East Grinstead opened their pre-season campaign at Saint Hill with a spirited and competitive performance against a strong Kent 1 side, Beccehamian RFC. In a match full of intensity, creativity, and moments of brilliance, the Gs were narrowly edged 24–19 but showed plenty of promise for the season ahead.

First Half
The game kicked off at midday with both teams trading penalties and handling errors as they settled into the contest. The visitors struck first after 15 minutes, driving over from a maul to take a 5–0 lead (conversion missed).

East Grinstead responded with composure. Strong set plays and slick backline moves kept them in the contest, and in the 36th minute, Dante powered over from a well-worked maul. Luke’s conversion put the Gs ahead 7–5.

Moments later, skipper Rory Evans, making his debut as 1st team captain, produced a beautiful offload to send Oscar surging like a gazelle towards the try line—unfortunately stopped by a tackle and a yellow boot to the head. The Gs continued to press, and Dante broke through again after a slick passage of play to score his second try. Half-time saw East Grinstead deservedly leading 12–5.

Second Half
Both teams came out strongly after the break. At the 60-minute mark, Beccehamian finished a well-constructed move from a lineout, spreading the ball wide to score in the corner. Shortly afterwards, they were awarded a penalty try, taking the score to 12–17. Late in the half, they broke through again, extending their lead to 12–24.

East Grinstead refused to lie down. Immediately from the restart, they launched a near-instant attack, almost scoring from the kick-off, only to be denied by a forward pass. In the closing minutes, Noah produced a brilliant break, slicing through the defence before offloading to George, who crashed over for Gs’ third try. Noah converted, bringing the final score to 19–24.

It was a very closely contested match and the result could have gone either way. East Grinstead produced a very positive opener, displaying excellent teamwork, precise set pieces, and plenty of promise for the season ahead.