MATCH REPORTS
Cambridge U17s 10 Bury St Edmunds U17s 12
Bury St Edmunds U7s, sponsored by Wates Construction, travelled to Cambridge for their final pool game in the Eastern Counties Cup. Bury narrowly lost to North Walsham during December and needed a win against Cambridge to progress to the semi finals of the Eastern Counties Cup Competition. The kick off for this fixture had been delayed due to the almost Artic temperatures and officials took a long hard look at the pitch conditions before allowing play to commence on what was a very hard surface.
The opening 15minutes of the match saw Bury on the back foot and having to defend well to prevent Cambridge from scoring. Bury gradually got themselves into the game and made a couple of very good counter attacks. One of these resulted in Bury being awarded a penalty which should have been converted. Unfortunately the hard surface made it difficult for accurate kicking and Marcus Price missed the opportunity to put Bury in front. Bury continued to improve and gradually pressurised Cambridge pushing them back into their own half. The first score of the match came after 31 minutes when Nathan Offord charged down a Cambridge kick, picked up the loose ball and scored the first try. Marcus Price converted to give Bury a 0-7 lead at half time.
The start of the second half was very much like the first half with Cambridge having the majority of the ball. The whole of the Bury team defended well but after 12 minutes of the second half Cambridge stretched the Bury defence and created an overlap for the Cambridge winger to score a try. This score motivated Cambridge further and they opened an assault on the Bury try line. The whole of the Bury team defended magnificantly but with 10 mins remaining a Cambridge player broke through to score Cambridge's second try and give them a 10-7 lead.
Bury showed great team spirit and determination, upping their tempo and refusing to be beaten. Cambridge were on the retreat when Bury were awarded a penalty in their own half.There were only three minutes left on the clock but the whole of the Bury team refused to let their heads drop. In frustration the Cambridge hooker knocked the ball out of a Bury player hands and the referee penalised Cambridge with another 10 metres. While the referee was ticking off the Cambridge player Alex Lee strategically gained an extra few metres. Alex then kicked the ball into touch close to the Cambridge try line. Bury forwards won the lineout and after a few " pick and goes" ,which pulled in the Cambridge defence, got the ball down the line to winger Scott Jones who had the space to score a try.With only 30 seconds remaining Bury forwards secured safe ball before the final whistle blew, giving Bury the win required and secured their semi final place in the Eastern Counties Cup .
North Walsham U17s 14 Bury St Edmunds U17s 13
Bury St Edmunds U17s, sponsored by Wates Construction, travelled to North Walsh for the third match of the Eastern Counties Cup competition. Bury were able to field almost a full squad for the first time in a number of weeks.
Bury were clearly charged up for this game and started well putting North Walsham under some pressure from the kick off. After only 3 mins Bury were awarded a penalty, 25 meters from the post. Marcus Price converted this to give Bury an early lead. North Walsham responded well gradually got into the game. However after 18 mins, Bury forwards secured quick ball on the halfway line, Chris Thomas shipped the ball out to the backs and Marcus Price broke a couple of tackles to score the first try. Marcus converted to give Bury a 10-0 lead.
Early in the second half Bury were awarded another penalty which Marcus price converted. North Walsham responded well and started to more ball and for the first time in the match gain ground. North Walsham backs managed to stretch the Bury defence and score a try which was then converted. This score certainly motivated North Walsham and they increased the pressure on Bury. The Bury defence held strong as the clock ticked away. During the last 5 mins of the game there were long stoppages for injuries to North Walsham Players. This disrupted momentum of the game. North Walsham thought they had scored try's on 4 occasions but every time, the Bury defence managed to hold the ball up to give a scum 5. Unfortunately in the closing minutes of the game North Walsham were finally rewarded with a try following sustained pressure. The Bury defence was superb but simply could hold out against the physically superior North Walsham pack. Final Score North Walsham U 17s 14 Bury St Edmunds U17s 13. Bury must now travel to Cambridge on 4th January and secure a win to get into semi finals of Eastern Counties Cup
Bury St Edmunds U17s 15 Woodbridge U17s 12
Bury St Edmunds U17s sponsored by Wates Construction achieved a second win in the Eastern Counties Cup competition and were able to maintain their unbeaten home run this season.
Bury started the game well and dominated in both territory and possession, however, they gave away too many penalties and were unable to translate their possession into points on the board. Towards the end of the first half , and against the run of play, Woodbridge scored a try which was converted to lead 0-7 at half time.
After a pep talk at half time Bury again went on the offensive and dominated play. The Bury forwards thought they had scored on two occasions but the referee indicated that the ball was held up by the Woodbridge defence. Bury eventually scored their first try when Scot Dallas grounded the ball after some great forwards pressure. This lifted the spirits of the Bury team and they continued to play in the Woodbridge 22. Bury were awarded a penalty which Alex Lee converted to give Bury an 8-7 lead. During the second half Bury were able to make use the substitutes bench to good effect, putting fresh legs on to keep the pressure on Woodbridge. Bury were rewarded with their second try when Ben Pilo Beech danced through the Woodbridge defence on the wing then popped the ball to the supporting Scott Jones who then touched down in between the posts. Alex Lee converted to give bury a 15-7 lead.
The Bury defence lost concentration for a few seconds and Woodbridge touched down a loose ball , which made the last few minutes very nervous for the home supporters. Overall an excellent team performance from Bury.
Diss U 17s 28 Bury St Edmunds U 17s 5
Bury travelled to Diss with a squad that included many developing players and were without a number of key first team players. The Bury pack started well and had the better of the opening encounters. Bury pinned Diss back into their own 22 but were unable to be clinical and score points. Wet and muddy conditions caused a number of handling errors. Against the run of play, Diss used their back line well and got the ball out to their wing. Unfortunately the Bury wing had been sucked in and was unable to make the tackle to stop the first try. Diss converted to give a 7-0 lead.
Bury again got on top but were unable to put points on the board. Eventually, Bury were awarded a penalty about 20 metres from the Diss try line. Matt Tanner took the ball and the Bury pack drove him over for a try. Marcus Price was unable to convert.
Bury maintained good ball but were unable break a good defensive line. As time ticked by, the Bury backs made a number of errors, kicking straight to the Diss full back and wingers who quickly took every opportunity. Diss scored and converted 3 more try’s.
Overall a sound performance from the forwards but a number of schoolboy errors were punished by some clinical finishing from Diss
Brentwood U17s 34 Bury St Edmunds U17s 0
Bury Under 17s, sponsored by Wates Contruction, travelled to Brentwood after two good home wins. The playing conditions were very difficult after heavy rain overnight and the whole of the match was played with heavy rain . Brentwood fielded a pack which was physically very big but very mobile.The Bury packy defended well but couldnt cope with the power and continual pressure of the Brentwood forwards. Bury worked hard but were simply unable to prevent the Brentwood forwards from scoring 5 trys. Overall a very indifferent performance from the Bury squad.
12 October 2008
Bury St Edmunds U17s 14 Sudbury U17s 7
Bury U17s sponsored by Wates Construction welcomed Sudbury for their second home match of the season. Bury were without a few influential players through injury and had to make a number of changes to the starting line-up before the game. The situation worsened after 10mins of play when prop Tom Lang had to come off with a shoulder injury. This weakened the Bury front row who were competing against a very heavy and competent front row. Both teams were evenly matched during the first 20mins. Some good defence from both teams prevented any score. Bury gradually got on top and the first points of the match followed when Scot Jones put pressure on the Sudbury full back who dropped the ball in their own 22. Nathan Offord picked up the loose ball to score the first try. Marcus Price converted to give Bury a 7-0 lead. Shortly before half time Nathan Offord pressured the Sudbury full back and used his footballing skills to hack the ball forward, he than chased picking up the loose ball and over for his second try. Again Marcus Price was able to convert.
Bury lost some of their impedance during the second half and the work rate slowed significantly. The warm weather contributed to players getting tired but Sudbury gained some confidence when they broke away to score a try which was then converted. Sudbury continued to pressurise Bury who were finding it very difficult to respond and were eventually saved by the final whistle.
Bury St Edmunds U 17s 17 Wymondham U 17s 7
Bury St Edmunds Under 17s , sponsored by Wates Construction, welcomed Wymondham for their first match of the new season. This match was an Eastern Counties Cup game and the first of four pool matches to be played. Conditions for the match were very wet with driving rain throughout the encounter, which made it difficult for both teams.
For the first 15 minutes both teams were evenly matched, then Nathan Offord,playing out of position at full back for Bury, received the ball on the wing and was able to power into the corner for the first try of the match. This seemed to give Bury a little confidence and the began to pin Wymondham in their own half. Against the run of play, Wymondham were awarded a penalty 5 meters from the Bury try line. Bury defended well but the referee and were continually warned for their defensive play,eventually Scott Dallas was sent to the sin bin for 10 mins as a result of this defensive tactic. Wymondham eventually scored the second try of the match a few minutes from half time which was converted to give the visitors a 7-5 lead at half time.
Bury put on a couple of players with fresh legs in the second half. One of these players Ryan Grimwood followed up a kick which was fumbled by the Wymondham players, Ryan was quick to dive and touch the ball down for Burys second try. Bury added a further try when Marcus Price touched down after some good backs play from Bury. Marcus himself converted to give Bury a 17-5 lead. The Bury forwards tended to sit back and defend against the Wymondham forwards, clearly Bury need to work on improving their counter rucking and lineouts. However, into the final 10 mins, Bury forwards woke up and started pushing Wymondham back into their 22. The referee finished the match with Wymondham defending their try line. Final score Bury St Edmunds U17s 17 Wymondham U 17s 5.
Overall a good week for Bury U17s who had won the Suffolk Sevens Plate final a week earlier.
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