Sat 18 Nov 2023
Maldon travelled to Wanstead, to play for the first time on their new pitch, surrounded by spectator barriers & new clubhouse. Feeling awed by the surroundings Maldon remembered that Wanstead may be top of the division, but it’s the same division that Maldon are in. Maldon started well, with some good drives into the Wanstead 22. Unfortunately, some poor handling gave possession to Wanstead, to clear their lines. Maldon responded well & more good play resulted in a penalty which captain, Joshua Chadwick elected to kick, only to hit the crossbar & Wanstead came away relieved.
Wanstead slowly moved down the pitch, with good line-out ball & good driving mauls, getting them inside Maldon’s 22. Some quick hands saw the Wanstead winger score in the corner, 5-0 after 10 minutes. Maldon then settled down to play some positive rugby, with plenty of moments of good play, but no points to show for this. Wanstead had plenty of territory, but could not cross the line, due to strong defence. Then, inexplicably, after some good defence, Maldon let Wanstead score a soft try, by not tackling the Wanstead 2nd row, from a penalty close to the try line, 12-0 at half-time.
Maldon were still in the game, only 12 points down & had the breeze behind them in the second half.
An early penalty was converted by Chadwick, 12-3 & Maldon were in the game. Territory & possession were in Maldon’s favour & they were pressing hard for a try, close to the Wanstead line. But, disaster struck, a loose pass was collected by Wanstead, who only needed 2 phases of play to score under the posts, after a few too many missed tackles. 19-3
Maldon were not despondent though. Maldon started to clear their lines better, Brad White kicking brilliantly to touch, and Zak Knight using his boot to better effect in the 2nd half. A high kick & a strong chase by the backs, saw Dan Allen collect a loose ball & show great footwork to score, getting Maldon back in the game, 19-8.
But, once more, Maldon were their own worst enemies. The Wanstead centre chased the kick-off, caught the ball & ran to the try-line, to increase the score to 24-8.
Maldon showed great character by increasing their efforts, yet again, gaining territory & troubling Wanstead. Good hands gave some space to replacement flanker Jamie Farrup, who scored a try, converted by Chadwick, 24-15.
A final penalty from Wanstead saw the game end 27-15 to Wanstead, a 12 point margin. On reflection, Maldon gifted a couple of tries to Wanstead, without these small errors, the result may have been different.
As observed in the bar later, the league table positions were not reflected in the game today. Wanstead were a well drilled side who showed quality, but Maldon showed they are more than capable of competing with the top teams in this league. In comparison to the last few weeks, this was an endlessly better performance. But, Maldon need to change these ‘what could have been’ into wins, so that they can climb the table.
No game next week, followed by 3 games before Christmas. Maldon need to have a victory within these games to ease pressure at the bottom half of the table.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Alex Davies on his first 1st team game this season.
