H&B beaten in clash of top two

Both sides only managed to breach the other’s fierce defence once - Uckfield at the beginning of the second quarter, when they turned over an H&B lineout on the visitors’ 22, for their inside centre to break a tackle and ship the ball to the outside centre who brushed off would-be tacklers for a try under the posts.

H&B’s reply came minutes from the end with the match already lost, when a sustained series of furious assaults on Uckfield’s line eventually culminated in a flash of trademark creative running from Ben Campbell to breach do-or-die defence.

Though the rest of the game was tryless - Uckfield’s conversion and five penalty kicks to H&B’s single penalty the scoreboard difference between the teams - the game was savagely contested in Uckfield’s traditionally muddy conditions from start to finish.

Elsewhere in the same division, Rye continued their good form with a hard-fought 17-10 victory away to Eastbourne II which moves them up to fourth-bottom.

Tries from Dave Smith and Charlie Clarke gave the New Roaders a 12-10 half time lead. Dave Blackman went over early in the second half before some stout defence enabled Rye to hold on for the win.

Full reports on both matches will appear in Friday’s Observers.

Standings (all played eight matches): 1 Uckfield 38pts, 2 Holbrook 30, 3 HASTINGS & BEXHILL 29, 4 Pulborough 25, 5 Burgess Hill 23, 6 Worthing III 20, 7 Brighton II 16, 8 Seaford 15, 9 RYE 14, 10 East Grinstead II 13, 11 Eastbourne II 8, 12 St Francis 4.