Lewes RFC

It was almost like super Saturday all over again at Lewes as the first and second fifteens, playing back-to-back games, hoisted a total of 125 points between them. The 2^nd XV began the afternoon’s entertainment in a friendly with Shoreham that enabled a mixture of Colts and veterans to blend into a cohesive unit, that bodes well for the future of the club’s men’s teams. The score of 68-51 shows that a lot of fun was had by both sides in a free-flowing game.

Then it was the turn of the 1^st XV to take the field against Worthing, who had narrowly beaten them in dreadful weather conditions just before Christmas. This was a very different game, for although Worthing took a 7-0 lead just as they had at home, Lewes were able to spring back from this early deficit to get bonus point tries in the last twenty minutes of the first half. The spectators may have thought that this was down to Billy Shiell’s change of footwear, but the true inspiration behind the team was their captain, Raff Green, whose strong running transformed the team’s fortunes.

The try scoring was started, somewhat inevitably, by Harry Carr, who was well on his way to fifty points for the season. And then the forwards joined in with Tomas Norman surging through for a try and adding another after a great run from Billy Shiell. Thomas Moore converted the second one and also the next try which came from Ed King after further Lewes pressure. That was the bonus point try and took the score to 24-7 at half time.

The Lewes performance didn’t let up as the second half began, as a good passing movement put Harry Carr through under the posts. Thomas Moore converted, but from the restart Worthing lost a man to a yellow card after a high tackle, The only downside from an otherwise great display was the loss of Oskar Strasman with a broken ankle, but his replacement, Rory Macleod came on to get his first try for the 1^st XV. Thomas Moore’s conversion took the score to 38-7, and Lewes were now well clear.

Just to show how dominant Lewes were in this game, Raff Green, whose all-round brilliance made him a well-deserved man of the match, burst through the middle of the pitch to go on a run that put him straight in under the posts. Then Tomas Norman completed his hat trick, taking his try total in two seasons to 12 – not bad for a tight head prop! However, the game began to unwind to its inevitable conclusion from this point as Lewes received a couple of yellow cards and Worthing struck back with a well taken try that left the score on 50-12.

Lewes did manage to finish strongly as Worthing got another yellow card and Adam Hutchings went over for the team’s ninth try. Tom Moore’s conversion was the final kick of the game which ended 57-12. So ended the last home game of the season, and this result took Lewes above Crawley in the league table to seventh place with 35 points. The last league game is at Pulborough on 5^th April and then the Sussex Junior Shield Final at Burgess Hill on 26^th April will round off the season.

Lewes team: Moore; Carr, Green (captain), Hoff, Chumbley; Henshaw, Lacy; Dadswell, Simmonds, Norman; Petty, King; Weston, Strasman, Shiell. Replacements: Macleod, George-Coker, Hutchings.