London SE3 League
Sheppey 20 vs 3 Horsham

In horrendously cold conditions, wet underfoot and a biting wind, both teams did their best to entertain the few hardy souls who braved the elements to spectate, but the game was unsurprisingly riddled with handling errors and mistakes as the ball became like a bar of soap.
Horsham would have the slope and extreme wind advantage for the first half, from experience probably worth 15 points. From the kick-off Sheppey put themselves under pressure not clearing from their 22, and the visitors were immediately on the front foot. Aggressive clearing out at the breakdown by Horsham was a feature of the game, as their commitment to rucks and mauls was first rate. After just 5 minutes a penalty was earned close to the posts to give Horsham the lead 3-0.
A promising spell for the Islanders followed, Golding picked a good line to break free, and the supporting Varker was bundled out of play just short of the line. Just 10 minutes in a 2nd break out left through the backs saw Marsden given the ball out wide, and he finished well dragging 2 players over the line to score, and gave the home side a slim 5-3 lead. With Sheppeys line-out struggling, little profit was made from some good phases and positions.
Horsham dominated the remainder of the half, as Sheppey were forced to defend their line against the elements and repeated attacks. Led by man of the match McKinnell, whose tackling was fearsome at times, the home side utilised a defensive pattern that has proven key to their success this year, and seldom looked in great danger of leaking a try as organisation through the midfield always seemed to be in control. Horsham were to opt for a quick tap approach to try and maintain tempo, and spurned 3 opportunities to kick penalties which would have seen them into half-time with a comfortable lead.
Box would enter the fray early due to an injury, and was immediately into action at full back clearing loose ball with his strong running style and safe kicking. Dewis had a strong half, securing loose ball on a number of occasions and doing the hard yards when necessary. A Saturday night special missing by some distance from the Horsham prop saw him on the naughty step for 10 minutes. With both Wardzynski and Adams having excellent games, the omens looked good for a strong 2nd half performance with the advantages in Sheppeys favour. The half-time came with an amusing spectacle of a mad dash by players for 5 minutes respite in the changing rooms.
The 2nd half began well for the Islanders, with a string of forward grunts at the heart of Horsham eating up the yards to the line, with Spence and Smith getting close, allowed centre Willis to cannily sneak to the back of a ruck and force his way over the line for a good team try, and a 10-3 lead.
Horsham continued to make life difficult, showing great resilience and having the edge at the breakdown, committing themselves 100% to disrupt Sheppeys rhythm. However with the elements in their favour the home side would not be unduly threatened, and despite losing both Adams and Robinson to yellow cards, looked comfortable, adding a penalty to stretch the scores to 13-3.
With 10 minutes left and following several penetrating moves, John Kelly used his bulk to barge over the line, and the target of a 4 try bonus point win was a distinct possibility. However despite every effort, Horsham never yielded, and showed great character to deny Sheppey more points as the clock ticked down, to a final score of 20-3.
A bruising encounter, hard to envisage how Horsham have lost 10 games this season based on that performance, and despite not achieving the bonus point win Sheppey were pleased with the overall performance. With 2 weeks before the next match to work on the breakdown area and lineouts, and get key players back from injury, the 2nd position is still up for grabs as TW game against Folkestone was postponed.