Great display of rugby brings victory in Norfolk
Sunday, 25th October 2009.
EASTERN COUNTIES LEAGUE, DIVISION TWO
Dereham 3
Haverhill 34
Haverhill travelled the 60 miles north to Dereham with some regular players missing, but still with a great looking team.
Notoriously, Haverhill have in the past come back from Norfolk with nothing, but this time amassed five tries scored by the backs, three conversions and a penalty, against one drop goal.
From the kick off, the Haverhill pack punished Dereham for slack play out of the scrum, with Matt Reynolds carrying the ball 30 metres towards the line and captain Ryan Raffell immediately showing his intent, punching a hole to within inches of the line.
The resulting maul saw the first phase ball out quickly through the backs and into the corner with Joe Brown crossing the line after only one minute, unconverted by Jake Plumridge.
Unfortunately Brown got up limping with a dead leg being replaced by Brad Gibson on ten minutes when he could carry on no longer.
From the restart, Haverhill did not immediately catch the ball, but full back Mike Woods cleared to 30 metres of the Dereham line. The resulting line-out was won against by Haverhill and a penalty conceded by Dereham, for Plumridge to take the three points on offer for 8-0 on five minutes.
Dereham showed what they are capable of with a big crash and drive in the forwards, with a chip kick to the corner being made safe by Woods for the 22M drop out.
twelve minutes in, Haverhill crossed the line again with a fine display of flowing rugby, with Chris Clayden showing his class with an impressive run, then a grub kick to the corner for Woods to ground for his first of two tries on the day. Plumridge failed to convert.
From the off, Haverhill failed to control the ball, and then are penalised for dropping the scrum, resulting in a lot of pressure from Dereham.
Haverhill defended superbly, with some great catching and clearing from Brodie Patrick on the wing, keeping Dereham outside of their 22. Finally, from a maul 30 metres out, Dereham's Paul Derbyshire dropped a goal to bring the score to 13-3 on 18 minutes.
Again Dereham came back at Haverhill and continued to pressurise, but on 25 minutes, Martin Ransome turned over the ball in the maul, and broke out, releasing Plumridge on half way, for a superb jinking run and dummy pass to score under the posts for a converted try.
Wong was replaced by Ben Jones due to a rib injury picked up when Wong was tackled in the air earlier in the game.
Haverhill again defended well, with great play by Reynolds and Clayden, with Clayden running 30 metres through Dereham. Unfortunately the pass did not go to hand as Haverhill had a four-man overlap, and a certain try.
Dereham again camped in the Haverhill half, and a mistimed kick over the scrum by Lester led to a clear try scoring opportunity for Dereham, who failed due to the outside centre dropping the ball.
Haverhill were again penalised in the front row for dropping the scrum, and the resultant penalty led to Dereham crossing the line, only to be held up by a superb try-saving tackle by Ben Jones, ensuring he got his body under the ball to stop the try.
Dereham kept the pressure on, but stoical defence from all, with Ben Jackson showing how good a player he is in the attritional game of tight forward play, kept the ball from crossing the Haverhill line, until a great defensive tackle from Bradley Gibson, and a superb run up field from Woods was only thwarted just before the Dereham line. Dereham cleared and took the half-time whistle.
Interestingly, during the break, the referee asked the Haverhill team for clarification on any decisions, and the continual penalisation of the Haverhill front row was clarified.
Haverhill again let the ball bounce from the kick-off, and Dereham made them play with huge pressure. However, Luke Dore picked the ball up from a resulting maul and ran over 50 metres up field, ably assisted by Clayden and Reynolds, but Haverhill got penalised for laying on the ball, and Dereham cleared into the Haverhill half.
The Haverhill scrum was working as a very polished unit by this stage, bossing the scrum and open play, but a ball that came straight out from the Haverhill put in, was played on by the referee, resulting in a penalty on five metres for Dereham, who again crossed the line, but that man Jones was there to defend and hold up the ball.
Another penalty five metres out had Chris Flannery, Carl Anderson and Reynolds defending to a supreme standard, keeping the ball away from the line, until finally, on 60 minutes, Haverhill managed to pass the ball into the back line and break out, with a superb chip kick forward by Plumridge, intercepted by Clayden, laid off to Adam Hunt, with Woods and Patrick overlapping. Woods took the ball and Patrick drew the defence for Woods to cut inside for his second try under the posts, converted by Plumridge.
If Dereham did not know they were onto a hiding by now, a huge joint tackle by Raffell and Reynolds on the Dereham number eight left the crowd wincing and the home team reeling in the aftermath.
Dereham won a penalty on half way, and decidde to run, only to be stopped dead by Ransome and lose the ball. There was a bit of funny stuff, admirably dealt with by the referee.
There then followed a piece of play one would be happy to see at Twickenham, that involved literally every player of the Haverhill team. Ransome again put in a huge tackle with Ben Jackson clearing up the ball and running across into the Dereham half.
The ball was driven quickly between the forwards and Haverhill drove to the left side of the Dereham 22-metre line. On about the seventh phase of play, Raffell picked and ran, laying the ball off to Plumrige and then out to Clayden, who dummied the ball and slipped through the inside to touch down under the posts, for Plumridge to convert.
Jackson limped off and was replaced by veteran Mark Anderson for the last three minutes of the game.
Dereham still tried to play forward and, in the last minute, broke out, only for Woods to pick up and carry three Dereham players 20 metres back up the park for the clearance, a few cheap shots from the Dereham boys, and the final whistle.
The league now has a two-week break, with Haverhill hosting the Gt Yarmouth Broadlands side on November 14 at 2.30pm. Admission free and all welcome.
Dereham 3
Haverhill 34
Haverhill travelled the 60 miles north to Dereham with some regular players missing, but still with a great looking team.
Notoriously, Haverhill have in the past come back from Norfolk with nothing, but this time amassed five tries scored by the backs, three conversions and a penalty, against one drop goal.
From the kick off, the Haverhill pack punished Dereham for slack play out of the scrum, with Matt Reynolds carrying the ball 30 metres towards the line and captain Ryan Raffell immediately showing his intent, punching a hole to within inches of the line.
The resulting maul saw the first phase ball out quickly through the backs and into the corner with Joe Brown crossing the line after only one minute, unconverted by Jake Plumridge.
Unfortunately Brown got up limping with a dead leg being replaced by Brad Gibson on ten minutes when he could carry on no longer.
From the restart, Haverhill did not immediately catch the ball, but full back Mike Woods cleared to 30 metres of the Dereham line. The resulting line-out was won against by Haverhill and a penalty conceded by Dereham, for Plumridge to take the three points on offer for 8-0 on five minutes.
Dereham showed what they are capable of with a big crash and drive in the forwards, with a chip kick to the corner being made safe by Woods for the 22M drop out.
twelve minutes in, Haverhill crossed the line again with a fine display of flowing rugby, with Chris Clayden showing his class with an impressive run, then a grub kick to the corner for Woods to ground for his first of two tries on the day. Plumridge failed to convert.
From the off, Haverhill failed to control the ball, and then are penalised for dropping the scrum, resulting in a lot of pressure from Dereham.
Haverhill defended superbly, with some great catching and clearing from Brodie Patrick on the wing, keeping Dereham outside of their 22. Finally, from a maul 30 metres out, Dereham's Paul Derbyshire dropped a goal to bring the score to 13-3 on 18 minutes.
Again Dereham came back at Haverhill and continued to pressurise, but on 25 minutes, Martin Ransome turned over the ball in the maul, and broke out, releasing Plumridge on half way, for a superb jinking run and dummy pass to score under the posts for a converted try.
Wong was replaced by Ben Jones due to a rib injury picked up when Wong was tackled in the air earlier in the game.
Haverhill again defended well, with great play by Reynolds and Clayden, with Clayden running 30 metres through Dereham. Unfortunately the pass did not go to hand as Haverhill had a four-man overlap, and a certain try.
Dereham again camped in the Haverhill half, and a mistimed kick over the scrum by Lester led to a clear try scoring opportunity for Dereham, who failed due to the outside centre dropping the ball.
Haverhill were again penalised in the front row for dropping the scrum, and the resultant penalty led to Dereham crossing the line, only to be held up by a superb try-saving tackle by Ben Jones, ensuring he got his body under the ball to stop the try.
Dereham kept the pressure on, but stoical defence from all, with Ben Jackson showing how good a player he is in the attritional game of tight forward play, kept the ball from crossing the Haverhill line, until a great defensive tackle from Bradley Gibson, and a superb run up field from Woods was only thwarted just before the Dereham line. Dereham cleared and took the half-time whistle.
Interestingly, during the break, the referee asked the Haverhill team for clarification on any decisions, and the continual penalisation of the Haverhill front row was clarified.
Haverhill again let the ball bounce from the kick-off, and Dereham made them play with huge pressure. However, Luke Dore picked the ball up from a resulting maul and ran over 50 metres up field, ably assisted by Clayden and Reynolds, but Haverhill got penalised for laying on the ball, and Dereham cleared into the Haverhill half.
The Haverhill scrum was working as a very polished unit by this stage, bossing the scrum and open play, but a ball that came straight out from the Haverhill put in, was played on by the referee, resulting in a penalty on five metres for Dereham, who again crossed the line, but that man Jones was there to defend and hold up the ball.
Another penalty five metres out had Chris Flannery, Carl Anderson and Reynolds defending to a supreme standard, keeping the ball away from the line, until finally, on 60 minutes, Haverhill managed to pass the ball into the back line and break out, with a superb chip kick forward by Plumridge, intercepted by Clayden, laid off to Adam Hunt, with Woods and Patrick overlapping. Woods took the ball and Patrick drew the defence for Woods to cut inside for his second try under the posts, converted by Plumridge.
If Dereham did not know they were onto a hiding by now, a huge joint tackle by Raffell and Reynolds on the Dereham number eight left the crowd wincing and the home team reeling in the aftermath.
Dereham won a penalty on half way, and decidde to run, only to be stopped dead by Ransome and lose the ball. There was a bit of funny stuff, admirably dealt with by the referee.
There then followed a piece of play one would be happy to see at Twickenham, that involved literally every player of the Haverhill team. Ransome again put in a huge tackle with Ben Jackson clearing up the ball and running across into the Dereham half.
The ball was driven quickly between the forwards and Haverhill drove to the left side of the Dereham 22-metre line. On about the seventh phase of play, Raffell picked and ran, laying the ball off to Plumrige and then out to Clayden, who dummied the ball and slipped through the inside to touch down under the posts, for Plumridge to convert.
Jackson limped off and was replaced by veteran Mark Anderson for the last three minutes of the game.
Dereham still tried to play forward and, in the last minute, broke out, only for Woods to pick up and carry three Dereham players 20 metres back up the park for the clearance, a few cheap shots from the Dereham boys, and the final whistle.
The league now has a two-week break, with Haverhill hosting the Gt Yarmouth Broadlands side on November 14 at 2.30pm. Admission free and all welcome.
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