Sat 1 Mar 2025
Maldon travelled to Upper Clapton to play for the first time on their new artificial surface. Everyone had to ensure that they were suitably booted with acceptable footwear & most were pleasantly surprised that the pitch seemed less hard than anticipated.
Maldon started really well, by taking the ball to Upper Clapton. But, allowing a kick to bounce showed that it was important to catch the ball before letting it hit the artificial surface. Upper Clapton had some pressure, but very strong defence prevented any scores from the home team. Maldon burst through some weak defence & moved quickly down the pitch, showing good handling skills. Maldon stayed inside the opposition half & moved towards the try line, rewarded by a penalty on the 5m line in front of the posts. Captain Joshua Chadwick took the penalty quickly, escaping the clutches of two big forwards to score the game’s first try, which he converted, 0-7.
As expected Upper Clapton then responded & won the first of many scrum penalties to allow them to find good field position. Upper Clapton then managed to score a try out wide, 5-7 to Maldon. In trying to defend, 2nd row Jim Roblin was injured & left the field. This was soon followed by more Maldon indiscipline, which saw Upper Clapton kick a penalty for a 8-7 lead.
Maldon continued to use the ball quickly, by hitting rucks hard & presenting the ball well. This quick game allowed Maldon to make ground against the big opposition pack. But, Maldon were suffering at scrums, with penalties being awarded regularly. Maldon were awarded another penalty, which was kicked by Chadwick for an 8-10 lead.
Keen to finish the half in front, Maldon continued to battle hard, but Upper Clapton managed to score again, following a change in tactics, as they started to use their big forwards picking & driving continually.
Half time, 15-10 to the home team.
Maldon received the kick off at the start of the second half & immediately ran with power & purpose, breaking tackles at will, moving down into the opposition half. Good handling saw Maldon reach the 22m line, with an overlap & a chance to score. But, the referee stopped the game to a serious injury to George Alden-Smith, who was taken from the field. The game was fast & furious from Maldon, but slower and more direct from Upper Clapton, who continued to use their forwards to get over the gain line.
Upper Clapton did move the ball once & their winger reached the line, but a last ditch tackle from Maldon dislodged the ball & a score was prevented. Maldon also showed great defence to hold the ball up over the try line, to be rewarded with a try line drop out. Brad White often found himself preventing tries by showing great physicality in defence. But moments later when bravely contesting a ball on the floor, fly-half Brad White was adjudged to have made contact with the neck of an opponent & received a yellow card, Maldon were down to 14 men. This did not stop the determination shown in defence, nor the commitment in attack. A penalty was kicked by Chadwick to reduce the lead, 15-13, followed closely by a penalty to Upper Clapton close to the posts. But, this was missed & Maldon were still within range of the lead. The clock was ticking &, for the third time, Maldon lost another player to injury, this time Ben Marshall. Soon after Maldon were awarded another penalty, near the 10m line. But, the distance did not matter as Chadwick slotted his 3rd penalty of the game, to give Maldon a 1 point lead, 15-16, with 15 minutes to go.
Upper Clapton hit high in the tackle one too many times, trying to stop the destructive centre turned second row Lewis Nichols, and yellow card for them being the result. Maldon had to see the game out whilst Upper Clapton were down to 14 men. But, disaster struck as the referee’s patience with Maldon’s scrum ran out & Callum Melville was in the bin for 10 minutes.
Upper Clapton celebrated this yellow card, but then realised that with no other front row available scrums would be uncontested. This meant that Maldon also had to lose another player, so were down to 13 for the final few minutes of the game. This produced even more effort to stop Upper Clapton’s big forwards & Maldon were up to the task. A chance of a penalty in the final minutes was attempted but missed, and Upper Clapton desperate for a score, they countered with pace. Maldon’s defensive efforts held out though, a free kick at the line out meant Maldon to kick the ball into the Upper Clapton balcony, ensuring a win by a single point in a terrific game.
The whole squad & travelling support were delighted with such a close victory & rightly celebrated.
Next game is on 08.03.25, the final home game of the season, against neighbours Burnham. This is then followed by two more games before the end of the league season.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Olly Lyons for superb, controlled aggressive running, breaking tackles all game.
