Lewes RFC

Sat 19 Oct 2024, 15:00

Ditchling

7 - 13

(HT 7-10)

Lewes

Ditchling

Lewes

Ditchling 7 Lewes 13 

The heavy rains during the week produced slippery conditions for this close encounter at Ditchling. It was a hard-fought game with Lewes coming into it minus the services of key players Dadswell, Pryor and Yeates.

However stepping up into the breach came four Colts players from last year: Tom Moore, Billy Evans-Freke, Francisco Coppola and Jake Bowie who all played their own important parts in the Lewes victory. In fact, it was Moore’s three goals that made the difference in the end.

In the conditions it was inevitable that the match was affected by errors by both teams, which caused possession to be lost and attacking moves to break down. So it was no surprise that the teams only managed a try each, but this still didn’t mean the game lacked excitement for the spectators as the result was in doubt right to the end.

The game started quite evenly, but eventually, Lewes got on the attack, and were rewarded by a penalty which Tom Moore converted for the lead. However, though Billy Shiell achieved a 50-22 with one of his howitzer kicks, a mistake at the resultant line-out enabled Ditchling to counter-attack and touch down a kick-through to take the lead with half an hour gone in the game.

That try was converted, but Lewes had a quick reply, as half time approached, when Tomas Norman, who is quite deadly on the run near the opposition line, breached the Ditchling defence to restore the lead. It was further increased by Moore’s magnificent conversion, which sailed through just inside the right-hand post in text book fashion.

That took the score to 7-10 at half time, but there was only to be one more score in the second half. This came after a great run by Will Hoff whose centre partnership with Raff Green is becoming really effective) set up a dangerous attack that led to a Lewes penalty. Tom Moore did the honours once again and a six-point lead was opened up.

Ditchling now needed a converted try to steal the game and they put everything in to obtaining it. The visitors were put under pressure in both scrum and line out, but this is a Lewes team that has great depths of determination and spirit, and they were not going to concede anything to their hosts.

Yes, it was a messy old game, but there were so many positive points that Lewes can take away from it. The blend of youth and experience is beginning to reap dividends and the team can go into their next round of fixtures with confidence. Before the end of November, they have home matches with Crawley, Brighton II and Shoreham, as well as an away trip to Seaford.

Lewes team: Feltham (captain); Carr, Hoff, Green, Rourke: Moore, Durrant; Moran, Martin, Norman; Sale, Evans-Freke; Weston, Coppola, Shiell. Replacements: Cross, Taylor, Bowie.