In challenging conditions on a muddy, rain-slicked pitch, Haywards Heath U16s secured a gritty 12-7 victory over Worthing U16s in a hard-fought contest that demanded adaptability, resilience, and no small amount of determination from both sides.

The game began with both teams grappling for control, but the weather quickly played its part, turning the pitch into a quagmire and testing the players' handling and footing. Haywards Heath suffered an early setback when Heath was shown a yellow card just eight minutes in, leaving them temporarily down a player. Despite the numerical disadvantage, their defence held firm, buoyed by strong work in the loose from Carter McArragher.

Heath were once again down to 14 players as their discipline let them down, however the team responded strongly to avoid conceding any score whilst at a numerical disadvantage.

Worthing’s defence was equally tenacious, and strong crash ball running from the Worthing tight head in particular tested the Heath defence. It wasn’t until the 32nd minute that Heath broke the deadlock. A clever kick through by Jo Denslow caught the Worthing backline off guard, allowing Linus Tranter to capitalize with a break and set up Ty Hollands for a well-taken try. With the conversion missed, Heath led 5-0 at halftime.

The second half saw the weather deteriorate further, turning the game into an attritional battle. Both teams adjusted their tactics to cope with the conditions, but Heath adapted better, making effective use of tactical kicking to pin Worthing back. Their persistence paid off when a hack through from Toby Simpson was chased down, and excellent support play from Toby Morris set up Jonny Denbigh for their second try. The conversion pushed the lead to 12-0.

Worthing, to their credit, never gave up and managed a consolation try in the dying moments, narrowing the deficit to 12-7.

As the final whistle blew, both teams trudged off the sodden pitch, battered but unbowed. Whilst the conditions were tough, the match was played in the right spirit with excellent refereeing allowing the game to flow when possible. A hard-earned victory for Heath U16s was rounded off with a warm welcome back in the new state-of-the-art HHRFC Clubhouse at Whitemans Green where both sides enjoyed the fabulous new facilities.