Score:
Southwold: 15 (15) Maldon: 10 (5)

Team (Replacements):
Holtzer, Popplewell, Tonks (Alvis – 57 mins), Smith, Webb, Heal, Starks, Rookyard, McDaniel, Balls, Hume (Strachan – 45 mins), Stephenson, Wagg, Hadingham.

Southwold travelled to Maldon on Saturday to play their 2nd round match in the RFU Junior Vase competition. With a couple of forced changes to the starting line up due to injuries and unavailability, and only 2 of a possible 4 replacements, the ‘Jacks’, approached the game with caution However, buoyed by a very encouraging performance and result in the league against Crusaders on the previous weekend, the men from the Suffolk seaside town, were confident that victory over their Essex Division 1 opposition, was well within their capability.

Southwold kicked off and immediately applied pressure on Maldon, competing well for the ball and imposing themselves at the breakdown. Good fringe defence led to a turnover of possession and it wasn’t long before Ben Balls came off his blindside wing and made a powerfully telling run, fracturing the Maldon defence and offloading the ball out of the tackle, to the supporting Open-side Flanker, Gavin Starks who touched down in the 5th minute of play. Duncan Hume slotted the conversion with nonchalant ease and Southwold had achieved their first objective, of getting the first points.

A well chased restart, driving the Southwold scrumhalf back by a significant distance, allowed Maldon to enter into the Southwold half for the first time and following a number of blindside skirmishes, they added their first points through their right winger touching down in the corner. The home side kicker failed to convert the try and after 8 minutes of play the score line was 5 – 7 in the visitors’ favour.

The following 25 minutes of the match took place between the two 22m lines and some rather enigmatic refereeing made for a disjointed game. Apart from the 11th minute penalty goal by Duncan Hume (extending the Southwold lead to 5 points), the first period of play was notable by its lack of any real continuity, with neither team being able to get into their stride due to some very pedantic officiating. Both teams were becoming increasingly frustrated with the stop-start nature of the afternoon’s play.

However, on the 35th minute, Southwold were able to break free and unleashed their three-quarter line. Frank Stephenson demonstrated his impressive footwork and pace to elude a number of floundering Maldon defenders and scampered in for a well worked try, taking the score to 15 – 5 before the half time break.

The second half was a turgid period of play, punctuated by a nasty injury to Duncan Hume, (resulting in him having to be taken to hospital by ambulance). James Strachan replaced him in the centres and play resumed on the neighbouring pitch after a 20-minute break.

Maldon had the lion’s share of possession and territory in the second half and seemed more determined in attack, but a similarly ‘whistle-happy’ approach by the man in the middle, meant that little continuity was achieved by either team and the game deteriorated into a series of short bursts of play and something of a ‘scrum-fest’.

Young Jamie Tonks was replaced by veteran front-row practitioner, James Alvis, who reinvigorated the Southwold scrummage (but considerably reduced the general mobility of the team). Southwold were unable to utilise much of the possession from the seemingly endless succession of scrums, because the Maldon back row and busy No.9 were allowed to climb all over us at the back foot.

After an extended period of play in the Southwold half, Maldon’s efforts were rewarded as they added a second, unconverted try to their tally, taking the score line to 15 – 10. A fear of the ref’s whistle, seemed to grip both teams and that, coupled with a determination to demonstrate his extensive knowledge of the laws of the game of rugby meant that the spectators and players were forced to observe a refereeing ‘master-class’, rather than what could have been an exciting, ‘ding-dong’ battle between two evenly matched sides.

A rather damp squib of a second half concluded without any further noteworthy action.

The final score was Southwold 15 – Maldon 10.

It was rumoured that the referee got through 3 whistles over the course of the game! Well done that man!