Table-topping H&B begin year with another win

Hastings & Bexhill Rugby Club hurdled the banana skin that visits to Beccehamian have been in the past and kicked-off the second part of their season with a dominant 29-10 bonus point win, stretching their lead in Kent One to seven points.
Tim Sills scored a hat-trick of tries as Hastings & Bexhill overcame Beccehamian. Picture courtesy Jon SmalldonTim Sills scored a hat-trick of tries as Hastings & Bexhill overcame Beccehamian. Picture courtesy Jon Smalldon
Tim Sills scored a hat-trick of tries as Hastings & Bexhill overcame Beccehamian. Picture courtesy Jon Smalldon

A confident and physically assertive - if somewhat outweighed - Beccs side were overpowered by H&B’s ability to move the ball wide accurately and at pace, their dominant set scrum, and an aggressive defensive organisation that rarely gave anything away.

Neither side showed the familiar post-break signs of excessive Christmas pudding; instead of hitting the ground gasping, both sides went into attack mode from the whistle.

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The first quarter was evenly contested, if anything Beccs getting the better of the referee’s runic, guess-what-I’ve-blown-the-whistle-for-because-I’m-not-going-to-signal, decisions, with a couple of penalties.

Harry Walker went over for H&B's opening score in the 29-10 victory.Harry Walker went over for H&B's opening score in the 29-10 victory.
Harry Walker went over for H&B's opening score in the 29-10 victory.

From the second of these, with Mark Piotrowski blood-binned and temporarily replaced by Anthony Roche, Beccs kicked for the corner, and with a series of pick and goes, barreled over for a try, the conversion hitting the post, 5-0.

Playing uphill on Beccs’ newly refurbished main pitch, H&B got close to a swift equaliser: a strong scrum, quick penalty and assured handling ending with Tim Sills well tackled just short of the line.

But H&B were beginning to turn the screw; a second Beccs penalty kicked to the corner was powerfully forced back by H&B and Beccs’ attacks were all dealt with by H&B’s confident defence.

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From an H&B scrum the ball was moved beautifully through the backs’ hands for Harry Walker to run in for an equalising try, Bruce Steadman’s conversion bouncing off the post, 5-5.

H&B won successive penalties from the restart and after Jimmy Adams caught the ball at a lineout, the resultant maul was touched down by Paul Sandeman, Steadman was just short with the conversion, 5-10.

With minutes to half time, great H&B defending produced a turnover, Walker broke with a trademark mazy run to the 10-metre line and Tim Sills evaded defenders to belt in under the posts, Steadman converting, for a half time score of 5-17.

After half time H&B incurred a spate of unusual penalties until a smart attacking chip by Steadman was secured by Walker, then moved smoothly along the fast-moving line, for Sills to score his second - and the bonus point - try in the opposite corner, conversion missed, 5-22.

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With 20 minutes to go, Steve McManus and his opposite number were yellow-carded for a front row exchange of New Year greetings.

Beccs’ second good period of the game followed, with several assaults on H&B’s line well-defended, before the hosts got their reward with an unconverted try in the corner, 10-22 (the ball dropped in the tackle, the referee 20 metres away and unsighted - but that’s rugby!).

Ben Petty having celebrated his return from injury with a yellow card for a knock forward, H&B’s 13 men shrugged off the setback to remind Beccs who was boss straight away.

From a well-taken lineout the ball was moved slickly down the backline for Sills to run in his hat-trick in the corner, well-converted by Steadman, for what proved to be the final score, 10-29.

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H&B: Vincent (Roche), Umpleby, S. McManus, Adams (c), Piotrowski, F. McManus, Sandeman, Hanagarth, Parry, Steadman, Campbell (Stinson), Claughton (Petty), Ackerley, Sills, Walker.

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