Henley Hawks 20-13 Havant 

By Alistair Beynon

On a day where Dry Leas welcomed back close to one hundred former Henley players, the Hawks secured an important victory in the context of their season as a whole with a narrow 20-13 triumph over a well-drilled Havant side.

With a difficult run of fixtures to finish the 2024/25 campaign, Henley knew that a victory was essential if they are to finish within the top six, and they just about did that thanks to first half tries from captain Rory Mason and Spencer Hayhow, along with 10 points from the boot of Max Titchener. 

Havant have been a difficult nut to crack for many teams this season, and it was the away side who started the game on the front foot, spending the entire first quarter camped in the Henley half. In truth, they will have been disappointed that it was only an 11th minute catch and drive try for hooker Cameron Boa that was all they could show for their early dominance. But Henley's defence held firm and rebuffed further advances into the hosts 22. 

To their credit, the Hawks slowly wrestled back the initiative, and a Max Titchener penalty went narrowly wide on 15 minutes. Undeterred, Henley kept plugging away with both Toby Howe and George Wood making good breaks into the visitors half, but a combination of poor handling and discipline gave Havant the opportunity to relieve the pressure. 

Henley eventually got themselves on the scoreboard close to the half hour mark when Mason spotted a gap close to the posts to power his way over. TItchener converted and the scores were level at 7-7. 

With Havant captain and danger man Joel Knight in the sin bin for a dangerous tackle on Wood, the Hawks quickly capitalised on their numerical advantage and were soon back on the attack. An excellent kick from Titchener into the Havant 22 gave Henley an opportunity to take the lead, and they made no mistake when Spencer Hayhow was the man to cross the whitewash following a powerful driving maul. Titchener converted again and Henley went in at the break with a narrow 14-7 lead. 

The second half was a cagey affair with both sides guilty of poor discipline and mistakes. Henley fashioned several opportunities to extend their lead early on, but their decision making went awry when they needed it most. Turning down kickable penalties in favour of the lineout option was also proving to be the incorrect decision, as the away side turned the ball over on more than one occasion. 

Coming to their senses and realising that taking the three points on offer was the most sensible course of action, both Titchener and Knight exchanged penalties twice, giving Henley a 20-13 lead heading into the final few minutes.

However, there was still a little drama left in proceedings as Havant had another penalty with the clock ticking over into the red. With Knight looking like he had found touch just 5 metres out from the Hawks line, Henley scrum half Aidan Pugh managed to keep the ball in play with an acrobatic leap. This gave Wood the opportunity to clear the ball out to signal the end of the contest and secure a vital four point victory for the hosts. 

Whilst it may not have been a game that will live long in the memory of those present, it was encouraging to get back to winning ways following last weekend's defeat in Guernsey. Next up for Henley is the trip to old friends and rivals, Canterbury this coming Saturday, March 22nd. Kick-off at the Marine Travel Ground is 3pm. 

HENLEY

Titchener, Richardson (Jones 76), Wood, Webb, Gordon, Howe, Pugh, Bailey (Robertson 79), Hayhow, Mason, Goodison, Lunnon (Poiner 66), Lowe, Noone, Wallis-Downham

Reps: Robertson, Kinniburgh, Jones, Poiner, Langley

Tries: Mason 28, Hayhow 38

Conversions: Titchener 29, 39

Penalties: Titchener 61, 70

HAVANT

Griffin, Carr (Phillips 16), Dugan (Carr 42), Knight, Wise, Lewis, Holt, Hankins, Boa (Shepherd 68), Shpylka (Stoffel 64), Parkins, Young (Saunders 64), Ashworth (Cleeve 55), Dugan, Read

Reps: Stoffel, Shepherd, Saunders, Cleeve, Phillips

Tries: Boa 11

Conversions: Knight 12

Penalties: Knight 67, 78

Star Man: George Wood (Henley)

Referee: Rebecca Piddlesden

Attendance: 285

Halftime scoreline: Henley 14-7 Havant

Match photos courtesy of Andrew Turner available here.