Ely Tigers suffered a stoppage time defeat in the A142 derby at Newmarket in a dramatic contest that swung both ways throughout the afternoon.
The game got off to the perfect start for the Tigers as captain Joel Scott Paul opened the scoring. Tom Gunbie added the conversion to give Ely an early lead.
The home side responded quickly to level the scores, but Scott Paul struck again for his second try of the match. Gunbie added the extras once more before Mitch Kennett crossed for Ely’s third try, with Gunbie maintaining his perfect record from the tee.
That gave the Tigers a healthy advantage, but Newmarket battled back to reduce the gap before edging in front with a penalty. Ely responded through Gunbie, who slotted a penalty of his own to restore the lead before half time.
The second half saw Newmarket regain the advantage with a converted try to move ahead once more. Ely continued to fight and Gunbie crossed for a crucial try to level the scores at 29–29.
With the match deep into injury time, Newmarket found one final attack and crossed for the decisive score, sealing a 36–29 victory.
The result leaves Ely in the bottom three with one league fixture remaining, as they travel to West Norfolk for the final game of the season.
Photo : Man Of The Match George Hay
Steve Wells @rugby__tog photographer