Eastern Counties Rugby Union

Eastern Counties are licking their wounds this morning having suffered a narrow loss in the opening game of the Bill Beaumont County Championships, having been in front for the majority of the match, the winning try being scored by East Midlands with only 5minutes left on the clock.

Despite this being the first time Eastern Counties team had taken the field together this season, they started with a bang and it wasn’t long before they were on the score sheet. Left wing Ashley Elvers from Cambridge making a 50m break from within his own half to take play close to the line. Fellow Cambridge team-mate and loose head prop Shane Moynihan running a great supporting line and barging over the line for the first try after only 5 minutes, the extras added by Shelford fullback Simon Hrbeck giving Counties a 7-0 lead.

East Midlands struck back a few minutes later through their hooker Lutui Aleki following some excellent driving play by the East Midlands pack, narrowing Counties lead to 7-5. East Midlands then took the lead with another try through their forwards, this time Lock John Walker dotting the ball down, taking the score to 7-10.

With only 5 minutes left before half time, Ahsley Elvers who had been instrumental in the first Counties score, raced over from 22m the benefiting of some quick ball and good handling by the home team, Hrbeck converting to take Eastern Counties back in front at 14-10. A lead they held until the half time break.

It wasn’t long into the second half before Counties were on the score sheet again, this time through Diss RFC’s Steve Hipwell who powered his way over the line from 30m out, despite Eastern Counties scrum being under tremendous pressure as it had been all game. Hrbeck making it 3 kicks from 3 to put Counties 21-10 in front.

East Midlands narrowed this lead to 21-17 with hooker Aleki picking up a brace of tries, with fly half Stefan Jones converting.

Counties were then put under enormous pressure by the visitors who spent much of the last quarter in the home team’s half. However it was a mix up in the lineout by Counties that gifted East Midlands the winning score, with a throw to the front being missed and the ball landing in the hands of giant lock Carl Burgess who dived over the line unopposed to take East Midlands into the lead, Jones adding a conversion to take the score to 21-24.

Counties threw everything they had at the visitors in the last few minutes of the game, but despite East Mindlands losing 2 players to the sin-bin for high tackles, Counties were unable to find a gap in the visitors defence before the final whistle was blown.

After the game Eastern Counties’ Head Coach Mark Bolton said “I’m immensely proud of how well the squad performed today, but like the players am bitterly disappointed we let the game slip from us at the end”

Eastern Counties host Lancashire at Cambridge Universities home ground at Grange Rd next week, kick off 2.15pm

TEAMS

EASTERN COUNTIES
15 Simon Hrbeck (Shelford), 14 Fetuli Paea (Shelford), 13 Matt Hema (Cambridge), 12 Ben Penfold (Cambridge), 11 Ashley Elvers (Cambridge), 10 Fraser Gillies (Cambridge University), 9 Harry Brown (Bury St Edmunds), 1 Miles Anderson (Shelford), 2 Rob Gardner (Shelford), 3 Shane Moynihan (Cambridge), 4 Tim Bond (Cambridge University), 5 Red Newberry Capt. (Shelford), 6 Matt Meek (Cambridge), 7 Brian Du Toit (Cambridge University), 8 Steve Hipwell (Diss)

REPLACEMENTS
16 Patrick Calvert (Unattached), 17 Matt Selby (Bury St Edmunds), 18 Aki Lea (Shelford), 19 Tui Uri (Ipswich), 20 Mike Gillick (Shelford), 21 Shaq Myers (Bury St Edmunds), 22 Mike Stanway (Cambridge)

Scorers:- Shane Moynihan 1T, Ashley Elvers 1T, Simon Hrbeck 3C

COACHES: Mark Bolton (Lead), Simon Kidney

MANAGER: David Masdin Assistant MANAGER: Shaun Gardner

PHYSIO: Steph Dear & Sam Jones

EAST MIDLANDS
15 Michael Wilson (Ampthill), 14 Peter Weightman (Ampthill), 13 Elliott Reeder (Ampthill), 12 William Goodge (Ampthill), 11 Sam Baker (Ampthill), 10 Stefan Jones (Ampthill), 9 Gavin Williams (Ampthill), 1 Ben Ibrahim (Cambridge), 2 Lutui Aleki (Ampthill), 3 Matthew Collins (Ampthill), 4 Carl Burgess (Old Northamptonians), 5 Josh Walker (Ampthill), 6 Sam Crooks (Peterborough Lions), 7 Tom Lewis (Peterborough Lions), 8 Molitika Maama (Ampthill),

REPLACEMENTS
16 James Wright (Ampthill), 17 Ben Howard (Peterborough Lions), 18 William Nankivill (Ampthill), 19 Wade Shoemann (Cambridge), 20 Ben Calder (Ampthill), 21 Sam Hanks (Ampthill), 22 Luke Hibberd (Chinnor)

Scorers: Luui Aleki 2T, Josh Walker 1T, Carl Burgess 1T, Stefan Jones 2C

COACH: Paul Turner (Lead)

MANAGER: Martin Elliott