Ashes to ashes!

In front of a large crowd who were well lubricated after a richly entertaining and well researched speech at the pre match lunch from the Ashford President affectionately mocking everything about Horsham from the largest recorded hailstone in the U.K to the Shelley fountain regularly not working, there was the town’s honour to defend!

Horsham were reliant on a faultless kicking display from man of the match fly-half Will Bell who kicked seven out of seven including a couple of high pressures kicks form the touch line with the vociferous crowd on his back.

Horsham coach Nick Stocker said after the game: “I thought we controlled the game until the 60th minute playing in their half, kicked well at goal but then we let them get their tails up.

The first phase did not go so well today against the best scrum we have faced all season and the line-out did not click.

In the first half we looked threatening, controlled the game, and pressured them into making mistakes. We chased well, gave away less penalties than in previous games but we then had a ten minute implosion.

They flung it around playing catch up rugby and with the help of their crowd got their tails up and coupled with our injuries, self-doubt crept and we started to fall off tackles, and it was touch and go at the end.

I think we are two evenly matched sides and both sides will be in the mix at the top end of the table at the end of the season.

Will Bell is my man of the match for his kicking under pressure and withstanding the booing from the crowd, Jamie Gibbs had a stormer, Paul Talbot did sterling work at the coal-face and Joe Clarke disrupted their line-out.”

Ashford failed to kick the ball ten yards from the start but Horsham lost the resulting scrum against the head and after a couple of missed tackles the winger scampered round to score.

Rob Hoskins regained the initiative with a quick tap penalty and Matt Goodsir ran in from 30 yards converted by Bell, but the lead was short-lived as the Ashford fly-half made a great break for his winger to add his second.

With the lead changing hands as penalties were exchanged Horsham got their noses in front on the stroke of half-time with a try from Lee Taylor and take a 17-13 lead.

Following the restart Gibbs was the first to react to a loose ball to race in from 30 yards and with Bell’s immaculate kicking and refusal to be distracted from inside his own bubble, Horsham’s lead increased to a seemingly unassailable 30-13, especially when Ryan Grover was taken out in the air from the restart and the Ashford player yellow carded.

But Ashford fought back with a couple of tries which outstretched the Green and White defence, and a crucial penalty from Bell was required as Horsham were left hanging on at the end.

Horsham’s next league game is at home to Thanet Wanderers on Saturday October 12.

Horsham: Talbot, Grantham-Hill (Stone 53), Barber; Grover, Clarke; N Bell (Smith 53), Clegg, Jonathan Whiting; Hoskins (Brown 53), W Bell; Taylor, Ordidge, Gibbs, James Whiting; Goodsir