Sat 19 Oct 2024
Maldon made the long journey to old rivals East London on a day that promised rain, wind, cold, blue skies, sunshine & warmth. The warm sunshine won out & the match was played in glorious conditions. Maldon started superbly, with a long kick-off, a tackle near the try line & an attacking scrum. East London got out of danger well & in their attempt to clear their ground they kicked long. Maldon did not catch the kick & a cruel bounce gave the ball back to East London, who showed quick hands for an early try, 5-0. Maldon responded positively. Scrum-half Olly Anthony kicked, winger Josh Gemmell chased & won the ball, fed Olly the ball & he crossed for a try, converted by Joshua Chadwick, 5-7. A penalty, not long after, was converted by Chadwick, 5-10 & Maldon were on top.
After moving down the pitch, East London had a line-out near the Maldon try line & did well to catch & drive over the line, 10-10. The fierce nature of the game was taking its toll on the players, with both sides tackling ferociously. Chadwick kicked another penalty, 10-13, with 10 minutes to go until half-time. Unfortunately, for Maldon, East London had another lucky bounce following a kick & scored again, 17-13. This was closely followed by another try, to make the score 24-13 at half-time.
The second half kicked off with Maldon keen to close the deficit. But, East London had other ideas & quickly scored a try, to increase the gap, 29-13. At this point Maldon responded with pride & determination. All players ran hard into contact & defended with controlled aggression. Making their first team league debuts, subs Will Chaplin & Jack Evans made immediate impacts & looked comfortable in the team. Strong running & maintaining possession allowed Maldon to score 2 quick tries from Lewis Nichols at short range & then Joshua Chadwick following a tap and go, 29-23, worrying East London. Then, the try of the game. Quick ball in the Maldon half saw Chadwick put Jack Judd into a gap. Judd made a break & fed George Alden-Smith, who ran into the last defender, off-loaded to Sam Johnson who beat the last defenders to score a converted try, Maldon took the lead, 29-30.
East London had to work harder to get back into the game. But, they, once again, played well to gain ground & score a converted try to take the lead back, 36-30.
But, Maldon were not beaten yet. More of the same in attack, with everybody contributing, created an opportunity for Kieran Reeve to score a converted try, 36-37 to Maldon with less than 4 minutes to go. Both teams were shattered from the intensity & physicality of the game. East London maintained pressure on Maldon and, with the last play of the game, scored in the corner, to win the game, 43-37.
This was a brutal, entertaining game, of which Maldon can be proud. The commitment from all 18 players could not be faulted & will give Maldon confidence for future games.
Maldon are 6th in the table, only 4 points behind East London who are second.
Next week Basildon at home.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Kieran Reeve, making a break every time he got his hands on the ball, and ferocious defence.
