There were three minutes remaining when the champions unveiled the latest line in rugby leisurewear.

Big Nick Dinsdale squeezed into a T-shirt bearing the words "Heath Five Cups In A Row" and paraded down the touchline as if it was a fashion show catwalk. The writing was already on the wall by that stage, thanks largely to Dinsdale and his fellow Heath forwards.

But Worthing will look back at events between the 23rd and 25th minutes of Sunday's final and wonder how close they might have pushed the holders without a massive triple setback.

In no more than a couple of minutes, they lost skipper Mike Imrie injured, had hooker Del Howard sent-off and conceded a soft try which Jon Graham converted from wide out.

That left them 10 points and one man down and ended any real hopes of breaking Heath's record-breaking reign, which stretches back to 1996. In the end a try count of 6-3 was a reasonable reflection of events at a chilly Stanley Turner Ground as Heath produced a display which was functional and highly effective but lacked the sparkle we have come to expect from them.

Heath have now strung together 20 straight wins in Sussex cup ties and have just completed their best league season, so they were entitled to a long night of celebration.

But neutrals in a crowd of around 600 could not help but wish Worthing had kept a full side on the pitch for 80 minutes. What had looked to be an intriguing contest, in which Worthing made the better start, became a one horse race when Imrie was forced off with damaged ribs and Howard was shown red, on the say-so of a touch judge, for head-butting.

They always say it's the longest and loneliest walk in the game and that was certainly the case for Howard, given that Lewes's pitch is a good 150 yards from the changing rooms. Howard's departure left Worthing in desperate straits in the scrummage, which must have been all the more galling given the way their full eight had shoved Heath off their first two put-ins.

Andy Ashwin's two penalty misses left them pointless from that bright opening and Graham's 35-yarder just had the legs to edge Heath in front. Then came Worthing's nightmare moments. A disconsolate Imrie was trudging off in search of an ice pack and Howard was seeking revenge as Mark Pymm charged down a clearance kick and raced away for the opening try.

Further touchdowns for Pymm and Andy Cook were ruled out for forward passes, but the first of those verdicts had little effect because Heath won the ball back at the scrum, allowing Dinsdale to score.

Worthing replied with a try either side of half-time. First Neal Weston intercepted Graham's pass for a score his display deserved, then Steve Imrie set off an arcing 30-yard run which took him away from Heath's pack and just inside the flag.

A close range rumble from lock Mark Skrypec further rewarded their brave effort but Heath always looked capable of responding with scores of their own. Dave Cook touched down from a scrummage drive and made the charge from which his skipper picked up a horrible low pass and grabbed his traditional try.

Andrew Cook rounded off the day's most eyecatching move, carving through untouched from full back after Graham had worked a clever loop move in midfield. That prompted Dinsdale to unveil his latest fashion item. He has tasted Heath's cup domination from both sides, having played a key role in their last two successes and done his best to derail them in the previous three seasons while with Horsham.

By contrast, scrum half Richard Hudson has been with the champions throughout their reign, so it was fitting he should plunge over for the final try. Hudson was playing his last game before retirement, so this was a perfect finale. On Sunday's evidence, however, his club's amazing success story is still a few chapters from its end.

Haywards Heath: A. Cook, Pymm, Benstead, G. Goodburn (Ashton 76), H. Goodburn, Graham, Hudson; Edwards (Cassidy 49), Killick (Jenkins 76), Sheppard, Devlin, Gander (D. Cook 50), Travis, Dinsdale (Arthur 61), Wattam.

Worthing: Coulson, Kimmer, Butler (Quirk 61), S. Imrie, Weston, Ashwin, M. Imrie (Palmer 23); Piggott, Howard, Bennett, Dove, Skrypec, Cox (DeBor 42), Newhouse (Wilcox 75), Fanning (Keith 26, Mills 61).

Referee: Richard Glynn-Jones (RFU Panel).

Heath scorers: Pymm T (24), Dinsdale T (33), D. Cook T (56), H. Goodburn T (61), A. Cook T (76), Hudson T (80), Graham 3C 3PG (16, 40, 66).

Worthing scorers: Weston T (35), S. Imrie T (52), Skrypec T (70), Ashwin 1C.

Sequence: 3-0, 10-0, 17-0, 17-7, 20-7 (HT), 20-12, 25-12, 30-12, 33-12, 33-17, 38-17, 45-17.