East Grinstead welcomed Horsham for a first friendly fixture of the season, looking to put into practice lessons learned from a good pre-season and early-season training.

Fast out of the blocks, East Grinstead put pressure on a disorganised Horsham side. Fast hands and strong running from Floyd Ashdown, Will Jolley and Will Blackburn saw the team race to a 24-0 lead before half time. Quick defence from Radley Minter and Beau Fitzgerald , combined with strong debuts from Harry Thompson and Brodie McMullan kept Horsham scoreless at half-time.

Horsham came back strongly in the second half, helped by a mystery debutant of their own (who usually plays in blue), they started to dominate the rucks and force a number of turnovers. East Grinstead’s defence held, only allowing a single try for the opposition.

A great start to the season and a good win with plenty to build on.

Tries
Ashdown, Blackburn 2, Jolley 2, Sullivan

Conversions
Blackburn 3, Sullivan