It was a case of 'defeat snatched from the jaws of victory' for the Vets at East Grinstead RFC.
The weather and the reception were both warm on Saturday, with two sides very closely matched in all aspects (apart from maybe in the youthful appearance of some of the EGRFC players, as a few Hove supporters highlighted). So close, that despite strong scrummaging from the Hove forwards and Ash's efforts to ignite the back line, the score was 0-0 at half time.
Following the rousing team talk from Carl, suggesting we 'kick it less', things improved. After a period of defiance in our own 22 and some big tackles from Ben B & the back row, we turned over the ball and ignoring convention (possibly with Carl's words resounding in our ears) we ran with the ball with such panache that a casual observer may of mistaken us for the Fijian 3rds. The ball ended up in Dan's hands who raced up the touchline, handing off 2 covering players, scored under the posts and not a groomed hair out of place.
With the heat and numerous big tackles put in we were grateful for quality of the bench in Ollie, Craig, Alan and Stew as well as the support from the Beef regulars, Wellsy, Adam, & Martin. Many supporters were perplexed at the decision to issue a yellow card to Martin Jones for effectively standing still which reduced us to 14 players. Despite the deficit, the Hove defence was resolute and with all the forwards putting in a shift it enable some great bursts upfield from Mark at centre. Carl eventually found himself in a bit of space, could not resist his trademark dummy and made his way to score while being tackled on the line.
EGRFC then managed to secure some even more youthful substitutes and came back strongly with 3 tries of their own to lead the match for the first time. The final play was disappointing, with the opposition scrum half throwing the ball in to touch, but everyone left the pitch shattered but proud of how they played.