London Two South East

Lewes 25

Old Midwhitgiftian 0

OLD Mitwhitgiftian failed to score as they went down to a five-try defeat against Lewes on Saturday.

Both sides were under strength for the fixture, but Lewes were still expected to win against the lowly Old Boys, who are currently propping up the division.

And Lewes piled on the pressure from the start, scoring after just seven minutes through No 8, Matt Ridley.

Mids responded well, winning some better field positions, and they were awarded a penalty after Lewes were caught offside. The kick was missed and Lewes were soon back on the attack.

However, it was not until the half hour that the hosts scored again, when a flowing move ended with winger Ryan Byrne crossing in the corner.

Mids then continued to defend stoutly and resisted any further score, going in at the break 10-0 behind.

But the lead was extended soon after half-time when prop George Dean drove over in the corner, following a home scrum in the Mids 22.

Mids responded well again though and enjoyed their best passages of play, launching some attacks on the home line, albeit without troubling the scoreboard.

And the home side capitalised by scoring another try after 56 minutes, when Byrne touched down following a smart move down the left wing. Fly-half Marty Campbell then closed the scoring for the home side minutes before the final whistle, condemning Mids to their 13th league defeat of a depressing season.

Mids remain bottom of the table after the defeat.

They are four points behind Deal and Betteshanger and six behind Tunbridge Wells.