Colchester battled valiantly in their final away game of the season on the south coast, edging the first half before ultimately succumbing 38-12 to a well-drilled Havant side.

Colchester’s efforts to retain their Nat 2 status have been badly hampered by a horrendous run of injuries. Interim head coach Mike Haywood estimated that 20 players were unavailable for this penultimate match of the campaign.

The already-depleted back line took on an even less familiar look as Jonah Varela pulled out on the day of the match with food poisoning, captain Danny Whiteman switching to centre and Haywood naming himself on the bench.

The boss afterwards made special mention of the two debutants, Rob Jack and Harvey Fenwick, both of whom have made rapid progress through the ranks.

“It’s tricky when you’ve got so many players out, but the positive is that it gives other guys an opportunity to play which is brilliant for us, looking to the future.

“Harvey was playing for the colts at the beginning of the season. He’s done a great job for us today, made a fantastic tackle and we got a turnover from it.”

Colchester were first to draw blood. A penalty kicked to the corner and line-out drive led to Sean Bundy muscling over. Havant were soon level, however, as their own maul created a try for Jacob Ashworth.

The hosts then took the lead, wing Will Perry getting the final touch to a backs move which included a hint of a forward pass.

Colchester were more than holding their own at this stage, and the lively Louis Martin, starting at fly-half, fed Callum Jeffery who was held up on the line.

The referee was playing advantage, and a quick tap by player-of-the-match Brett Cutbush saw the scrum half wriggle over, the Kiwi converting his own try to level things at 12-12 at the break.

Sadly, Colchester couldn’t keep the hosts at bay in the second half as Havant ran in four unanswered tries including two for Joel Knight.

It wasn’t one-way traffic, however. Fenwick sparked a move from inside Colchester territory, Ashton Webb hacked the ball on, and only scrambled Havant defence denied the visitors a try.

Webb, normally a back row forward but starting here on the wing, got through a ton of defensive work and exemplified the efforts of the numerous players in unfamiliar positions.
With relegation from level 4 confirmed last weekend, Haywood was delighted with the character shown by the players here.

“Some of these guys hadn’t played with each other this year and to go out and put in that performance is really positive for me. I don’t think the score reflects the match.

“The guys showed great character and it’s pleasing, looking forward to next season, what sort of group we have and what sort of character we have. We can build on that.”

Colchester’s final match of the season sees them entertain Canterbury at Raven Park on April 26th, with the team determined to give home supporters something to shout about.

There was success for the 3s who thrashed Halstead 93-7 in their Suffolk Silver Cup semi-final and now play Sudbury 2s in the final at Raven Park on the same weekend.