Buckers, the Burgess Hill and Uckfield U16s, signed off with a strong victory in their final game of the season. Facing Guildford B for the second time this year, Buckers ran out 46-17 winners with a superb second half performance, following a tight and cagey first half.

In the sunshine of Poveys Close, Buckers got off to a good start playing up the hill, with scrum half Herbie finding a gap to score the game’s first try early on after some good phase play. 

Following this the game opened up and saw some good competition at the breakdown. Guildford scored the next try to tie up the scores before Charlie and Riley went over in quick succession after strong running lines to open up a 17-5 lead.

As the game got stretched towards the end of the first half, Guildford started finding gaps out wide, using tactical kicks to exploit the space left by Buckers. The pressure finally caved, with the visitors scoring two tries at the end of the first half to tie the game 17-17.

Going downhill in the second half, Buckers used the slope and territory to apply pressure on Guildford in their 22. This resulted in a series of scrums – a real strength throughout the game with Buckers winning a number against the head – and ultimately the next try when Jenson picked up from Number 8 and found a gap 5m out.

The pressure remained, with more space opening up in the centres for the likes of Charlie, Riley and Ethan. After some good work at the breakdown, providing quick ball and good handling throughout, Charlie broke through 22m out to score his second and Buckers fifth try of the game, with Nathaniel adding the extras.

At 29-17, Buckers kept their intensity up and were relentless in attack, with Charlie scoring his hat-trick try, before Ethan went over twice to make it 46-17.

Guildford had attacking opportunities late in the game, notably with a lineout 5m from the Buckers try line, however, the defence held strong and forced another turnover to end the game.

With exams fast approaching, this marked the last game of the season for a Buckers squad that has developed hugely across the season. In September, the two squads came together, not knowing each other and have since become a cohesive unit, playing some fantastic rugby and demonstrating the spirit of the game in bounds.

A massive thank you to Guildford for travelling down to Poveys Close for the game, which in reality was more competitive and closer than the scoreline might suggest. We look forward to making the trip to Surrey early next season.

They end the season with more wins than either team had in previous seasons, as well as developing a clear identity and positive environment – a fantastic feat for a squad that has only been playing together for seven months. This will put them in a good place as we look ahead to Buckers joining the Colts league next season – the first Colts team involving Burgess Hill for nearly 15 years.

The boys deserve a huge amount of praise for the way they have approached this season, turning the uncertainty of the summer into a season with lots of memorable wins and performances.

A big thank you as well to all the parents and those that have supported the team from both clubs - with more travel between Uckfield and Burgess Hill to make the joining of the two clubs the success it has been. Finally, a shoutout to the coaches Harry, Adam and Tom, who have all bought into the Buckers way and enabled the squad to achieve what they have.

Here’s to Buckers taking on the Colts league next season!