Hair dryer Treatment

It’s been a week of healing for the boys in green and generally trying to warming up. A good win at home to Crawley in the league was a reason to be optimistic with the fall back of the Six Nations a few beers if things didn’t go to plan.

As the years go by there isn’t many games that stick in the memory but this will be one and it won’t have anything to do with the game. We’d just had our boots checked when the referee basically gave us the biggest bollocking I’d ever received. “Cleggy, Cleggy - where’s Cleggy!” will ring in my ears for a long time. Anyway Sir – if you’re reading this please accept my apologies. I ref at U11’s and am truly atrocious at it and realise what a tough job it is you do.

Horsham started brightly and a combination of front foot defence and tidy handling despite the strong wind saw them gradually make inroads into the Crawley half. However they were up for the game and when they did get the ball showed their attacking intent. A move starting in their own half saw the ball in the wingers hand who showed a smart turn of pace to register the first score. This may have upset Horsham’s early rhythm but they soon levelled. A series of phases with the forwards drawing the defence in creating an overlap. Ed Cresswell saw the line and muscled his way over. This increased their confidence and the flowing rugby continued as did the score. If you were to be really picky you could argue that some great lines of running were missed but the score always came eventually and just shows there’s more to come from this team.

Half time came and Horsham avoided the normal implode following the ‘good 1st half’ team talk. A hat trick from the Ben Carbone who backed this up with tireless work and tackling saw him take another MOTM and this was with strong competition from Otto Carlise with two trys. Adam Harman a linchpin of a dominant front row, Mike Drew and Mark Ross doing the hard yards. Carls big hits and lineout work with the young back row of Tobin, Cresswell and York doing the key link up. One of my trys of the day was a back row move which saw the ball move through back row and Doug at scrum half before finding Otto on the wing –champagne stuff. The 3/4s weren’t to be out done and looked like they’d been playing together for years whether it was breaking the gain line or in defence.

Crawley played their part as aways and when things did work for them they worked well. They were a commited team, scored three impressive trys and will be looking to produce more like that when we meet again soon in the league.

The semi-finals will take place on the 12th of March and we will face a either Hastings and Bexhill 2’s. Worthing Senior 2’s or Burgess Hill 2’s. As the only 3’d team left in we can be rightly proud. Continuing great availabilities gave me a massive headache especially with Cup replacements reduced to just three. I have tried to speak to all those who missed out, I might get things wrong but we are trying to do the right thing.