Lewes RFC

Sat 30 Nov 2024, 14:00

Lewes

17 - 38

(HT 10-17)

Brighton II

Lewes

Brighton II

This game was postponed from three weeks earlier when the match referee withdrew from the game too late to be replaced. As a result, over half the team from last week’s win over Shoreham had to be replaced and the eventual selection for the game was vastly different from the original match.

There were three first team debutants in this game as the game swung into action with a strong burst from Raff Green setting up some good possession on the Brighton line.. The Lewes pressure was finished off by Harry Carr, whose try puts him back on top of the Lewes points scorers for the season with thirty points.

When Brighton came back on the attack, a failed Lewes clearance gave them the opportunity to hit back with a try and the new Lewes scoreboard showed the score at 5-5. Worse was to come as a clever cross-kick set the speedy Brighton winger free to catch and spin round the posts to facilitate the conversion.

So at 5-12, things became more challenging for Lewes as Brighton became more dominant and it wasn’t long before it became 5-17. But this season has seen a very different Lewes team who are prepared to take the game to their opponents whatever the state of play. And led, once again, by skipper Raff Green, an attack was set up which put winger Jimmy George-Coker over for a try in the corner.

It was good to see Jimmy score as he has had a rather sporadic career with Lewes which started with a game in 2019 and continued, before today, with another in 2022. His try took us to half time with the score at 10-17, but Lewes now sensed they could get back into the game, and attacked strongly at the start of the second half. It was a great come back as James Sale scored a try that was converted by Matthew Henshaw to bring the sidr=es level at 17-17.

Brighton responded by upping their game and when their bonus point try was scored under the posts, they were able to stretch their lead to 17-24. Another potent attack from Brighton was stalled by the award of a scrum, but Lewes, showing real spirit and mettle, pushed them back in the ensuing set-piece.

It was at this point that the real turning point of the game took place when the beating heart of  the Lewes team,  James Sale, was yellowed carded. In his absence, Brighton scored two more goals, taking the score to 17-38. On his return, Lewes mounted a series of attacks in the hope that they could salvage a try bonus point from the match. But although they thought they had got over the line and round behind the posts, it wasn’t to be.

The result leaves Lewes in sixth place with a bit of ground to make up on the teams above them. However, they are three points clear of Brighton who are in seventh place, which must seem hard to understand for Lewes supporters who would judge that Brighton are as good, if not better than any of the teams who have come to the Stanley Turner this season. Lewes now have games against the bottom two sides in the lead up to Christmas, which does give an opportunity to push up the table prior to the New Year.

Lewes team: Bowie; George-Coker, Rourke, Green (captain), Carr; Henshaw, Durrant; Martin, Gribble, Sayers; Sale, Bradford; Weston, Cross, Medhurst. Replacements: Dadswell, Salomon, Lacy.