Heathfield edge past Crowborough in controversial close contest

A good crowd, eleven tries, the lead changing hands and a touch of controversy all made for a fine afternoon’s entertainment.

Heathfield started brightly as the visitors’ lineout misfired twice producing tries for Jay Massey-Taylor and Sam Walley. However Crowborough dominated the rest of the second half with some excellent back play. Tries for Joe Chapman and Connor Hand were both converted by Jared Herman.

Heathfield did have one chance but a short range tap penalty was fumbled and Crowborough wing Will Pitman picked up the loose ball to take the ball to the other end.  From the resulting lineout Ed Croft dived in for the third try.

The second half started poorly for Heathfield as Massey-Taylor received a team yellow and Herman knocked over the resulting three points. Soon afterwards Joshua Jarvis was on the end of some good handling for another converted try.

At 12-31 Heathfield’s chances were not looking good but veteran Ollie Smith had come into the front row as a replacement and thereafter the home scrum became the dominant force in the game. With Crowborough on the back foot Tom Tingley charged over from some way out for a try. Soon Walley doubled his tally on the day on the end of some good handling.

At 26-31 Heathfield were right back in the game but Crowborough struck back with a well-worked move from a lineout for a try by Jarvis. A yellow card for Crowborough’s Chapman will not have helped their scrum who then conceded a push-over try to give Walley his third on the day (33-36) with barely five minutes left on the clock. This was compounded by a yellow for Erol Munoz for a high tackle.

Crowborough were afterwards unhappy at the official’s decision to then recall Munoz rather than go to uncontested scrums. With two extra men Heathfield hammered away, spurning penalty chances to draw the game, and in the last play Dylan Parsons touched down in the left hand corner to decide the contest.

On Sunday Heathfield Ladies lost to Beckenham Ladies in a Championship 2 game. Heathfield are the only team to have beaten Beckenham this season but the double never looked likely. After two home tries in the first half Heathfield did briefly come back into the game with a Carol Saunders try, converted by Megan Plane. However thereafter Beckenham were too efficient and scored three more tries without answer to confirm their status as league champions.

Heathfield men finish their league campaign with a visit to league strugglers Charlton Park (25 Apr 3.00) while the Ladies also play on Saturday at home to Hampstead.