Owen Ashton once told the Argus he was taking a break from rugby to concentrate on sailing.

But his Haywards Heath colleagues had every reason to be thankful for his change of tack last Saturday. The 23-year-old utility back slotted the two penalties which gave the London Two South leaders a crucial 6-5 win away to their closest rivals Canterbury.

Ashton got his act together after missing four out of five to pop over the winning kick 12 minutes from time. He also took his season's tally to 144 and left Heath four points clear going into the festive break.

The former Exeter University skipper admitted: "It was probably my most dodgy game of the season for kicking. I normally kick better when the pressure is on. The previous week I got everything I kicked to help us win at Maidstone.

"We are in the box seat now because of all the away games we have played.

"It makes a difference to us to be playing at home in so many of our remaining games and that's why we are quite excited about the situation.

"I'm quite a confident chap anyway so I think we can win every game we have got left.

"We are out of the Tetley's Bitter Cup and we can't meet any teams from a league above us so I would be upset if we lost more than one game."

But then Ashton has been setting his sights high for years now, ever since he put rugby on the back burner and was selected for the British team in the world senior laser championships as an 18-year-old.

By that stage he was already a national champion at youth level and had been to Argentina for the junior world championships.

Having first played rugby at Haywards Heath at the age of five, he gave the game up for most of his teenage years, before getting the bug again when he arrived in Exeter. He was installed at the helm of the university's first team, succeeding Andrew Cook, his current Heath team-mate.

Ashton admitted: "I still sail but not as much as I would like to. It's quite an expensive hobby.

"I graduated as an engineer in July and I have been temping ever since but I start a proper job on January 2 designing lighting systems."

Although there is more to Ashton's game than goalkicking, that trusty right boot stands him in good stead when it comes to selection nights at Whitemans Green.

Heath learnt a harsh lesson on the opening day of the season when they wasted 11 points in simple kicks and lost 22-19 to a Midwhitgiftians side whose outside half slotted penalties from 40 yards or more.

Ashton was away at a wedding that day but has been more or less a fixture in Heath's subsequent sequence of nine successive league wins.

He said: "I have been on the wing lately which is not my favourite position. I prefer centre or fullback.

"We have got so many good players I seem to get shoved around the backs but I don't mind as long as I play."

When the Argus caught up with the teenage Ashton back in November 1995, he was looking ahead to his next sailing challenge and said: "I'm giving up rugby after Christmas so as to avoid the risk of injury."

He declared a liking for curries, beer, girls and U2 and was pictured next to a headline proclaiming: "Owen on top of the world."

That is not quite the case now. But top of London Two South will do quite nicely for the rest of the season as Heath set their promotion course.