Worthing Raiders play their part but are beaten by Westcombe Park

It was nNot the result already-relegated Raiders wanted, but they played their part and remained competitive to the end.

The game was probably lost in the first few minutes of the second half, when the visitors scored three tries.

Some excellent teamwork and individual performances were seen and Grant Gatford played nearly the whole game, as he did last week, at the tender age of 49. He insists he is retiring at the end of this campaign.

MoM was Ed Hartley who had a good day with the boot and with ball in hand.

The final games are a chance for the squad to show what they can do with no pressure on them at the end of a season which has been a catastrophe in terms of injuries.

Jack Lake, Kemp Price and Josh Taylor were added to the unavailability list. But Will Beer, Fraser Bruce and Sam Myles returned to the squad and Alfie Ambrose was making his first appearance of the season.

On a sunny afternoon Westcombe Park kicked off playing towards the southern end.

Raiders made a quick start, helped by a couple of penalties in the first minute. From a lineout they set up a catch and drive, enabling Rob Ure to touch down after three minutes. Hartley was unable to add the extras.

Within two minutes Westcombe Park led a converted try, 5-7.

Raiders were guilty of giving away several penalties which enabled the visitors to put themselves in attacking positions on the field and by the 16th minute they had scored two more triesto lead 5-19.

Westcombe Park gave away a penalty and Tom Meyer put a fine touch kick deep into their 22. From the lineout a straightforward driving maul was instigated and Gatford touched down. Hartley converted – 12-19.

Raiders, not for the first time this season, conceded a try immediately after scoring. The visitors drove the home side off the ball at a ruck, counter attacked and scored a try which they converted for a 12-26 lead.

After 32 minutes Raiders thought they had scored when Ben Featherstone dived over next to the posts. But the referee deemed the ball to have been held up.

With the half drawing to its close, Raiders were rewarded for some excellent 15-man rugby when Featherstone again crossed the line, and this time did touch down for the try. Hartley converted – 19-26 at the interval.

It looked like Raiders had made exactly the right start to the second half when from the kick-off they regained the possession and built an attack that took them to Westcombe Park’s 5m line. Another score looked likely until they were penalised at a ruck.

The visitors worked their way downfield and scored a converted try to lead 19-33. Three minutes later a dropped ball was swooped on by Westcombe Park and they scored another converted try with only six minutes of the half played to lead 19-40.

Raiders emptied the bench in an effort to get back in the game, but the visitors scored another try and extended the lead to 19-45.

The hosts were playing well, moving the ball around accurately and at pace. Both Alfie Ambrose and Featherstone made line breaks, the backs moved the ball across the field seeking a weak point to burst through and Jack Forrest made the incisive break to streak away and score. Hartley again added the extras – 26-45.

As earlier, Raiders allowed Westcombe Park to score again within a minute – 26-52.

With time running out, the ball reached Charlie Spencer on the wing, having made 20m, he put a chip kick over the cover defence, and Hartley scooped it up and dived over to score. He converted it to make it 33-52.

Featherstone scored the final try of the match with Hartley again converting, 40-52.