EASTBOURNE RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB – MATCH REPORT – 02.02.08.

LONDON LEAGUE 3SE: DEAL & BETTESHANGER 14 EASTBOURNE 5

This rearranged match was certainly more to the benefit of Deal and Betteshanger who were able to field a close to full strength side than to Eastbourne four of whom had made prearrangements to be at Twickenham or ski, with two injuries from last week it meant that six changes had to be made and the front five reconstructed. The match was played on a great surface, amazingly recovered from the state that caused the match to be postponed a fortnight ago.

Despite these problems the Blue & Golds will be disappointed not to have come away with the points. The pack played extremely well, the front five were dominant in the set scrums with hooker Dan Mills having a good debut well supported by props Dick Barron & Andy Price and locks Gav Farley & Joe Tobin whilst the back row of Sam Gower, Jon Oakey and Damon Varney were more than a match for their opponents getting through a mountain of action. Scrum half Matt Pysden was prominent with some good breaks from the base of the scrum but otherwise the backs struggled at times against the pace of their opponents and found it difficult to cope with a tricky cross wind, especially in the second half.

Eastbourne totally dominated the first half with an 80% advantage in both possession and territory, most of it spent entrenched in the D & B 22. The pack made numerous incursions close to the home try line and had several opportunities to put points on the board and did penetrate that boundary once when wing Matt Crane forced his way over but was adjudged not to have made the touch down. With a little more fire power and with players coming at pace from deeper in attack there is no doubt that the Blue & Golds could have built up a comfortable lead. As it was they were unable to turn pressure into points and the game turned round without a score as the D & B full back Dan Best just failed with a very kickable penalty.

Eastbourne’s domination evaporated at the start of the second half when for the first 15 minutes D & B dwelt in its 22, the home side also brought its powerful backs into play; however, Eastbourne defended well despite having difficulty moving the ball up the pitch, kicking at lower trajectory into the gusty cross wind might have been a good option. Just when Eastbourne seemed to weathered this initial pressure D&B launched a strong attack down its left flank and centre Steve Donnelly ran in a try near the corner flag, full back Dan Best kicked a great conversion for his team to take a 0 – 7 lead. If D & B thought that was game over they were mistaken because Eastbourne responded with some good forward rushes with the back row prominent and breaks by the half backs Matt Pysden and James Bremer, one by Bremer took play deep into the D & B 22 and Eastbourne stayed there first whilst full back Neil Pysden struck the upright with a good penalty goal conversion attempt and then when flanker Sam Gower forced his way over in the left corner to open the Blue & Golds account to narrow the margin to 5 – 7, Neil Pysden’s conversion agonisingly just fell short. D & B replied with a class piece of running from its talented left wing Luke Armstrong who produced a cork-screw like run down the centre of the pitch to score under the posts, Dan Best added the conversion to give D & B a 5 - 14 point lead.

Yet again Eastbourne responded and the D & B try line was under renewed pressure with flanker Damon Varney, lock Joe Tobin and fly-half James Bremer going close. During these later stages Tom Redmond and Jamie Baldwin replaced Matt Crane and Dick Barron on the wing and at prop respectively. The D & B defence held out leaving Eastbourne with the frustration of a result that might have been.

MOM: Damon Varney was the pick of a marauding back row.

Team: Barron, Mills, Price, Farley, Tobin, Oakey, Gower, Varney, Pysden M.(c), Bremer, Crane, Clark, Ashworth, Newell, Pysden N., Baldwin and Redmond.

Peter Lloyd/03/02/08.