Pressure does funny things to people and we panicked at the death. It was a great learning moment and those involved will do it differently next time.

- Head Coach Chris Roberts

If anyone had any doubts about Lewes' fighting spirit and tenacity, they should have been at Park House on Saturday. Starting the match with only 13 players due to transport problems en route, Lewes nevertheless managed to hold out with a controlled defensive display until their full squad arrived, even taking the lead after 20 minutes with a penalty kick by outside-half Jon Pitts to open the scoring at 0-3.

Once at full strength, Lewes upped their game accordingly but the combination of slope, muddy and windy conditions meant that play was restricted to the centre of the pitch for most of the remaining period to half-time, with no further scores being added.

Park House kicked off the second half with an immediate attack towards Lewes' try line and for once the visitors' defence cracked, letting in the Kent side's left-winger for a soft try in the left corner, converted by their No. 10, to see the hosts take the lead at 7-3.

But Lewes hit back almost immediately with a fine, flowing attack upfield, ending with flank-forward Elliot Moule touching down under the posts, Pitts adding the conversion, to go back in front at 7-10. The next five minutes saw Park House pressurise Lewes near their own line and within this period Pitts had to temporarily leave the field due to injury while influential prop-forward Luke Raynor was yellow-carded for a scrummage offence. The hosts took advantage of the extra numbers by scoring their second, unconverted try by their hooker, also in the left corner, to go back in front 12-10.

Park House then continued to dominate possession and territory for long periods but were held out by sterling defence - and some strong tackling - by Lewes, especially from second-row Matt Blunt. Five minutes from the final whistle, Lewes managed to break this grip and worked their way back upfield, finishing with a terrific team try from Raynor under the posts, Pitts adding the extras, to see his side retake the advantage at 12-17.

Lewes' hardy band of supporters thought their team had now snatched the winning points, but with seconds remaining, an attempt by a Lewes player to throw the ball over the side-line to end the match was deemed illegal by the referee, and from the ensuing penalty, Park House embarked upon a rolling maul for a push-over try by one of their second-row to even matters up at 17-17. Luckily for Lewes, the conversion attempt failed, meaning they came home with a creditable two points for the draw - a fair result in all the circumstances and which maintains their fifth position in the League.

Head Coach Chris Roberts' comments on the match:

"Today was an extraordinary match. On reflection we played 30 minutes of the game with less than 15 players; 20 minutes with 13 due to players caught in traffic and a sin bin! To be in the game at all was quite an achievement. Having absorbed all that Park House could offer, it showed tremendous resolution from the lads to score another breath-taking try to take the lead with seconds to go. We know we should have closed the game out to take all the points and are disappointed not do so. Pressure does funny things to people and we panicked at the death. It was a great learning moment and those involved will do it differently next time. We know our chances of finishing in the top two have now all but gone but I'd like us to aim for that third spot!"

Lewes: Raynor, Bowry, Gardner, Blunt, Morgan, Moule, Robinson, Furse (Capt), Hewitt, Pitts, Booth, Feltham, Jones, Bredin, Wade (Reps, all used: Durrant, Jolley).

On Saturday, Lewes host ninth-placed Folkestone for a key League encounter, k.o. 2.30pm at the Stanley Turner Ground.