Cambridgeshire Dethroned, but sign off with a win

 🚐 @rugby__tog On Tour

🏆 Eastern Counties Tri-Counties 

📆 26th March 2025

Ely Tigers Rugby Club

The Eastern Counties Tri-Counties Cup for the 2024/25 season concluded with Norfolk being crowned champions, preventing Cambridgeshire from securing their fourth consecutive title as Cambridgeshire faced Suffolk at Ely Tigers Rugby Club.

Cambridgeshire selected players from Shelford, St Ives, Hertford, Cantabs, Ely Tigers, Saffron Walden, Sudbury, Oundle, Peterborough, and Huntingdon to form their 24-man squad, led by Head Coach Glen Remnant. and his coaching team, 

Cambridgeshire took an early lead with a converted try from Shelford’s Bradley Robinson, with Sudbury’s Finley Laing converting, after a stop-start beginning to the game. At 25 minutes, they doubled their advantage when Ely’s Luke Turner kept the ball in play, allowing Saffron Walden’s Kevin Lock to score Cambridgeshire’s second try. The conversion was not successful. Neither side was able to dominate the game, and as halftime approached, Suffolk scored a try but did not convert it. The score was 12-5 before the half ended, with Cambridgeshire needing to replace Turner due to a head injury.

In the second half, Camb scored their third try, with Ely's John Surbey making it 17-5. Soon after, Finley Laing added a fourth try and converted it moving the score to 24-5.

Replacement player Fraser Jones from Oundle’s scored Cambs' next try, with Finley Laing adding the conversion. A series of quick passes by Cambridgeshire resulted in another try under the posts, scorer to be confirmed, with Finley Laing making the conversion. Suffolk intercepted a pass deep in the Cambridgeshire half and scored under the posts, with the conversion added. Cambridgeshire then had a player sent off with a yellow card, reducing them to 14 men for the remainder of the game. The match ended with the final score at 38-10.

Yellow Cards Cost Tigers

 🏆 Counties 1 Eastern Counties

📆 22nd March 2025

🆚 Saffron Walden

Ely Tigers concluded their 2024/25 home season with a match against Saffron Walden. During the initial 15 minutes, neither team was able to assert dominance. However, Ely Tigers took the lead when Alfie Allen scored a try, with Matt McCarthy successfully adding the conversion at the 22-minute mark. The Tigers further extended their advantage shortly thereafter with an impressive play from captain Jim Storey. Following a swift reaction to a blocked kick from Paul Dewey, Storey kicked the ball towards the goal area and won the footrace to score a try under the posts, enabling McCarthy to add another conversion.

Jake Alsop

At the 31-minute mark, Walden achieved a breakthrough from deep within their own half following a successful scrum and scored under the posts. Despite this effort, they were unable to add the conversion.

Just before halftime, Ely Tigers scored again after several scrums on the Walden try line. McCarthy made a dive to secure the try, and the subsequent conversion bounced off the upright and fell goal side, resulting in a score of 21-5 in favour of the Tigers as they headed into the halftime break.

The second half began like the first, but the visitors dominated. Ill-discipline hurt the home side as Jake Alsop received a yellow card, leading to Walden's converted try. Despite being a man down, the Tigers scored with Luke Turner intercepting for a try, and McCarthy converting. Walden capitalised on a missed tackle, scoring but missing the conversion, narrowing the gap to 26-17. A successful penalty kick brought them closer at 26-20. Further penalties saw Tiger players Ryan Edgeworth and Ash Clark earning yellows, reducing them to 13 men. Walden seized the opportunity, scoring and converting a corner try to win 27-26.

Speaking after the game, head coach, Des Lloyd said “Result-wise, it wasn’t what we wanted, and losing by a single point on the last kick of the game is heartbreaking—especially after leading 21-5 at halftime. Unfortunately, discipline cost us. Three yellow cards in a game is unacceptable, and spending 20 minutes with 14 men—plus another 5-6 minutes with just 13—was ultimately what cost us the match. .

A Visit to Ron Jacobs Playing Fields

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🏆Eastern Counties Greene King Division One West

📆 15th March 2025

Thorney🆚Cantabs IIs

As the 2024/25 season concludes, a rearranged fixture at the Ron Jacobs Playing Fields provided an opportunity to visit Thorney Rugby Club as they competed against Cantabs IIs.

Currently positioned in second place, Thorney had a game in hand today, with a win enabling them to ascend to first place.

The initial attack of the match saw Thorney cross the try line under the posts, followed by a successful conversion. Following a line-out on the left side, deep within Cantabs territory, Thorney shifted the ball to the right, scoring again and adding the conversion to lead 14-0.

In the 11th minute, Thorney scored once more from another Cantabs line-out, deep in their own half, crossing the line effortlessly and successfully converting to lead 22-0. By the 22nd minute, Thorney achieved their fourth try of the afternoon, again under the posts, and added the conversion to extend their lead to 28-0.

Cantabs were compelled to reorganise due to injuries, leading to Thorney scoring another converted try at the 28-minute mark. Two minutes later, Cantabs succeeded in crossing the try line after several penalties near it, managing an additional conversion to bring the score to 35-7. Approaching halftime, Thorney found the opportunity to score again with a converted try, thus extending their lead to 42-7.

The second half commenced with the home side continuing their offensive efforts, resulting in a converted try. This was swiftly followed by another converted try, pushing their lead to 56-7. They surpassed the 60-point threshold with another try under the posts, although the conversion attempt was unsuccessful as the ball hit the wrong side of the uprights.

Each subsequent attack from the home side appeared poised to result in a score; their next effort culminated in a try under the posts. However, they failed to add the conversion as the ball bounced off the upright, solidifying their lead at 66-7.

Cantabs returned to the scoreboard with a quickly executed penalty that allowed them to identify gaps and score a converted try, concluding the match with a final score of 66-14.

The win saw Thorney climb to top stop on 73 points, 2 ahead of 2nd place Shelford III, sitting on 71 points, both sides have two league games left of this season

📷 Steve Wells

Silverware for Norfolk following a win

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🏆 Eastern Counties Tri-Counties Cup

📆 12th March 2025

Suffolk 🆚 Norfolk

Norfolk played their second fixture in the Eastern Counties Tri-Counties Cup against Suffolk at Bury St Edmunds. After beating Cambridgeshire at Wymondham, a win for Norfolk would secure the 2024/25 season's silverware and prevent Cambridgeshire from claiming it for the fourth consecutive season.

Suffolk's team, led by Head Coach Zac Sutton, included Backs Coach Hank Clements, Forwards Coach Chris Kent, Line Out Coach Jed Robinson, and Scrum Coach Scott Searle. They selected players from clubs such as Stowmarket, Halstead Templars, Ipswich, Hadleigh, Chelmsford, Norwich Medics, and Mildenhall Red Lodge.

Suffolk scored first within the opening five minutes, securing a try and a conversion to establish a lead of 7-0. Norfolk promptly responded with a penalty kick, earning three points. At the 21-minute mark, Suffolk extended its lead by converting a penalty kick for an additional three points. Norfolk then equalised the scores with a converted try, making the score 10-10.

At the 33-minute mark, Norfolk took the lead for the first time in the game with a try, bringing the score to 15-10. They further increased their lead in the final moments of the first half when the referee awarded them a penalty, adding three more points to make it 18-10.

The second half commenced with a Suffolk try under the posts. As they prepared for the conversion, the referee blew sharply to award a penalty try, reducing Norfolk to 14 men. The penalty try brought the score to 18-17 in favour of Norfolk. Despite being a player down, Norfolk managed to score an unconverted try, extending their lead to 23-17. Norfolk continued to dominate, scoring a converted try and further widening the gap to 30-17. Suffolk responded with a converted try, narrowing the score to 30-22.

Subsequently, Suffolk was also reduced to 14 men following a yellow card. With Norfolk positioned on the Suffolk try line, after a series of scrums, they found a gap in the backline to score another converted try, increasing the score to 37-22. With 76 minutes on the clock, Norfolk crossed again for a converted try, concluding the final score at 44-22 in favour of Norfolk.

 

 

 

Missing Numbers prove costly for Tigers

 🐯 Game Day #160

🏆 Counties 1 Eastern Counties

📆 8th March 2025

🆚 Southwold

After three wins, and a close defeat in the last four games, Ely Tigers looked to finish off the season on a high as they travelled to Southwold for a league game, but not for the first time this season too many of the  Seniors squad failed to travel to Suffolk, which meant people playing out of position, or as in Elliot Bord & Hayden Jones making their Debut's for the Senior side, to make the total of 44 players that have appeared for the Seniors during the season. 

A trip to Southwold is always one to look forward to, you know what the conditions will be like, and even Saturday was no different, however the Sun was out, yet the wind still blew across the pitch, just like previous years

Within three minutes, the home side opened the scoring, breaking down the wing unchallenged and successfully converting. Inside 20 minutes, the home side had secured their bonus point, racing to a 24-0 lead, which soon extended to 31-0 with an additional converted try. The Tigers faced another setback when Rhys Williams Goldman was forced off due to injury just before half time, leaving the home side leading 31-0 at the break.

The second half mirrored the first, with Southwold continuing to score with relative ease. By the hour mark, the home side had surpassed the 50-point threshold. Ely Tigers managed to make a mark on the scoreboard, with Adam Tallack crossing the try line and Jake Alsop adding the conversion within 60 minutes on the clock. However, from the restart, the home side responded quickly with another score, followed by a final converted try of the afternoon. Ultimately, Southwold emerged as decisive winners, concluding the match with a score of 67-7.

📷 Steve Wells

Last Gasp defeat at Shelford

🏆 Counties 1 Eastern Counties

📆 1^st March 2025

🆚 Shelford IIs

🕣 3pm KO

📍 The Davey Field, Shelford

Ely Tigers traveled to their away game at Shelford IIs with the aim of continuing their run of good form. Both teams had been concerned about relegation in recent weeks, but both should be safe as the season comes to a close. Ely Tigers welcomed back Lee Thompson to the match day squad following his recovery from injury.

On a day that felt like spring—the first day of Meteorological Spring—the sun shone brightly on the pitch and on the spectators. The opening ten minutes saw neither side able to control the game. With 13 minutes on the clock, the Tigers had an early opportunity to score with a penalty award, but Rhys Williams Goldman's kick was pushed wide of the uprights.

At the 18-minute mark, the home side took the lead from a line-out, crossing the try line for the opening score, although they failed to convert. Ely soon responded with a try by Matt McCarthy, and with the conversion added, Ely led 7-5. However, the home side quickly regained the lead after a mistake from the restart, exploiting gaps in the Ely backline to score under the posts, making it 12-7. Approaching half-time,

Jake Alsop scored a try after some commendable work from McCarthy, diving over the line under the posts. With the conversion added, the Tigers led 14-12 at the break.

In the second half, Adam Tallack opened the scoring for the Tigers with the first Ely attack of the half, although the conversion was missed, bringing the score to 19-12. The Tigers were then pinned back on their own line and received a yellow card. From the resulting attack, Shelford breached the line, but the conversion was missed, making it 19-17. As the game approached its final moments, a penalty for Ely gave them the chance to close out the game, but McCarthy’s kick fell short of the upright, and Shelford cleared their lines. There was still time for the home side to add another try to the score, although they were unable to add the conversion, leaving the Tigers to lead by 2 points.

Shelford increased pressure on Ely, causing the penalty count to rise. Eventually, Declan Wolverson was shown a card, reducing Ely to 14 men. Despite Shelford's persistent efforts, they could not find a way through until the final moments. playing with an advantage, the referee awarded a penalty in front of the posts. Shelford successfully completed the kick as the final whistle blew, securing the points right at the end of play.