TABARD 24 Bury St Edmunds 21
Jack
Reilly, Tabards centre, found his long range kicking boots on Saturday to kick
two long penalties towards the end of the game and give Tabard their first league points of the
season with a 24 points to 21 win over Bury St Edmunds.
Reilly’s
finale followed a close game which at first Tabard looked like losing but they
soon steadied themselves and helped by two well taken tries from winger Dan
Ashcroft they were able to set up the win.
Bury
started the better side and Tabard were virtually devoid of possession for the first quarter of the game in which Bury
scored two tries, the first from their speedy fullback Mulame and the second
when their second row Parr went over from a short penalty.
Despite
Bury having the upper hand Tabard were mastering the set pieces and, with good loose play to back this up
they gradually took the initiative and after a period in the Bury half they got
their reward. A good up field break from number 8 Scott Stoba was halted just short
but Tabard re-cycled the ball quickly
and passed down the line for wing Ashcroft to pick up his first try.
Bury Stand
off Cocks then kicked a penalty to stretch their lead but Tabard came back, this
time Ashcroft made a powerful surge down
the wing and centre Francois Karstel finished it off with a fine solo run for
the try. Unfortunately, in injury
time, Bury centre Parr outflanked the defence to score in the corner and the teams turned
round with Bury ahead by 18 points to 10.
In the
second half Tabard had much the better of the possession and turned this into
points, firstly with Ashcroft’s second try, again coming when the ball was
passed rapidly down the line from a set scrum and then stand off Richard
Woodard levelled the scores with a penalty kick. Bury regained the lead with a penalty from
Mulame after Tabard had received a yellow card and this set up the final ten
minutes when Reilly slotted over his two long range penalties to give Tabard
the victory.
Team: Fleuren, Ashcroft, Karstel, Reilly,
Loversidge-Jenkin (Hopcroft 50m), Woodard, Smith, Baker, Gates, Wilkinson,
Crocker, Matheson, Thomas (Ward 46m), Wyatt and Stoba.
Next week
Tabard are away to Thurrock in the
league.