H&B back on course

In fact, the rugby club is only a point behind faltering Kent One leaders King’s College Hospital with a game in hand. What’s more, H&B boast the best points difference of any team in the division and the meanest defence having conceded just 13 points in their last three games.

The latest success was a 41-5 defeat of HSBC on Saturday. Head coach Kevin Smith said: “We got off to a heck of a start. We scored two tries in the first 10 or 12 minutes with some very good rugby. I was quite surprised really.

“In the second half we just went hell for leather. It was a good performance, but I know these boys can do better. We had at least four regular first team players out and the satisfying thing was that the new faces we put in really did stand up and play an outstanding game.”

H&B are without a fixture this weekend, but Rye will hope to welcome back the likes of Pete Brown, Toby Aylett and Chris Cordeaux for the Sussex Shield first round tie away to Newick tomorrow (Saturday).

Rye are one of three teams to have won six of their seven Sussex One games so far, although their unbeaten start came to an end at Chichester III last weekend.

Club chairman Tony Pierce said: “A top half finish would be fantastic and every place we can get above that is a real bonus, it really is. We’ve won six games this year; last year we won seven games in total. That’s where we’ve got to. It’s been an excellent start, you can’t under-estimate how good the start’s been.”