Sat 12 Oct 2024
Maldon welcomed Old Cooperians, who were without a win this season, hoping to get back to winning ways. Old Cooperians started strongly, following Maldon’s reluctance to catch a kick-off, which has been a recurrent theme this season. The pressure from Old Cooperians made Maldon defend resolutely on their line & they managed to keep the attacks out. But, Old Cooperians were awarded a penalty, which they kicked for a 0-3 lead. Maldon then woke up & moved down the pitch well, with good linking play. Olly Lyons made a tremendous break, making over 40m, bursting through tackles. The resulting position allowed Maldon to pass out wide to winger Sam Johnson, who beat 3 men to score in the corner, 5-3.
The game then repeated itself in terms of possession & territory. Old Cooperians kicked a penalty & Joshua Chadwick kicked a penalty for Maldon, 8-6. Maldon’s aggression, in response to being held in a ruck, did not go down well with the referee & Olly Lyons received a yellow card.
Old Cooperians managed to gain territory once more & Maldon’s defence was not as effective as previously & Old Cooperians took advantage by scoring a try, 8-11, which was the score at half-time.
The weather deteriorated with more rain & a stronger wind, as the second half began.
Unfortunately, Maldon did not have a good period of time, failing to get out of their half for more than a few seconds before being turned back around towards their try line from good kicking for territory from Old Coops. During this period of time Old Cooperians kicked 3 penalties worth 9 points, making the score 8-20, taking the game away from Maldon, who were struggling in all areas. Substitutes were needed due to a couple of injuries & Maldon were frustrated with some decisions from the referee again. With less than 15 minutes to go Maldon were showing signs of panic, poor ball control slowed the game down when they wanted to speed it up. But, with nothing to lose, Maldon then played their best rugby. First Olly Lyons touched down for a converted try, 15-20. Immediate possession & pressure on the Old Cooperians line, with substitute Josh Gemmell, spotting a gap to score, 20-20, with only a couple of minutes to go.
The last few minutes saw Old Cooperians miss a penalty attempt & Maldon try to run the ball from their own line. But, the final whistle came & Maldon were pleased to have scraped a draw,with lots of changes in personnel the team can hold their heads high despite being disappointed not to get the win. Next week East London away.
MAN OF THE MATCH
George Perkins, aa great performance all round, stepping up and leading the pack as VC.
