Plate won! League won! What a weekend for Eastbourne Rugby Club

And what a day it turned out to be for the club as a whole as the Nomads won their league (report below).

This was the third meeting of the two sides this season, with Eastbourne having won the first narrowly and dominating the second, both games being played in a good spirit.

Eastbourne have found their form towards the end of the season, with fitness, speed and ball skills coming to fruition.

The away side started strongly and immediately turned the ball over from the kick-off, going on the offensive with hard running lines and offloads coming from all over the park. This led to Jake Howe scoring and converting his try after just six minutes.

Six minutes later and the away side went out wide for the ever-improving and thoroughly determined Dylan Becker crossing for the second try.

Eastbourne, clearly the better side, were guilty of taking their foot off the gas and not sticking to the plan that had rewarded them two tries and now conceded a soft try.

Rugby is the winner on special day.

Annoyed, Eastbourne immediately went on the attack and scored straight away with Ollie Horley scoring a superb try, just reward for an excellent start. Howe kicked the extras to take the score to 5-19 after 23 minutes.

Again, Eastbourne attacked and Ben Perrott crossed the line after some excellent inter-linking play from the backs. Jake Howe once again kicked the conversion.

From the restart, Ollie Horley scored a jaw dropping second try and Howe once again kicked the conversion.

Three minutes later, the Parisian fly swatter ‘Big Jeremy Montes’ handed off a number of players before crossing the line. Howe kicked the conversion and the half time score was 5-40.

Lewes started the stronger in the second half and crossed after seven minutes. Eastbourne, now awake and going at the home side, quickly scored another team try, finished off and converted by Jake Howe after two very good sidesteps to score under the posts.

Lewes scored after a quiet period in the game with both sides feeling the pinch at the end of a long season and having to make substitutions.

Konrad O’Neill crossed for Eastbourne with another long ranging, powerful run.

Soon after, Ben Perrott was in for his second try after he received the ball from the ever improving and very promising Gianluca Bianchi, for Ben to shake off two players and very coolly kick ahead and dive on the ball to score.

Now this conversion was taken, and missed, by the retiring stalwart of the club Tom Redman.

Tom has been a fine servant to the club and regularly a stand-out player for the last 15 years in the first team. He has played in multiple positions and skippered the club on many occasions. He will be sorely missed, and deserved the standing ovation he received when substituted with five minutes to play.

The game was finished off in style by Howe, once again scoring and converting, to finish the game with a landslide victory of 15-64.

Lewes didn’t at any point give up and kept on at Eastbourne for the full 80 minutes, so this was a fine display by the new young side.

It shows how much potential this side has as they go into the off-season. The first team couldn’t wait to get back to the club house and celebrate with the Nomads who dispatched Littlehampton to win the league in style.

MoM was awarded to Ollie Horley for a superb game in attack and defensive, with excellent communication from full back.

What a squad and club! A proud day for all involved.

Eastbourne Nomads 34 Littlehampton 22

Eastbourne Nomads won the league in a a nine-try thriller.

It means Nomads win the Harvey’s Olympia Sussex 3 Championship by five points.

Nomads so close to glory.

Littlehampton are a powerful and experienced side who can score a lot of points when they get opportunities and Eastbourne were missing Stuart Sorrell, Glen Smith, Charlie Keen, Sam Wells and Adam Blennerhasset.

Eastbourne, attacking up the slope, openedd the scoring on four minutes with Jack Cowell’s hard running to score close to the posts, converted by Zak Hebron. Soon colt Cameron Burleigh ran a great line to score again close to the posts, converted by Hebron.

On 20 minutes more line breaks from Jack Hopins, Maximus Smith and Cowell resulted in Adam Nnochiri making a trademark bruising break to score an unconverted try out wide. Six minutes later Cowell’s second try (unconverted) to made it 24-0.

Complacency began to seep in and Littlehampton started to show scrum dominance with their larger pack, resulting in a converted Littlehampton try. Littlehampton scored an unconverted try and Nomads lost Jamie Keen to 10 minutes the sin bin.

Nomads had to dig deep to keep Littlehampton out, strong running and tackling from Tom Heffernen, Matt Saunders, Burleigh and Tom Snell kept Littlehampton at bay.

An excellent unconverted try by MoM Owen Jones gave Nomads a 29-17 lead.

Littlehampton forced their way over again but colt Stuart Baker had the final say.