Ely travelled to the newly renovated Ipswich YM for their latest league fixture, still in search of their first win of the season.
The Tigers started brightly, with Tom Green crossing for the opening try and Matt McCarthy adding the extras. Luke Turner then powered over for a second, extending the lead to 14-0. A handling error gave YM a way back, narrowing the score to 14-5.
Ely responded strongly from a lineout deep in YM territory, with Lee Thompson crashing over and McCarthy converting to make it 21-5. YM struck back with two quick tries — one from a fortunate bounce after a clearance kick — cutting the gap to just two points at the break, 21-19.
The second half saw both sides battle hard for territory. YM edged ahead with an unconverted try before Ely’s Jordan Barnes went over in the corner, McCarthy narrowly missing the conversion. An intercepted pass gifted YM another converted try, taking them 31-26 ahead.
With time running out, Ely showed their resilience as Turner grabbed his second try of the afternoon. McCarthy’s conversion nudged the Tigers in front 33-31. But in dramatic fashion, YM were awarded a penalty in added time — successfully kicking three points to snatch a 34-33 victory.
Final score: Ipswich YM 34 – 33 Ely Tigers