After last week's convincing win, most pundits would have predicted an easy win for Lewes against bottom-of-the-table Ashford. However, with a much-changed side due to injuries and unavailabilities, this could have proved instead to be a banana-skin game for the visitors, and so it nearly turned out. Losing two influential members of the pack early into the first half due to injury meant that Ashford's powerful pack could take full advantage, enabling them to race to a 31-12 lead with only minutes left, but Lewes never gave up and fought back to secure two valuable losing bonus points which sees them hold on to their mid-table place.

The opening quarter saw Lewes push hard to the home side's line, with hooker Sean Sayers coming close on two occasions but being thwarted by determined Ashford defence.
With Sayers then having to leave the field, and second-row Tom Creed, lasting only three minutes in his first match of the season due to a broken leg, meant that Lewes had to re-shuffle their pack and this turned the match around in Ashford's favour.

But it was Lewes who opened the scoring after 25 minutes when, after working their way upfield, they won a scrum out left which resulted in a push-over try from Sayers, full-back Abe Bredin slotting over the conversion to make it 0-7. Ashford hit back with a push-over try of their own by their No 8 after Lewes' pack had to be re-arranged, their full-back adding the extras to level the score at 7-7. Lewes responded with probably the best try of the match, a fine flowing move with the ball being passed between forwards and backs rewarded with an unconverted try from flanker Matt Blunt to take the lead again at 7-12.
Just before he half-time break, Ashford levelled matters once more at 12-12 with an unconverted try from their outside-half, and then went ahead 19-12 after Lewes' prop, Casey Morgan, was sin-binned, Ashford's scrum-half taking a quick tap-penalty to go over for a try, converted by their full-back.

Lewes having to play with only 14 men for the first ten minutes of the second half enabled Ashford to get on top, and it was inevitable that they would score again, which they did after 53 minutes with their No 8's second, but unconverted, try, followed five minutes later with another try, this time from one of their prop-forwards, converted by the No 15, to pull away at 31-12.

At this point - with only a few minutes left on the clock, the Ashford team and their supporters thought they had the match in the bag - but Lewes, who never gave up the chase, surprised them all by fighting back, Player-Coach Mike Stubbs going over with only three minutes left, skipper James Halpin quickly taking the conversion, and then - from the re-start - winger Cam Dewar scored under the posts, Bredin converting, to see Lewes claw their way back to within five points of their opponents. With the possibility of Lewes even pulling off the win - and with the Ashford players visibly tiring - the home crowd were now urging the referee to blow his whistle to end the match!

This was a fighting display by Lewes in difficult circumstances and their never-say-die attitude and team spirit saw them come home with some points, but their overall work ethic and squad depth will put to an even sterner test on Saturday when they host top-of-the-table, currently unbeaten, Thanet Wanderers, k.o. 3.00pm.

Lewes: Hill, Sayers, Morgan, Gorbell, Creed, Hatch, Blunt, Stubbs, Taylor, Costigan, Tobin, Shiell, Dewar, Bredin (Reps, all used: Hobden, Moule, Millis-Ward).

An under-strength Lewes 2nd XV went down 12-75 at home to an over-powering East Grinstead 2nd team.