Hove U15 Reds start the new season with victory against visiting Camberley.

After an extensive pre-season Hove U15 Reds finally kicked off their season with a friendly against visiting Camberley. Taking to pitch 3, this was the first time new set plays learned over the summer could be put to practise in a competitive environment and new recruits could get their first taste of competition in Hove colours with their new team mates.

Camberley commenced proceedings with both sides starting brightly wanting to assert some dominance on the game. These early encounters proved to be nervy for both sides with some early good running, but it was Hove who conceded the early penalties as they tried to get hand on ball.

Less than 5 minutes into the game Camberley almost got the first score, successfully getting running the ball over the game line only for a determined Josh C to hold the ball up and push it and the player over the dead ball line as Camberley tried to run in under the posts from the corner.

This early scare galvanised the Reds into action and it was Hove who scored first 8 minutes into the game with scrum half Harry sniping from the breakdown for the try. This was quickly followed by Camberley getting on the scoreboard at the other end making it all square after 15 minutes played. Some quick thinking by Josh C straight after the restart resulted in Hove's 2nd try, and after a free-flowing move initiated by fly-half Oli was driven across the line by Jez for the first of his 2 tries for the day.

His second coming from another free flowing move started with Alex picking up the ball from deep in his own half and the ball moving through the hands of Owen & Charles before finally being driven over the line by Jez. This time Oli successfully converted, taking the score to 17-5. However Hove were not having it all their own way with the forwards having to work hard to hold back a determined Camberley who finished the half with a penalty after a Hove infringement disrupted play. At halftime the score stood at 17-8.

Camberley came out fired up for the second half looking to deploy their superior mass and upping the physicality. Moving through multiple phases of play (crash ball) Camberley finally broke down the Hove defense using this period of sustained pressure to score two quick tries and a conversion to take the lead for the first time in the game at 17-22. The intensity continued with both teams committing bodies at the breakdown, thunderous tackling from Josh G and the forward pack looking to break up play, jackling from Leo and Rueben making valuable yards running at the opposition all helping to ease the pressure as Hove pushed up the field from their own 5m line and causing Camberley to knock on. A sniping run from the resulting scrum brought up Harry's 2nd try and the conversion put Hove back up with less than 10 minutes to go. Oli then backed this up with a coast-to-coast run from the kick-off slicing through the Camberley defense to score a solo try which he then converted to take the score to 31-22.

With Hove in the ascendancy time was running out to get more points on the board but this didn't stop Hove increasing the intensity and putting together some lovely flowing rugby with Alex bringing the ball across the halfway line from the kick-off before laying it off to Harry who in turn did the same to Chris before the ball moved through the backs and across the pitch gaining valuable distance and stretching the Camberley defense, however this move came to nothing as the ball was knocked on just shy of the 5m line. But Camberley were also not done and from the resulting penalty ran the ball back at Hove evading tackles and finally getting the ball down in the corner for their fourth try of the day leaving the final score at the whistle as 31-22.

Lots of positives to take from the game and this hard fought victory but also plenty to work on this coming Thursday in readiness for the next friendly against Horsham this coming weekend.