Upper Clapton 19-23 Beccles Bulls

Eastern Counties 1

06/04/02

In a crucial Eastern Counties Division 1 promotion contest a 'scratch' Bulls side showed they were anything but, by fighting back from behind to bring their double quest one penultimate step closer by narrowly beating a game Upper Clapton side in deepest Essex.
With 1st XV regulars Hepton, Kingston, Moon and Henderson unavailable in the pack it was with some trepidation that the selection committee viewed this anticipated
tough forward encounter. However with veteran Nellie Crane and Stuart Downing returning from his sabbatical they were able to find very able replacements in the front row. David Rix , fresh from service in the Army , proved his superior fitness in the house and his return could not have been timelier. All performed admirably alongside their pack colleagues and all the forwards deserve praise for proving hungrier for the ball on the day.

In an almost carbon copy of the encounter earlier this season when the Bulls opened up a significant lead before UC fought back to lose narrowly, this time it was the Bulls turn to tackle a deficit of some 16 points in the first half as they faced into a stiff breeze which their hosts used effectively.

The Bulls defended excellently from the kick-off breaking out and driving up field on a number of occasions , however , whenever they turned the ball over they found themselves kicked back deep into their own territory by the UC fly half. It took over 20 minutes for their hosts to break the stalemate with a penalty which was added to with a converted try minutes later when some poor defending allowed the lively UC right wing to break through some dispirited tackling to go over near the posts.

The Bulls marched back up field and forced their hosts into mistakes. Unfortunately they were not able to take full advantage of the penalties offered, especially as UC were very suspect when it came to defending quick taps, as most of the time these were accompanied by home side players requiring 'medical attention' a point which was to eventually prove their undoing.

Therefore the Bulls had to content themselves with a Jon Puxley penalty as scant reward to go into half-time trailing 16 - 3.

With the wind at their backs in the second half and a game plan to suit the Bulls charged into the game with a try from winger Dilly Dawson who had a typical rampaging game. Puxley was unable to add the conversion from wide-out and the Bulls had to fight back disappointment when UC replied almost immediately after some loose play enabled them to fly-hack up field for their fly-half to strike a good drop-goal into the wind.

An eleven-point deficit remained and it was not looking good for the Bulls , but this side's run of success has given them the confidence required to focus on even the most crucial games. A tight focus and adherence to the game plan was exactly what was required , using the wind and forcing the home side into errors allowed Puxley to add another crucial 3 points from a penalty to bring Beccles within a score of their hosts.

The Bulls then ravaged the home sides goal line with the clock counting. No8 Andy Warnes crunched close twice with the last being an inch short. From the resultant scrummage the ball was worked infield for a midfield crash move with flanker Chris Hinsley on hand to scavenge the ball and wriggle over with 4 minutes of time remaining. Puxley added the conversion in double quick time to leave them 1 point adrift and the Bulls jogged the ball back to force a restart.

The pressure was really on now with literally minutes remaining the Bulls had to retain possession at the kick-off , work their way downfield and score. Sounds impossible, but in fact the Bulls did it twice…

The high , spiralling UC restart was deflected back in the Bulls forwards to be driven on by Hinsley. Skipper Owen Hadridge delivered the ball back to Warnes on the edge of the Bulls 22 meter line who punted hard and long with the ball bouncing into touch 15 metres out from the UC try line.

UC had the throw , but that did not matter to Darren Ley who soared into the air to steal crucial possession. A swift drive took the Bulls to within yards of victory but the maul was collapsing as Hadridge spun the ball to Puxley. A simple scissor move put Gareth Hadridge into the smallest of gaps and he drove over amongst a crowd of players. Unfortunately celebrations were curtailed as the referee was unsighted and the Bulls supporters thought their last chance had be lost.

However , due to excessive stoppage time during the match there was time for 1 last play. The scrum was awarded to the Bulls 5 meters out and the pack focussed on winning this crucial ball.

A regular move between Hadridge and Warnes was decided upon and the skipper worked the blind side spaces with seconds remaining. A shimmy and dart opened the smallest of spaces for brother Gareth to cross from open side in support and gain revenge for his earlier denial as he crashed over in the corner. The referee's confirmation of the try broke the hearts of the Upper Clapton faithful and started the celebrations in the Bulls camp. Puxley's conversion attempt , which although unsuccessful was irrelevant as the referee's final whistle went as it crossed the dead ball line giving the Bulls a crucial 4-point winning margin.

The Bulls marched off the field jubilant and full of expectation of another crunch game next Saturday when they face their remaining rivals for an automatic promotion slot Stanford-le-Hope at Beef Meadow in the final League match this season.

Andy Warnes.

Beccles Press Officer.