Jersey Colts V Haywards Heath

Another tough day in the office.

This penultimate Sussex League match was special in so much it  was a home game for Jersey Saltgate Colts. Visitors Haywards Heath proved to be a tough challenge and secured a convincing win.

Both sides had their moments and scored twice a piece during the first half. Jersey’s  Alex Neasham put in a powerful run to break the Haywards Heath line to go over. Just before the half time whistle Jersey scrum-half Jonty O’Sullivan with some clever footwork sped through the opposition defence to put the ball under the posts. Centre Fin Bennett’s kicking both from hand and off the tee was exemplary and he secured the extras. This left the  halftime score at 15-14 to Haywards Heath.

The start of the second half saw Haywards Heath utilise their ability to secure the ball and get it out to their wingers who showed impressive speed. Jersey remained dominant in the scrum and were impressive on the attack. However to Haywards Heath’s credit they remain a well drilled side, who were able to identify the gaps and break through. That’s not to say it was one way traffic as Jersey put up a strong defence and secured plenty of positive possession.

Haywards Heath showed their ability to keep hold of the ball and find the gap. This coupled with a fast pace on the wing allowed them to run over five times. The final whistle put the score at 48-14 to the visitors.

Jersey Colts Captain Shane O’Brien highlighted the amount of positive possession the team had and their ability to break the opposition’s defence.  He also praised the quick movement in the back line and the passion shown by all.

Coach Tim Grey said “ we always knew this was going to be a tricky fixture however the guys didn’t just slip into a defensive mindset but continued to take the game to Haywards”. I was impressed with the way the squad continued to take the game  to them and to their credit their heads never went down.

Coach Lewis Wynne said “ Whilst Haywards Heath fully deserved their win, it was tough on a solid Jersey side  having put so much into the game. I was impressed with the way they took the game to Haywards which is down to all the hard work on the training paddock .

The team remain grateful to their sponsors SALTGATE for their ongoing support, both on and off the pitch.

Shane O’Brien, Ze-Luca Piazza, Daniel Rodrigues, Jules Isherwood, Sebastian Braunspahn, Jenson Russel, Charlie White, Jonty O’Sullivan, Fin Bennett, Maxwell Harman, Alex Neasham, Archie Le Maistre, Zak Le Marquand, Byron Major, Dylan Ventura, Oli Walker, Casey Dunning, OB Racjan, Oscar England, Quentin Fevier, Austin Clarke.