Patched-up H&B knocked out of vase

The rugby club, with only seven regular 1st XV team players, went down 20-5 in their second round tie away to Kent One side Vigo on Saturday.

During the warm-up the players hastily began the process of building a team, with final playing positions only agreed 10 minutes before kick-off.

Despite some stout H&B defence, 10 minutes into the game the home team was first to score. H&B began to build confidence in each other as the first half continued, but a poorly executed 22 drop-out taken with too much haste and before the team was prepared saw Vigo on the scoresheet again.

A run by Lewis Sealy saw him isolated and the ball was stripped off him for Vigo to run in an easy try to move the score to 17–0.

A simple blind side attack from a ruck saw veteran Neil Redman bully his way across the line to touch down in the far corner, but a single penalty directly in front of the posts allowed Vigo to round-off the scoring.

H&B: Davies (Ward), Hopkins, Spatchurst, Dalton, Redman, Adams, Cullingford, Hannegarth (McManus), Steadman, Harboard, Roberts, Sewell, Sealy, Campbell, B. Lee.

A full report will appear in Friday’s Hastings and Bexhill Observers.