Sat 9 Nov 2024
Maldon travelled to Mavericks for an early, lunch-time kick off, on a chilly November morning, following a break in fixtures last weekend. Maldon started really well, up the hill, with the forwards showing strong carries & good handling by the backs, gaining lots of territory & exerting pressure on Mavericks. Maldon, however, could not convert this pressure into points & it was Mavericks who opened the scoring with a penalty for a 3-0 lead, after good handling saw them get into the Maldon half for the first time.
Maldon responded well, again gaining possession & territory. Mavericks could only hold out for so long &, eventually, the great pressure from Maldon resulted in centre Lewis Nichols running a fantastic support line following a Sam Langston break, and scoring a try, converted by Joshua Chadwick, 3-7.
Both teams were trying to be adventurous, with Mavericks playing quick rugby when they could & Maldon moving the ball through multiple hands, with all players involved in the game. But, both teams also showed strong defences & opportunities were few. Mavericks managed to move the ball wider & then a high kick and great take from the Mavericks wing resulted in them crossing over for their first try, 8-7, not too long before half-time.
Then, disaster for Maldon. First Mavericks managed to secure a line-out with a 50:22 kick. This was followed by a maul which marched down to the try line, to end the first half in the lead, 15-7.
The second half saw Maldon with the slope & the chance to use this to play in the Mavericks’ half. The first 20 minutes were a stalemate, with the strong defences continuing to dominate & snuff out any chance of scoring. Mavericks moved up into Maldon’s 22 & their fly-half saw a gap, squeezed through & scored a converted try, 22-7.
Maldon needed some inspiration to get back into the game. It came via Olly Lyons, continuing his terrific season, with a carry, starting just outside his own half half, in which he scattered bodies all over the place. Mavericks could not stop him, as he ran through numerous tackles, powering over with defenders clinging on to him for a converted try, 22-14.
Maldon sensed the chance of victory & maintained the attacking mindset. More great running by many players, keeping possession & offloading to supporting runners saw Maldon back into the Mavericks 22. Good handling resulted in George Alden-Smith showing his great pace to cut inside the last defender & score a converted try, 22-21, with 5 minutes to go.
Maldon continued to dominate from the restart &, once more, moved downfield getting close to the try line. A high tackle by Mavericks resulted in a penalty to Maldon. Captain Joshua Chadwick kicked the penalty to put Maldon in the lead, 22-24, with only a couple of minutes left.
Maldon maintained possession until time was up & the ball was kicked off the pitch, for Maldon to record a well-deserved victory. This win puts Maldon in 3rd place in the division, which is very close, with 4 teams separated by only 1 point.
Next week Upper Clapton at home followed by Burnham away, two tough games before a week off at the end of November.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Joshua Chadwick, slotting over the penalty kick to take the lead in the dying minutes of the game.
