H&B miss out on promotion yet again

Having recovered from being nigh on dead and buried back in early November to finish runners-up in Sussex One, this was supposed to be the season when H&B finally made the step up.

But, even with home advantage, it simply wasn't to be and another year among the rugby lightweights within their own county is their reward, or more probably, punishment for five glorious months in which they won 11 consecutive league games.

Nobody among the sizeable crowd at William Parker School was in any doubt as to why such a weak conclusion seeped into what should have been an heroic tale. The H&B line-out routinely misfired and enabled the opposition, a strong kicking outfit, to relieve the pressure simply by lumping the ball into touch.

"It was hard to take," confessed manager Rob Hamilton. "I just didn't believe that we would lose. We were confident that we could win even if we fell behind and I still feel if we could have secured our line-out ball in the last quarter we could have done it - that (the lack of line-out ball) really was the crucial factor. I don't think it's a question of giving away penalties (all the points they conceded came from kicks at goal): our line-out just didn't produce the goods when the pressure was there."

Four times H&B elected to kick for touch from penalties in the second period and four times they lost their own line-out that ensued. And, although they edged the scrum, had more of the second half territory and possessed the greater individual quality in the back division, few rugby matches are won without the ball.

It wasn't so much a case of them being outclassed for their try-line wasn't crossed during the entire contest, rather of the opposition executing their game plan better than they did earning them a deserved victory.

Two penalties put the away side 6-0 up within nine minutes but Paul Sandeman replied in kind as H&B began to get into the game around the quarter hour mark. Two more successful kicks, the second of which came during a crucial 10 minute period in which they were reduced to 14 men, put the away side 12-6 to the good at half time.

Most of the second half was fought out in Eltham's territory but they picked H&B off with two more kicks and by the time Kit Claughton burst through the tiniest of gaps to bring it back to 18-13, stoppage time was already being played.

A further kick made absolutely certain in the fifth minute of additional play to leave H&B hankering for a less eventful but more successful anecdote next time around.