RUGBY: "Hungover" Raiders suffer tame defeat at Henley

Raiders beat Park 8-6 last week but crashed back down to earth with defeat in a game Green described as "dire".

He said: "We didn't deserve anything from the game, and we were still basking in the glory from last week, I think.

"We were pretty poor and didn't deserve to win, so there are no complaints. It was a dire game, to be honest, in wet conditions. Both sides were poor and made a number of mistakes. It wasn't a good advert."

Joe Govett got the only points for Worthing with a first-half try and a penalty in the second half.

Raiders took just one bonus point from the game and slipped down to 10th and Green added: "It's a learning opportunity. After you beat a good side, you need to build on it and we didn't.

"Shelford on Saturday is a big game at home. They are a very physical side but we need to be heading into Christmas feeling good, with a good result."

Henley took an early lead when they converted one of two early penalties. Govett then missed two wide penalty kicks to get Worthing back into it.

Raiders made the breakthrough to get themselves back into it. Govett intercepted a pass and sprinted 50 metres to score, but missed the conversion.

Jamie Redmayne was given a yellow card on 26 minutes and it was all-out defence for the next 10 minutes as Henley looked determined to make the man advantage count.

They eventually did so after a number of drives from a line-out, and converted the try.

The second half was similar to the first, with the play stuck in the middle of the field, before Govett put a penalty over to make it 10-8.

With 30 minutes left, it looked as though it was only a matter of time before Raiders got the points they needed.

Matt McLean ran onto a kick through the middle but he was adjudged to have been in front of the kicking Ben Dudley.

Greg Sullivan, running onto his own clearance kick, beat the defender to the ball but his second kick was too hard and the ball ran out.

Finally, Raiders were denied by the upright from a penalty as the ball bounced down on the outside.

WORTHING: Sullivan, Govett, Dunckley, McLean, Marshall, Dudley, Costigan, Halsey, Pointing, Bennett, Launchbury, McGowan, Arthur, Redmayne, Smith. Subs: Meddings (McLean 72), Charad (Smith 77), Cleveland (Pointing 59), Mills, Metters.

Littlehampton picked up a 19-7 win away to Pulborough in Sussex League Division 2 West.

After struggling to find a side, Littlehampton turned up with just a starting 15 but began well.

Littlehampton dominated the line-outs with Craig Boddington winning plenty, and the forwards looked the more powerful in the scrums.

Ian Richie was stopped just short before Pulborough went close but Bobby Matthews' brilliant cover tackle kept things scoreless at half-time.

Ben Best beat three tackles to put down and Dean Torode converted the kick to give Littlehampton the lead, and Torode again converted when Gary Keirle went over.

Pulborough then touched down and converted to take the score to 14-7. But Littlehampton's powerful pack showed their fitness and pushed Pulborough over the line with Tom Lindsay putting down for the final try.

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