Sat 14 Jan 2023
Maldon faced Writtle on a blustery day in front of a Vice Presidents’ crowd. Maldon, top of the table, fancied their chances against Writtle, who are at the other end.
The game started with Maldon in total dominance, breaking tackles, gaining ground & passing the ball confidently. The first scrum saw Writtle go back at a rate of knots, Chris Roper, George Alden Smith & George Perkins leading the charge. Maldon were in complete control. Excellent handling saw the ball moved back & forth, creating space for George Perkins to blast through for the opening score, converted by Dan Allen, 7-0. This was followed within a few minutes by Dimitri Sofoclous running through bodies to score, 12-0. Soon after, Writtle attempted to clear their lines, after some interesting handling by Maldon, the ball found Zak Knight, who ran around a number of Writtle defenders to cross for a great individual try, converted by Dan Allen, 19 - 0 after 15 minutes. Writtle then got into the game for a short period of time, but Maldon kept them out, including holding Writtle up over the line. Maldon gained territory again, by kicking long & then pressurising Writtle. When near the Writtle line Maldon did some quick inter-passing & Sam Langston crossed under the posts for Dan Allen to convert for a 26 - 0 lead at half-time.
Maldon started the second half in splendid style with Ben Marshall making ground by breaking tackles, supported by fellow forwards Max Knight & Jamie Farrup. A couple of phases later, he finished off the move, once more converted by Dan Allen, 33 - 0. At kick-off, Maldon ran hard, again, breaking tackles & supporting closely. Within a few phases a grubber kick through from Chadwick saw Dan Allen hack on to score himself & then convert, 40 - 0. At this point Writtle came back into the game again & Maldon were on the wrong side of the referee’s decisions for a while, but still defended resolutely. Writtle were unable to capitalise on their possession & they fumbled the ball in midfield, allowing captain Joshua Chadwick to collect the loose ball & run in from 50 metres, Dan Allen converting, 47 - 0. The game as a contest became a bit frustrating as uncontested scrums were introduced & there was stalemate for a while, with neither team managing to gain ground. Eventually, Maldon regained superiority, linking forwards & backs with good handling & playing through phases, before Sam Langston scored, converted by Dan Allen, 54 - 0.
To finish the game off, Maldon broke through the tired Writtle defence & a simple draw and pass allowed Dan Allen to score again & converted, 61 - 0, which was the final score.
Maldon were dominant in every way, finishing the first half of the season at the top of the table, undefeated.
Next game will be in the top 5 playoff, with the opposition not yet decided.
MAN OF THE MATCH
George Perkins - Fantastic carrying when receiving kick offs and an incredible work rate around the pitch.
