Ely Tigers faced Southwold at the Cambridge Commodities Park, in conditions that Ely normally face on the Suffolk coast with a strong breeze blowing across the pitch, again this season the Tigers were forced to make changes to the starting 15, but it was the visitors that were forced into a change inside the opening 10 minutes due to injury , it was Ely that troubled the score board soon after, with 13 minutes on the clock Archie Bell crashing over the line in the corner, leaving a difficult conversion for Matt McCarthy, who watched his kick come off the upright, the second try came soon after, following a line out in the Southwold corner, with Ely winning the ball and driving over the line for Bell to score his second try, McCarthy was unable to add the conversion as Tigers took a 10 point lead.
The opening 20 minutes saw Southwold struggle to get to trouble the Ely back line, but the one chance they got they pushed back the Ely scrum on to their own back line to score their first try, and by adding the conversion, all of a sudden Tigers lead was only three points, The try lifted “Wold”, as they picked up the lion share of the game, as the moved the ball around the pitch, however it was Tigers that scored next, with a strong break from Captain, Jim Storey, with Ely picking up the ball to drive forward, the ball was passed out to Tom Green who proved to powerful for the home defence to score, but again came the visitors from a Ely scrum deep on the Ely back line, they were pushed back on their try line for the match official to award a penalty try for the visitors, which meant only a 1 point lead for Tigers
As half time approached Ely were awarded a penalty in front of posts, with McCarthy opting to kick for the points, the ball went through the uprights to add the three points as Tigers lead 18-14 at the break
The second half started much like the first, with both sides unable to get a grip of the game, with the “Wold” scrum gaining them yards as they pushed back the home side when they got the chance, after some pressure on Tigers that had the chance to extended their lead, with the award of penalty, Tigers opted to kick for the points once more, but the cross field wind pushed the ball to the left of the uprights, from the “Wold real start Ely went on the attack, with three or four probes close to the try line, finally Rhys Williams Goldman found a gap to score, with the conversion added, from another penalty awarded to Ely they were able to cross the line once more, moving the ball from right to left, finding Adam Tallack out on the wing to score, again the wind proved too much for the conversion to be added, final moments saw Ely down to 14 as two try scorer, Bell, was shown a yellow card, during this time Southwold scored a try as they pinned back Tigers on the try line, with the added try, the Tigers lead 30-21, as the game was coming to a close it was the home side that added to the scoreboard, still a man down, as Mitch Kennett, capped a man of the match performance with a try, from a penalty awarded in a dangerous position, again the wind proving to much for the conversion to be added, there was little time for the restart as the referee blew for full time, as Tigers recorded only their 4th win of the season
The side are next in action on the 7th December when they travel to Saffron Walden.
Photo – Two try scorer, Archie Bell
