A miserable, grey and wet afternoon in Wimbledon saw Heath hold out to win their third consecutive league game, consolidating fifth position in the table.

Heath were the fastest starters and, after only three minutes, were on the board. From a seemingly non-threatening position in their own half, a line break from Player of the Match and number 8 Connor Mullins cut open the home defence. The ball went through the hands to outside centre Charlie Patey-Johns, who raced in to touch down for the opening try. Tom Wharton converted for 0–7.

Playing with the wind and rain at their backs, Heath continued to threaten but failed to capitalise on the opportunities that came their way. Although Heath had the upper hand in the scrums, the line-outs were a bit of a lottery, and some decision-making with ball in hand meant they failed to hold possession for long periods.

This inability to be clinical came back to bite the visitors as Old Wimbledonians began to get a foothold in the game and kicked well for territory. It was no surprise when they pulled a score back to tie things up at 7–7.

Heath fought back and, after kicking a penalty to the corner, tried to get over from the ensuing line-out. The home defence held strong, but when Heath moved the ball into midfield the forwards crashed up towards the line, and second row Harry Clarke drove over for the try. Wharton added the extras for a 7–14 lead at the half-time break.

The second half saw the rain intensify, and playing into the wind Heath had to dig deep. The tackling and defensive shift from the team was impressive, and for most of the half Old Wimbledonians simply didn’t look like scoring. When Heath did attack they looked dangerous and should have added to their tally after a good break from skipper Jack Lucas took them deep into opposition territory, before a bout of white-line fever thwarted the score.

The home side fought back and, after a sustained period of pressure in the Heath 22, forced a number of penalties. The referee lost patience with the visiting defenders, issuing two yellow cards in a five‑minute spell to the Heath back row. Repeated five‑metre scrums and tapped penalties in the red zone were all repelled by the 13‑man Heath defence until, after nearly ten minutes of pressure, the ball was eventually moved wide and the home side went over in the corner. Crucially, the conversion from the narrow angle was missed, meaning Heath held a narrow advantage at 12–14.

After Heath had spurned another chance to put the game out of reach with the try‑line begging, and once restored to 15 players, they conceded a penalty just inside their half. Old Wimbledonians opted for an attempt at goal to win the game, but it fell short and Heath were able to see out the 80 minutes for an important away win.

The Heath Rams had a home league game versus Uckfield and couldn’t have been more impressive, scoring seven tries in a powerful 41–19 victory which saw them move up to third place in the Counties 3 table.

Next weekend sees a home double‑header at Whitemans Green, with the 1sts hosting Eastbourne and the Rams facing Crowborough 2s.

Heath Squad – 1st XV: Euan Greaves-Smith; Flinn Herbert; Charles Newey; Dan Jarman; Harry Clarke; George Targett; Josh Salisbury; Connor Mullins; Jamie Thurston; Tom Wharton; Matt Cains; Jack Lucas (capt); Charlie Patey-Johns; Oscar Mann; Evan Herbert; Harry Edwards; Ellis Dubois; Otto Serjeant

Image: Andy Painter Sports Photography