Sat 16 Nov 2024
Maldon hosted Upper Clapton, who had not reached the heights of last season, but were still a tough team to play & were only a few points behind Maldon in the table. With the 2s playing at home too, a large crowd were on hand to lend support.
Maldon started well, as per the last few games, with strong running from all players & recycling the ball well. Maldon definitely had the lion’s share of territory & possession, but Upper Clapton’s defence was strong. Upper Clapton had a big pack, who wanted to dominate scrums, but did not do so in the opening period. Unfortunately for Maldon, both Kieran Reeve & Sam Langston succumbed to injuries early on, bringing on Demitri Sofoclous and Alex Davis.
A clearance kick by Upper Clapton was collected by full back Dan Allen, who showed great pace & strength to run past & through the attempted tackles to cross the line for a superb individual try, converted by Joshua Chadwick for a 7-0 lead.
Upper Clapton now started to play to their strengths & their pack began to carry more & their backs were willing to throw the ball around. The game swung in Upper Clapton’s favour & they enjoyed both territory & possession, but Maldon’s defence, although tested, proved good enough to repel the attackers. However, the visitors were not to be held out forever & they showed good handling to create space out wide, for an unconverted try, 7-5.
The game continued with both teams trying to break down defences, but both teams were strong in defence &, whilst there was much effort, there were not any more points.
Not long before half-time, Olly Lyons was penalised for a late tackle & received a yellow card. From the resulting penalty, Upper Clapton went through a few phases & scored to take the lead at half-time, 7-12.
The half-time team talk motivated the team to have confidence in their abilities & to play their own game in the second half. This they did for much of the half, but, as previously, Upper Clapton showed strong defence & kept Maldon out. Maldon had to defend too, as there were periods of pressure from Upper Clapton. Tiredness was also causing both teams to commit some errors & the game was opening up a little. Centre Zak Knight used his power to score under the posts, for a converted try, 14-12, Maldon were back in front. The tough nature of the game proved to be the spark for both teams to come together for a pre-Christmas cuddle & a warning from the referee. But, Upper Clapton’s indiscipline cost them dearly in their own 22m area. Maldon maintained pressure & were rewarded with 2 penalties, both kicked by Chadwick, which took Maldon to a lead of 20-12.
Maldon saw the game out sensibly, by keeping possession & not giving away penalties.
This was a very tough, physical game in which Maldon showed much character & also demonstrated their team spirit by sticking up for teammates when it was necessary. Maldon now sit 3rd in the table.
Next week we face local rivals Burnham away, before a well-deserved week off.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Jack Evans - Relentless tackling in his first start for the 1s.
