Hove vs. Tunbridge Wells

Hove vs. Tunbridge Wells (A)

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With a handful of first team regulars missing, this was always going to be an uphill task for Hove, considering Tunbridge Wells sat unbeaten in the league.
After leaving the sheds to warm up, there was a strong gale force wind blowing directly down the pitch. This meant one side would find it very difficult to get out of their own half using a kicking game.
Tunbridge Wells kicked off into with breeze behind them deep into Hove’s half. Unable to kick out of their own half due to the strong wind, Rob Biggs at 9 and player-coach Alex Robertson at 10 marshalled the forward pack well and Hove started to move the point of contact with strong forward carries through Declan Peake and Morgan Griffin; however the ball was knocked on in contact and a scrum to T. Wells was awarded.
T. Wells used their strong running 12 and mobile forwards to constantly get over the game line allowing quick ball for the number 10 to attack the Hove 13 channel. They scored two good tries offloading the ball out of contact, with the T. Wells 15 successful with his second shot at goal.
Hove then got back into the game with strong carries through Sam Whiting and Boyd Flavell in the centres. After committing a series of penalties in the red zone, the T. Wells number 13 was given a yellow card. Hove went to the corner; Declan Peake finding Freddie Henry well and the Hove 8 drove from the lineout. After multiple phases however, Hove were caught holding on in contact allowing T. Wells to clear their lines.
T. Wells scored three more good tries in the first half offloading the ball well in the windy conditions, the T. Wells 15 successful with two of his shots at goal. Half-Time and Hove trailed 31-0 with the wind behind them to come.
Hove kicked deep from the restart, however some weak tackling allowed T. Wells to get behind the Hove defence. After kicking to the Hove back three, Ryan Bhimji returned with interested and Hove were on the T. Wells 5M line. Tunbridge Wells worked the ball well, carrying hard and getting over the game line allowing any sniff of a Hove score to be averted.
After working the ball into the Hove half, T. Wells scored two more tries through weak Hove defence with their 15 knocking over one of the conversions. Hove did eventually get on the scoreboard (if not a bit fortuitous) after a Boyd Flavell offload went to ground, the ball was toed on by Sam Whiting and Rhys Garrish picked up the loose ball to score in the corner.
T. Wells had the final say however scoring in the corner; the conversion hitting the uprights. Final score T. Wells 48 Hove 5.
A tough day at the office for Hove, but congratulations to the three boys making their 1st XV debuts in: Rhys Garrish, Kyle Woolard and Korley Tetteh-Wright.

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Hove return to league action next week entertaining Deal & Betteshanger at the Rec. After coming away with a losing bonus point in Kent, Hove will feel that this is a fixture they can take the spoils from.

Hove: Maguire, Peake, Shergold, Buckland, Saunders, Robinson, Henry, Griffin, Biggs, Robertson, Walker, Whiting (c), Flavell, Patton, Bhimji Subs: Tetteh-Wright, Woolard, Garrish