Warlingham vs Haywards Heath

Two weeks before Christmas, and a trip across the County line to Warlingham where frosty wind made moan, earth stood hard as iron (well actually soft and notably better than Whitemans Green) and water like a stone (well actually gentle underfoot).

OK so it's not up to Lawrence’s standard!

With the condition of Heath’s pitches continuing to bear the brunt of the weather, Warlingham had kindly offered a three game (25 mins per game) series for the Heath and Warlingham boys to test each other out.

The format allowed for the A squads, Development squads and a combined squad to take to the field and brave the wind that, for most of the game, consigned conversion attempts to the bin. Only one being successful in all three games and that falling to the boot of Ollie Si.

From the start it was clear that the sides, though well matched in the loose, were separated in the set pieces enabling Heath to clock up a total of 10 tries across the three matches to Warlingham’s reply of 2.

Given the pitch being soft underfoot, it was always going to be the scrums that held sway on the day and with an astounding effort against a heavier pack, Heath won every scrum in every match. Ollie St moving from his accustomed No. 5 shirt to make his debut at No. 8 drove the workhorses in the 2nd Row and provided Tom B, moving from open side flanker to scrum half for the day, unparalleled access to Channel 1 Ball time and time again.

Warlingham throwing everything at the blitz defence to stop the Heath attack found themselves on the wrong end of the Heath centres with both Kai D and Sam G having outstanding games. When not being harried by the Heath centres, the Heath wings took the pace up another notch with Callum CM showing strength and pace to hold off his pursuing defenders whilst on the other wing, Jack B proved that despite the going being soft, a class sprinter doesn’t actually need to touch the ground!

In an effort to match his performance last week, Dylan H was showing a pair of clean (well mud caked) heels and having provided a lesson in how to prop, came close to replicating his “props can sprint half the pitch” charge, only being denied a try by an outstanding effort from the Warlingham full back.

The hospitality afforded to Heath by their hosts was a demonstration of the best of rugby camaraderie rounded off by a bowl of food for the boys whilst the parents commented on the quality of the sausages and bacon flowing from the Warlingham kitchen.

Man of the Match in the humble opinion of the reporter has to go to the whole of the Heath pack.

Scorers:-

Tries

Kai D x 3
Callum CM x 2
Jack B x 1
Sam G x 1
Dylan H x 1
Ed H x 1
Ollie St x 1

Conversions
Ollie Si x 1