Mistley 2 v Aldeburgh - 5th November

Mistley 41 Aldeburgh 32

It all started so well

The rain held off. We had a full team plus a couple of subs and another couple of guys from Ipswich YM along to help out. First starts for a couple of the new group of twenty something players who have joined this season. Plus a mate who was visiting who “was quite good but hadn’t played for a couple of years”. After a great start, the course of the game was altered by a series of unfortunate injuries.

The optimism was tempered by the fact that the Mistley pack was enormous. Aldeburgh would have to rely on quick ball and speed. Within five minutes they did just that. Our forwards were livelier, driving forward to the Mistley 22, forcing a couple of penalties. The ball was moved out to the visiting mate, standing in for the injured Ed Robson at fly half, who simply jinked through for the first try then calmly drop kicked the conversion. “Quite good”, eh. Maybe more than that.

The weight of the Mistley pack carried them deep into the Aldeburgh half. Brave defending held them up over the line which now leads to a drop out from the try line. The visiting mate put it into touch on half way. The next score came after ten minutes’ play when Aldeburgh had advanced to the Mistley 22 and gained a penalty. Exactly as last week, James Ledger took a quick tap and drove forward to score in the corner. The conversion was missed. The visiting mate had some limitations.

There was no getting away from the weight and power of the Mistley pack which led to the next score when they rumbled a maul over the line from a line out. Soon after, Aldeburgh got a chance to move the ball wider when Robert Poll, on the wing this week, collected a clearance kick, ran and kicked into the Mistley half. Ben Watts, new player at full back, led the chase. The ball was recycled and Robert placed a miss pass out to Adam Hateley, the other winger who used his pace and power to go over in the corner.

Towards the end of the half, after Mistley had deconstructed the Aldeburgh scrum, Aldeburgh still managed to get the ball away. A penalty for a high tackle was kicked to touch deep in the Mistley half. The Aldeburgh line out, which had been reliably effective last week but had been messy so far in this game, worked smoothly, providing quick ball to the visiting mate in some room. He ran through the Mistley defence from outside the 22 for his second try. However, in scoring the try he damaged a muscle and took no further part in the game. The conversion was missed but Aldeburgh held the lead by 22-5. Even without the visiting mate, it was a lead which we looked able to hold onto.

Almost from the restart we lost another player. Chris Berry, who had been making a forceful contribution in the second row, twisted his ankle and had to come off. The two Ipswich YM guys came on at that point. There still seemed little danger until an attacking kick by Mistley took an outrageous bounce away from the Aldeburgh defender and straight into the hands of a Mistley player who was able to dot down under the posts making the conversion straightforward.

Half time: Mistley 12 Aldeburgh 22.

Aldeburgh seemed unsettled by the injuries and the forced changes of position. Early in the second half, a Mistley centre suddenly emerged from some tight play near the half way line to have an unopposed run to the try line. The conversion took them to within three points.

Mistley continued to use their forward advantage with many phases of forward play, eventually grinding Aldeburgh down until another try was scored taking Mistley into the lead for the first time at 26-22. Then Adam Hateley had to depart, having injured his knee, swiftly followed by Lewis Wardell Bird with a bang on the head. Lewis had been having another quietly effective game in the back row. By now, we were relying on Mistley to supply a replacement.

It seemed that the luck was all going Mistley’s way when they finally put the ball out to their backs, a high pass was fumbled backwards, straight into the hands of a player looping behind which gave him the space to run round and score. With Mistley confident, their forwards dominant and Aldeburgh all over the place, it looked as though the last 15 minutes could be difficult.

Aldeburgh held in there. It was good to see our own subs making an impact. Lee Buckle literally so; Jono Overbury looking lively in the backs, including providing the try scoring pass to Matt Elias who demonstrated his adaptability by switching from prop to centre. This took the score to 31-27 to Mistley.

Robert Poll had also come off with a bad knee by now, leaving Aldeburgh a man down for the rest of the game. Despite everything, they bounced back. Jon Hunt, normally No 8 but playing in the backs today, put in a long, raking kick which was well chased resulting in an Aldeburgh line out on the Mistley 22. It was messy but eventually cleaned up with the ball provided to the backs. From the ruck, play switched left to new hooker, Elliott Clarke-Gifford, playing, he reports, his first match for twelve years. He saw a gap, put his foot on the gas and raced through to score from the 22. Unfortunately, an overeager Mistley defender also slid in from the opposite direction smashing into Elliott’s chest. Last seen with a beer in his hand in the clubhouse, he should be alright but he certainly took no further part in the match.

This took Aldeburgh back into the lead, albeit only by one point. There was still at least five minutes to play. Inevitably, play moved into the Aldeburgh half. Just as we seemed to have turned over a ruck in front of the posts to relieve the pressure, the referee blew for a penalty which was kicked to give the lead back to Mistley. Aldeburgh didn’t have much left. The Mistley juggernaut continued to roll until finally their huge prop collapsed over the line. The conversion took the score to 41-32 which was the final score.

It was a cracking game to watch. Great to see Aldeburgh come back into it towards the end despite everything but six injuries was too much to deal with.

Bury St Edmunds 4 v Aldeburgh - 29th October

Bury St Edmunds 0 Aldeburgh 44

A splendid afternoon for Aldeburgh

Sunny day, good pitch, full squad, new players, old hands returning, evidence that at least some had been to training, Aldeburgh totally dominant throughout, eight tries and a clean sheet.

Although Paddy Allen, head coach, was concerned in the first few minutes that the Aldeburgh team looked lethargic, he did not need to worry. Bury hardly got out of their own half at any point in the match. The Aldeburgh scrum was on top from the start, pushing Bury back every time. Lewis Wardell Bird, who had a fine first season with Aldeburgh in the back row last year, moved forward to prop where he had a big impact on the solidity of Aldeburgh’s pack. He still managed to make his presence felt in open play.

Aldeburgh also dominated the line outs with new flanker, Toby Mann, as the main line out jumper, collecting accurate throws from hooker, Jon Taylor, and feeding straight from the top to new scum half, Phil Curran. Quick, clean ball from line outs has been missing from Aldeburgh’s game for a while.

Despite Aldeburgh’s pressure, Bury defended stoutly all afternoon. It took 15 minutes to break down their defence. From an attacking line out, prop James Ledger, who had already made some of his powerful runs, burst through and over the line. Ed Robson converted from wide.

There was strong running from the forwards. In addition to James, Club Chairman, Lee Barber playing second row, had the satisfaction of bouncing a Bury forward backwards. The other tight forwards were also making themselves felt, both in runs into contact and linking up passing moves with the backs. It was good to see the confidence develop during the game that they could make progress by moving the ball.

About 20 minutes into the half, the Aldeburgh backs began to assert themselves. The ball was moved quickly to outside centre Jake Taylor (playing in the same team as his Dad) who sold a superb dummy to break the line and score.

After yet more pressure, No 8, Jon Hunt, last season’s top try scorer, got this season’s account off the mark with a pick up and go from the base of the scrum using his power to force his way over.

At the 35 minute mark, fly half, Ed Robson, took matters into his own hands. Receiving the ball from a scrum on the Bury 22 he weaved through the opposition without them laying a finger on him for a superb try.

Half time saw Aldeburgh leading comfortably 22-0 with a sense that the lead could be stretched considerably in the second half.

Nevertheless, Bury continued to tackle hard, defending with spirit. Aldeburgh started to win penalties, taking them quickly and driving forward, Jon Hunt leading the way. Another dominant scrum in the Bury 22 gave scrum half, Phil Curran, the opportunity to escape the cover and dot down.

Bury’s deep kick off was taken well by Adam Hateley, having another fine game on the wing, who made good ground, passed to Ed Robson, whose kick was chased by Barnaby Knight on the other wing. He tackled the receiver, the forwards powered in and won the turn over, the ball was moved quickly through several hands to Jon Hunt who broke two tackles to score. A thrilling piece of play.

Having said that, the try of the match was still to come. After winning a scrum against the head, the ball came out to Danny Collett at inside centre who popped up a perfect pass to fellow centre Jake Taylor, taking a superb line to scythe through the Bury defence. Danny said afterwards that they had seen the possibility in the first half and had been waiting for the opportunity to spring the move.

The final try came, like the first, from one of James Ledger’s signature storming runs. This time he had the presence of mind to take a quick tap penalty and there was no stopping him.

After 30 minutes of the second half, Ed Robson was forced off with an injured foot. Perhaps Aldeburgh were tiring a little too as Bury began to gain ground. It was good to see the determination to keep a clean sheet, exemplified by Rupert Clogg at full back chasing back to gather the ball just short of the Aldeburgh line, take the contact and hold the ball up long enough for the forwards to get back in support.

There was also a determination to keep attacking. The final move of the match included a strong run from hooker Jon Taylor whose pass Danny Collett juggled over the line and lost. The final whistle saw him beating the ground in frustration.

The players clearly enjoyed the match, not just because it was a crushing victory but because they were playing good rugby and everyone was getting involved. There will be tougher opposition this season but with performances like this Aldeburgh can make a strong showing in the league.

Aldeburgh v Mersea II - 17th September

Aldeburgh v Mersea II

Queen’s Field

Result: Aldeburgh 19 Mersea 50

O to be in Aldeburgh (or more specifically at the Queen’s Field)… …now that September’s there. A good crowd, a full squad, a well-matched opposition, sunshine and camaraderie and a surprisingly moving minute’s silence for Her late Majesty all contributed to a splendid start to the season. The only thing missing was a win.

From the start, there was strong running from both sides. Well-matched, contested scrums saw pick ups by the Aldeburgh No. 8 and new captain, Freddie Burgess, switches of play by ever-reliable scrum half Jed Gallant and probing kicks by fly half Ed Robson. Ed followed up one of his kicks with a brilliant tackle on the Mersea line, leading to a 5 metre scrum but eventually Mersea cleared their lines.

After ten minutes cut and thrust, we saw the first strike from the Mersea rapier, when Aldeburgh ran out of tacklers and their left wing raced down the touch line to score. An immediate response saw Aldeburgh making a move at the front of a line out ten metres from Mersea’s line. A high tackle gave another penalty from which James Ledger powered over for the first try of the season. The conversion was missed to bring the scores to 5-7.

The rest of the first half was filled with competitive rugby – strong running from the forwards, lively movement from the backs but no real penetration from either side. Perhaps there were signs of early season rustiness in some of the failures to link up to keep continuity.

After 30 minutes, Aldeburgh suffered a couple of injuries. Robert Poll, full back, twisted his knee as he was about to set off on one of his mazy runs. A minute later, James Ledger took a bang on the head which ended his involvement in the match. Aldeburgh continued to be competitive until a minute before half time when Mersea broke from the half way line with a searing run to the line which was converted. Half time score 5 – 14.

A close, competitive first half gave no indication of what was about to come. Within four minutes of the start of the second half, Mersea had scored two blistering tries. The first started in their own 22 with their centre who ran through the entire Aldeburgh team to score in the corner. In no time, the left winger raced down the touchline for another try. Suddenly, Aldeburgh were down by 5 -26.

They surged back by playing to the strengths of their forwards. The bludgeon came out to counter the rapier. A series of forward charges by Aldeburgh led to an outbreak of ‘handbags’ showing just how competitive the game was. Another penalty to Aldeburgh was tapped and run. From a ruck on the line, back row Aonghus Anderson twisted over to touch down. In the blustery wind, Ed Robson had the presence of mind to drop the conversion.

More pressure from Aldeburgh. A fine run down the touchline by winger Ollie Pick nearly resulted in a try but the ball was ripped from him on the line. Aldeburgh were awarded a series of penalties until Freddie Burgess powered over for his first try of the season. The conversion brought the score to 19 – 26. Could this be an omen? The year of the Queen’s birth. Were we about to see a long and glorious reign?

Unfortunately not, as the game went on, the speed of the Mersea backs tore holes in the tiring Aldeburgh defence as they ran in a further four tries to record a final score of 19 – 50.

The whole Aldeburgh team, including subs, put in a tremendous effort. Ed Robson had a splendid game at fly half. However, they would be the first to admit that on the day they were beaten by a better team and, more harshly, they were not fit enough. Despite that, hopefully they all enjoyed a cracking game, a good match tea (courtesy of Tristan Revell, former captain, currently injured) and a social time in the clubhouse.

(Thanks to Paul Walkden and Charlie Burgess for their contributions to this report.)