Crowborough's second team came out on the wrong side of a 33-17 scoreline away at East Grinstead on Saturday, but nobody in a Crowborough shirt left anything out there. Every player put a shift in and played for the badge.

The afternoon started with selection problems. Frank Hanson and Keith Brooker both withdrew late, which meant a reshuffle of the pack before a ball had been kicked. Wil Rockall stepped in at loosehead, with Ollie Jude-Trailor moving from the front row to number 8 and Richard Flisik moving from 8 to hooker. Ian Barber came into the starting side in the second row at 5. The forwards who took the field got on with the job without complaint.

Conditions were not easy. It was a warm day and the ground was still hard after the long dry summer. The referee called a mandatory hydration break in each half, though team hydration officer James Kay barely stopped all afternoon, running water bottles on and off the field from first whistle to last. Team physio Holly Russell was kept just as busy, patching up the Crowborough players and keeping them going through to the end. Days like this don't work without people like James and Holly on the touchline.

The first try came from quick thinking by Ollie Jude-Trailor. Awarded a penalty 10 metres out, Ollie tapped and went while East Grinstead were still organising themselves, and Wil Rockall was on hand to finish. Ollie very nearly had one of his own too, breaking away only to be denied a try that would have capped a strong performance. Adam Churchyard then added Crowborough's second try of the half.

East Grinstead made the most of their chances, running in five tries and converting four of them. Their prop was the main threat, crossing twice, both times from a rolling maul.

Crowborough went in at half-time trailing 21-12, with Adam having converted one of the two first-half tries. East Grinstead edged the second half 12-5 with two more tries. The pick of them, and of the afternoon from either side, came when a turnover handed the ball to their centre deep in his own half and he produced a mazy run all the way to the line. Crowborough kept working, and Adam crossed for his second try of the afternoon, one in each half. He was the standout player on the pitch and a clear choice for man of the match.

One statistic tells part of the story. Crowborough did not have a single lineout throw of their own all game, which brings us to this week's Dick of the Day, Richard Flisik. He earned the award twice over. The first came with a pop pass straight to the opposition, delivered for no better reason than that they had called for it. Having spent much of the warm up practicing throwing in, he went the entire match without throwing the ball in once.

There was a special moment in the second half when Keith Davis came off the bench. Keith is 66 years old, and he replaced Ian Barber, who was making his return after an 11-year hiatus. Between them they show exactly what club rugby is about, and anyone who thinks they are past it should take note. Ian, welcome back.

At the other end of the age range, Henry Langton made his debut in men's rugby on the right wing. Henry picked up an injury towards the back end of last season as he was finishing his time in the Colts, so it has been a long wait. He joins Finley Vos, Henry Brooker, Adam Churchyard and Oscar Bover, all of whom came through last year's Colts and are now playing senior rugby for the 2nd XV. It is a real credit to the Colts set-up. Well done Henry, and here is to many more.

The result did not go our way, but the side was reshuffled at late notice, played in the heat on a hard surface, and never stopped working for each other. With a full-strength pack and some lineout ball to work with, the 2s will fancy their chances in the coming weeks.

The game was played in a really good spirit throughout, which made the way it finished all the harder. On the last play of the match the East Grinstead number 7 appeared to badly twist his knee, and the referee called the game to an end. He was taken to hospital for a check-up, and everyone at Crowborough wishes him well and hopes for a quick recovery. Thanks to East Grinstead for their hospitality and a competitive, good-natured game, and to the referee for managing a warm afternoon sensibly.

Man of the match: Adam Churchyard
Dick of the Day: Richard Flisik
Crowborough scorers: Tries: Adam Churchyard (2), Wil Rockall. Conversion: Adam Churchyard.

Next week the 2s travel to Haywards Heath.