The Green and Whites paid for not making more of a strong start as the Kent visitors played the conditions better to score the game's only try and seal a deserved double in the mud on Saturday.

It was a disappointing way to end an up and down season, especially after the massacre of local rivals Pulborough on the same ground seven days before, though Uckfield's defeat at Ashford meant Horsham still finish sixth in the London 3 SE table.

Almost straight from kick off winger Tyler Aitken, in his final game before returning to Australia, broke down the right and offloaded to Alex Brew but he was held up just short. Still Horsham continued to batter the Gillingham try-line with successive scrums and line-outs, but at the end of a dominant opening ten minutes they had only a three point lead from a Joe Wilde penalty to show for it.

Soon after some big hits in the middle from Jonny Ordidge and Rob Clegg saw the hosts turn over possession and set up a number of good phases. Eventually fly half Wilde sent an accurate kick over the defence which Aitken looked destined to score from, but at the vital moment the ball slipped from his grasp in the greasy conditions.

Having doggedly survived a ragged opening 15 minutes just three points the worse, Gillingham's first respite was a penalty, kicked to find a good touch on the right. The lineout was played short, setting up a powerful driving maul which made good distance before a Horsham infringement gave them another penalty. Again it was kicked to touch, and played simple but this time the maul powered over the line for a try, converted for a 10/3 half time lead.

The relentless rain continued to batter down and with an increasingly gusty wind now at their backs, Gillingham started the second half in the bullish way Horsham had started the first.

A couple of big tackles by James Whiting out wide and a knock on from a surge through the middle prevented the visitors crossing the white line again. Horsham though were never able to properly clear their lines and a penalty in front of the posts stretched the deficit to seven points.

The soaked players now had to contend with a mud bath of a pitch and in increasingly dangerous conditions Horsham weren't helped by injuries to key players including their skipper, centre Matt Brown.

Some determined defence, including a fine try-saving tackle from Sam Bell to finally stop Gillingham's big Number 8 as he surged through the middle, prevented the visitors from breaching the home line.

Horsham did come back into the match, though a series of understandable handling errors kept them bogged down in the middle of the pitch and struggle to get their wide men involved, while Gillingham used their possession better with some big kicks into touch to pin their hosts back.

Gillingham lost two men from their front row, leading to the scrums being uncontested for the rest of the match, and right at the death another Gillingham penalty sealed a Horsham double for last year's Kent champions.