Atrocious weather greeted the teams at a windswept and wet Whitemans Green as Heath welcomed mid table KCS Old Boys looking to record back to back home wins in the league.

Not for the first time this season things didn't start well for Heath with the big KCS pack off to a flyer and driving over for the opening score within five minutes of kick off.

KCS reclaimed the ball from the restart and continued to put the Heath defence under pressure although the Heath tacklers were equal to the task and eventually forced a penalty to clear their lines. Heath had the upper hand in the tight and from a scrum only 15 metres out skipper Wilf Bridges, playing at inside centre, dinked a grubber kick past the onrushing defenders which fellow centre Jack Lucas chased through and dived on for an opportunist try. Tom Wharton converted for 7-7.

Playing with the benefit of the slope and the wind, KCS continued to apply pressure on the home side with their number eight making metres on regular occasions and on the half hour a second try put the visitors 7-12 up.

However, resolute Heath defence continued to hold the the KCS attacks at bay and it was the home side who were next to score with three points from a Wharton penalty reducing the deficit to 10-12.

Having reached half time within touching distance of their opponents, Heath turned up the heat after the break playing clever rugby pinning KCS down in the bottom corner of the pitch and forcing them to try and play out. Tenacious when tackling and fiercely competitive at the breakdown, the Heath pack refused to give the visitors any time on the ball and when Bridges tried to burst his way through the the defensive line he was supported by his forwards, who drove over the line with Seb Broster emerging having scored his first senior try for the club and put the home side in front for the first time at 15-12.

Heath were now in the ascendancy with their dogged defence forcing turnovers. A long kick from Chris Neill at full back was recycled by the Heath pack allowing Wharton to make a half break before offloading to the supporting Bridges who then fed winger Takhy Ndiaye Marrerro to score wide left for a Heath lead of 20-12.

Heath was now full of confidence and determination and an accurate kick from Wharton pinned the opposition down trying to defend their own lineout on their own 22. The throw wasn't straight and from the ensuing scrum another break from Bridges saw him pass to Lucas, who offloaded to flanker Tom Bishop to fly through the gap to touch down and seal the bonus point win with four tries on the scoreboard at 25-12.

This was a real old school performance from Heath against a decent KCS side who couldn’t match the intensity of the home side who scrapped for every bit of possession and played intelligent rugby by continually sticking the ball in behind the opposition pack and making them try to exit against the wind. Next week sees Heath 1st XV away at Trinity and the Heath Rams heading to Eastbourne.

Heath 1st XV Squad: James Fleming; Will Purdy; Euan Greaves-Smith; Harry Clarke; Ellis Dubois; Josh Pope; Tom Bishop; Otto Serjeant; James Buttle; Tom Wharton; Gabe Moore; Wilf Bridges (Capt); Jack Lucas; Takhy Ndiaye Marrero; Chris Neill; Seb Broster; Jack Bull; Roscoe Atkins