with Horsham two points behind having a game in hand and a better points-scored differential.

With third-placed Uckfield six points behind the leaders, it now looks as though H&B's game at Horsham on February 26 could be the decider for automatic promotion to London 4.

H&B's four week Christmas break from competition was always going to be testing, and fourth-placed Crowborough's muddy pitch found out a few players, notably in the pack, who had failed to run off the mince pies.

As a result, although the forwards were impressively dominant in the scrum as always, held their own skilfully in the line-outs, and mauled with a vengeance, a few were generally off the pace in the loose and at the breakdown, where the impressive Crowborough back row won too many turnovers for comfort.

If it had not been for no 8 Paul Flood, who as ever battled and carried tirelessly and put his battered body on the line time after time, man-of-the-match hooker Ben Davies, dogged flanker Steve McManus - and the half back Claughton brothers and back three of Tom Brampton, Danny Ralph and Paul Sandeman doing more than their expected share of rucking and mauling - the score might have been closer.

Although it was the visitors' backs who produced the flashes of midfield magic - especially with their second try - Crowborough moved the ball well, and Hastings' wide-out defensive organisation was exposed several times, relying on individual last-ditch try-saving tackles from Brampton, Ralph and Kit Claughton to hold out Crowborough's breakaway attacks.

Scrum half Piers Claughton worked well with his brother and Flood to snuff out the dangerous Crowborough back row's attacking options round the scrum, and the three posed their own attacking danger, the ball moving fast and inventively through their hands. This, coupled with some well-chosen running lines, and the powerfully direct ball-carrying of centre Rob Sparks, McManus and the ever-present Flood, ensured what turned out in the end to be a dominant victory.

It was Crowborough who struck first, with a breakaway try from a spilled ball after five minutes of H&B pressure. It was a sobering wake-up call for the visitors. A Sandeman penalty goal closed the gap, and was followed by a try initiated by a run by Brampton and scored by Kit Claughton, who from the back of the resultant maul stepped and handed off his opposite number.

The next try was an absolute corker, started off by Flood breaking from the back of a scrum on the H&B own 22 and popping in the tackle to Piers Claughton who broke a couple of tackles and ran it out of the half, finding his brother, who arced infield to allow support to arrive and passed to David Northen who was tackled short of the line. From quick ruck ball Kit Claughton ran a scissors move with Sparks, who dived over, leaving the half-time score 13-5.

After the break H&B continued to outmuscle their opponents, and stretched their lead with a brace from Flood, the first from a characteristically powerful driving maul from a line-out, ending in Flood touching down. The second followed a typically determined Ralph break. From the resultant ruck, Flood found Northen who beat a defender and as he was tackled short of the line popped the ball back to Flood, who drove over.

But it was anything but one-way traffic. The young and feisty Crowborough side continually tested Hastings with their effective spoiling tactics, and slotted a further two penalties of their own.

H&B spokesman Peter Knight said: "Roger (H&B coach Roger Stanley) was very pleased with the overall performance, especially after such a long break. And the penalty count against us was very low.

"He's very hopeful about the trip to Horsham next month. We've got forwards winning ball and backs who can run in tries, and now we've got the vital half-back link that can make it all happen."

Team: P. Northen, B. Davies, I Granville, M. Shepherd, N. Redman, S. McManus, R. Roberts, P. Flood, P. Claughton, K. Claughton, D. Ralph, R. Sparks, D. Northen, T. Brampton, P. Sandeman. Substitutes (all used) N. Edmunds, B. Campbell, G. Cullingford.