East Grinstead Rugby Football Club

norfolk arms (Home) (L)

A week of dry weather made for excellent conditions and Grinstead made full use of them: playing the majority of the rugby, moving the ball at every opportunity and ruing only that they made such hard work of the first half.

It took 20 minutes for the scoring to start after the traditional ping-pong of sounding each other out up front and some inelegant territorial kicking by both sides.

It was a spell of home team pressure though that finally paid off, having spent some time in the visitor's 22, a poorly defended ruck allowed Lee Sands clean through on the Norfolk Arms full-back as he tried to clear the ball, successfully charging down the kick for Paul Mountain to be where every good open-side should - on hand to score the try.

Arms came straight back up-field and the first of a number of penalties conceded by G's at the scrummage had the visitors on the scoreboard. Ten minutes later, Arms were in front thanks to a well-worked try from the back-line.  A simple loop off the 12 and with Grinstead rushing instead of drifting, the visitors winger was over in the corner for the unconverted try.

G's at last woke up, increasing the work-rate off the ball, beginning to offload in the contact and with Anthony Jones and Gary Kellas starting to punch holes in the narrow channels, often getting beyond the gain-line and giving the backs go forward ball to run.

With minutes to go on the half, Grinstead attacked first one way the width of the field and then back the entire width, leaving the Norfolk Arms defence struggling to get across, before a trademark Ben Gray chip and chase was collected and he went in under the posts to give G's a 14-8 half-time lead.

Second half was all Grinstead with Barnaby Carter making his senior debut in the centre running strong, straight lines and providing a target for the forwards.

The introduction of Ryland Thomas didnt give the visitors any let-up with now two centres running hard and fast in committing the defence. Time and again G's had opportunity to run quick second phase ball and there were many occasions when they should have scored but the final pass went astray or a basic error let the visitors off the hook.

Gray's penalty was the only score until another spell of sustained G's pressure, with good continuity and support play by Ryan Foster and Rhodri Lewis finally had the excellent Carter on hand to release Jones for his try, converted by Gray.

Next week G's travel to Hellingly, intent on keeping the wining run going.

Squad: Hunter, Baptist, Carter, Ingham, Foster, Gray, Sands Lanaway, Jones A, Smith J, Holland, Kellas, Dewing, Mountain, Jones D. Lewis R, Thomas, Fulham, Morris.