Excellent away win avenges earlier defeat.

HEATH U17s: Freezing conditions, wet and windy weather and a two hour car journey up to Guisborough would usually mean dampened spirits amongst the Heath U17s players; however they had a record to set straight. In their first league match of the season Guisborough had beaten them, but Heath had not lost since and were determined to carry on their winning streak. Heath’s high motivation was clear from the kick-off, and it wasn’t long before they were given a free kick in front of the posts. Scrum-Half Peter Birkett took it quickly and ran it in strongly. The ball was then spun out from the ruck to Captain Stephen Hare, who spotted a gap in the defence and crashed over the whitewash. Sam Pollard then scored the conversion to make it 7-0 with only 5 minutes gone. However, this was not an indication of the strength of Guisborough, and straight from the restart they pressured Heath immensely, pinning them into their own 22. Both teams decided to take advantage of the strong winds and a kicking game soon developed, chipping cleverly into the corners whilst the backs chased furiously. In these conditions knock-on’s were inevitable and there were numerous scrums and line-outs. With regular Hooker James Wilkinson unavailable, Heath struggled slightly with the set pieces, although stand-in Hooker Brad Davies coped extremely well with the unfamiliar position. Guisborough soon found their rhythm and exploited the gaps through, with their off-load game, as they galloped down the pitch. They were eventually awarded a penalty in front of the Heath sticks and after a quick take the ball sped through the hands, allowing their winger to score in the corner, although the kick was not converted. 7-5 at half time. A surprise substitution then came in the form of the referee, who had to be replaced during the break as he had pulled a muscle. New Referee, new half and with 2 points in it everything to play for. Discipline seemed to be lacking slightly in the Heath ranks with a series of penalties being awarded to the hosts. Then, with a scrum under the Heath sticks, Guisborough’s centre ran through the defence to collect another try. After it was converted, the score stood at 7-12 to Guisborough. Despite this, Heath were not disheartened, and a cheeky chip by Centre Jack Sheldrake, who then collected it himself, put them near Guisborough’s try line and then a powerful pick-and-go from second-rower Richard Brambles allowed Heath to equalize. Heath then continued their momentum from the restart, and Ezra Hinchliffe sprinted from within his own half through countless defenders to score an outstanding individual try, which resulted in him being given the well-deserved accolade of Heath’s man of the match. Pollard then converted again, to make it 19-12 to Heath. Guisborough were still fighting though, and after yet another free kick in front of the posts they scored again, however they failed to convert, making the score 19-17. Pollard attempted to extend Heath’s lead, with a well-aimed penalty kick, but in a peculiar turn of events the wind stopped the ball in its tracks and it bounced off the crossbar and back into play. Both teams wanted it desperately, and Guisborough had a scrum by their own line going into the last play. Unfortunately, their scrum-half fumbled the ball and Birkett was quick to react, grabbing it and leaping over the try line, making the final score 24-17. Heath are now firmly at the top of the league table having beaten every other team, and look promising going into their next match, at home to Middlesborough.