92-0 win delights Hastings and Bexhill rugby bosses

Unfortunately Brocklians are experiencing difficult times and were forced to field a weakened squad.

At the post match celebrations H&B skipper Bruce Steadman thanked the visitors for making the long journey from South London and trying to make a game of it.

Hastings were well prepared for the game and put out a strong squad with Tom Jones, Joe Ward and Adam Parkhouse on the bench.

Frazer and Quinn McManus were unavailable but their replacements made valuable contributions to this resounding win.

In total H&B scored 14 tries with 11 conversions from Steadman. Nine players crossed the whitewash with Joe Whitehall-James grabbing a hat trick. Calvin Crosby-Clarke, Joe Field and Jake Stinson pegged a brace each.

Matt Stringer, Harry Walker,Jack Mather, Tom Jones and Laurence Maynard all added to the total.

The writing was on the wall from the third minute when Walker surged through the visitors’ defence to set Stinson up for the first try.

By half-time the bonus point had been achieved and the score was 52-0.

During the interval assistant coach Dave Hirst rotated his squad to give everybody valuable game time. The game continued in the same vein and 40 more points were added to the total. Unfortuately Louis Sealy was injured and had to be replaced by Field.

This week the 1stXV have no game, but they return to action away to Cliffe Crusaders RFC on February 12.

Hastings and Bexhill’s second XV were also at home on Saturday. They fielded a very strong and experienced squad to beat Heathfield and Waldron twos 43-17.

Burgess Hill 2nd XV 12 St Leonards CP 33

After a successful start to 2022 Ports headed to Burgess Hill blighted by injuries and unavailability with a bare 15.

It didn’t start well for Ports when Ross Kearney limped off after six minutes with a hamstring injury.

Adam Bigg, playing out of position at full back, was unsure of the high ball and combined with uncontested scrums this gave Burgess Hill a platform. They dived over for the opening score.

For Ports Mickey Scriven carried ferociously, as did fellow forwards Greg Montier and Ollie Glynn.

A loose ball bounced to Murray Warman and the skipper ran from the halfway line to level the score, Mike Hutchins converting.

Hutchins almost put Will Steele in but the winger spilled it near the line.

Montier, Glynn and Luke Loving-Price made key tackles while Hutchins was a nuisance at the ruck. A yellow card for Kim Wan reduced them to 13 but despite the two-man disadvantage a number of penalties gave Ports territory and Loving-Price worked a gap from second phase ball to give them an unlikely lead. Hutchins converted again.

A yellow card for Paul Smart again reduced them to 13. Hill scored on half-time.

The second half began with Bigg and Steele shining. Steele combined well with Max Martin to attack up the wing. Martin stabbed through a kick that Glynn outstripped the defence to touch down for his first try. Hutchins converted.

A Glynn run set up territory and Steele drove towards the line. From the ruck Scriven burst through and found Bigg, who dotted down. Hutchins hit another tough conversion.

Warman found space and evaded a number of tackles to dive over. The game ended early with Ports level on numbers with Hill, and threatening to score from every possession. Player-coach Smart said it was ‘an outstanding performance’.

The result put Ports second in Sussex 3 Conferenc. They face bottom team Sussex Police on February 12.