News & match reports

Win continues undefeated run
11th December 2011
Youth - Under 13s
31-10

This weekend saw Lewes’ U13 side complete a 31-10 league victory over Hastings & Bexhill, maintaining their undefeated record this season.
This was the first match of the season with a wet pitch and strong wind, making handling a little difficult.  The game was hard fought with the Hastings & Bexhill packs physicality being much the better for most of the first half. Their hard scrummaging and intensity at the ruck asked several questions of the Lewes team, who may have taken the threat of the opposition too lightly prior to the start of the game. However, Lewes’ determined tackling and commitment to move the ball paid dividends with the opening score coming from Will Judd-Page after 10 minutes. A nice display of quick hands creating the open space he needed to round the winger and full-back to score under the posts, converted by Hal Dodman, score 7-0. Five minutes later a similar move off the back of another retreating ruck, this time with a miss pass in the centres, out flanked the on rushing defence and gave Will the room to show his pace scoring under the posts, duly converted by Hal, score 14-0. The first half was finished with a concerted effort up the left flank with good recycling in contact from both forwards and backs resulting in a penalty to Lewes, which was quickly taken, with the ball eventually breaking back towards the centre of the field. Where fly-half Sam Ticehurst found himself 5 metres from the line with the ball in hand, he dotted down to score, Hal again slotting the conversion. This allowed Lewes to turn around at half time 21-0 in front.


The second half found Lewes playing back into a strong wind, with several changes freshening personnel in both the forwards and backs. Changes in the forwards had the immediate effect of stabilising scrums and with both defences working hard the game entered a period of drive and counter drive. A mazy run from ‘birthday boy’ Cian Furlong being the highlight. But, unfortunately resulting in the hot stepping wing being carried from the field with a strained knee tendon. Hastings made several good runs that stretched the Lewes defence. Ultimately resulting in a try from a break down the left flank that outstripped the cover tacklers, unconverted to make the score 21-5. Hastings then repeated their push down the left wing resulting in several missed tackles and another well deserved try in the corner, unconverted to take the score to 21-10. Lewes then worked hard from the restart, maintaining good pressure inside Hastings 22 metre line. From a resulting line-out Harry Sandercock caught and powered towards the try line, only to be stopped short. The resulting quick ruck enabled scrum-half Harry Jackson to pick and drive over the line for a well worked try. The Lewes scrum continued to stay steady in the second half, allowing number 8 Ethan Bickmore-Vaughan to pick up from a scrum just inside the Hastings half  and power down a 20 meter blind side scoring an unconverted try, score 31-5. During a continued spell of pressure in the Hastings 22m at the end of the game, Lewes were unable to move the ball wide to add to the final score.

A creditable victory in the tricky conditions and a good wake up call for the ‘confident’ U13 team prior to the Christmas break, well done to all.

Article by TreveTagg

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