Horsham go down after brave display at Deal

With five changes to the starting line-up due to injury and unavailability, making the long journey to the East Kent coast was always going to be a tough assignment against a team who were third in the table at the start of play, and had come away from Horsham with the victory spoils after a hard fought close match in December. Horsham also knew that they had to keep the Deal & Betteshanger talismanic scrum half and captain Adam Michael quiet, who scored four tries in the first game.

Horsham started the game absorbing a period of pressure from Deal & Betteshanger, and after conceding a penalty for offside the home side spun the ball wide, and as the Green and White defence flew up on the inside it left the outside drift onto the pass for Liam Giudes to score a well worked try, which Connor Moss converted from the touchline.

Horsham bounced back and when awarded a penalty in front of the posts showed confidence by kicking for the corner in an attempt to create a catch and drive for a try but possession was turned over.

It wasn’t long however before the Green and Whites were on the scoreboard when Will Bell made a great line break which was well supported by Josh Mills and Ollie Harcus was on hand in support to cross the line. Tom Johnson added the conversion and after 13 minutes the scores were level at 7-7.

The game was starting to fall into a pattern of Deal & Betteshanger having a slight edge in the tight forwards and with an effective pick and drive game but the Horsham three quarters showing the greater penetration when the ball was moved wide.
Johnson missed a kick at goal before Moss extended the home sides lead with a penalty.

The outside backs of Bell, Joe Wilde, Mike Watts and Max Wilson were breaking the Deal & Betteshanger defensive line at will with their trickery, pace and angles of running. Mills took a quick tap penalty and after Horsham had gone through several phases with some slick inter passing Watts crossed the line for his fifteenth try of the season which was converted by Johnson, and after 25 minutes Horsham lead 14-10. Despite fashioning several more opportunities these were to be the last points Horsham scored in the game.

Watts nearly added another try following a Johnson cross kick before Moss pegged Horsham’s lead back to 14-13 with a penalty on the stroke of half-time.

With Moss striking the ball sweetly, Deal & Betteshanger attempted two long range penalty kicks at the start of the second half but they fell just short.

The home side’s scrum was starting to gain a real ascendancy and drive Horsham backwards and it required repeated tackles by Nick Bell, Harcus, Rob Grantham-Hill, and Mike Penfold to hold back Deal & Betteshanger attacks just short of the try line. Iain Fisher was yellow carded having just come on to the field as Horsham defended desperately, and on 69 minutes the Horsham scrum was walked backwards as Number 8 Joe Hinkins made the decisive score which was converted by Moss.

There was still time for Horsham to repeatedly threaten the Deal & Betteshanger try line with fourteen men, as Arun Thompson and Andy Gray ran hard at the defence, and Harcus came close to scoring, but the home side’s defence held out.

Horsham coach Nick Stocker said: “With four changes to our starting pack we knew we might struggle to gain a solid platform, but when we put pace on the ball we asked a lot of questions and stretched a resolute defence that has not conceded many points this season and is one of the best in the league.

I’m obviously disappointed that we lost but I’m pleased with our application, effort, tenacity, spirit and sheer bloody mindedness, and the players in this young side did themselves justice.

The scrum was ultimately the difference between the two sides and they didn’t allow us much clean ball however it might have been a different story if we had converted more of our line breaks into tries.

I am delighted that our defensive pressure forced them into attempting kicks at goal from inside their own half.”

Horsham’s next fixture is at home to Beckenham on 2 April when there is a reunion lunch of former players and their partners from Graham Boswell’s Lions side which went an entire season unbeaten in 1985/86.

Horsham: W Bell; Watts, Wilde, Ordidge, Wilson (Layzell), T Johnson (capt), Mills; Penfold, Grantham-Hill, Fairs; Harcus, Cass; Smith (N Bell) (Fisher), Thompson, Gray