Hastings and Bexhill 2nd team travelled to Hove for a battle between 3rd and 2nd in the league. On a beautiful afternoon ideal for rugby the stage was set for an epic game. Hove started strongly camping in the visitors 22 with wava after wave of attack being stopped by strong dogged defense from every player in a blue and white shirt. The pressure was cleared each time with well placed kicks to touch. This saw Hove expecting the kick and quick thinking saw Stokes dummy a kick and dart through the gap left by the attempted charge down, committing the last man he passed the ball over the top to Hollingsworth to finish off a good breakaway try. This allowed H&B to start getting some possession of their own and another well worked move saw Hollingsworth cross for his second of the afternoon. This caused fustration and ill disipline to creep into Hoves game giving away penalty after penalty. This allowed H&B kick deep into the corner and the forwards who all had a brilliant afternoon presented the backs with good ball, which was spun wide for flook to cross for H&B's 3rd try of the game.
H&B didn't have it all their own way as Hove exploited an overlap twice to peg the score back to 15-10 at half time.
Hove ran the changes at half time bringing on 6 subs and more importantly 6 pairs of fresh legs which H&B lacked the option to do. However H&B rallied together over the 5 minute break with Stokes giving the easiest half time talk of the season as the team was performing almost flawlessly towards the end of the first half. The second half was in H&Bs favour with a slight downhill and the sun in the home teams eyes. H&B continued the territory game allowing the pack to challenge at set peice where they were having success all afternoon. two scrums 5 metres out saw the pack working together giving hastings 2 further trys scored by all the boys in the pack but finished calmly by Madigan. A further try was scored by Hove until a well worked backs move saw Potter power over (converted by Stokes) to finish the game 32-15 to the H&B. A brilliant performance from 1 to 15 noteably Granger, Sewell and Smith.
Squad: Granger, Sprinks, Granville, Edworthy, Sewell, Roach, Edmonds, Madigan, Smith, Stokes(c), Flook, Potter, Hollingsworth, Fox, Mcmanus
