Beccles Bulls 15-19 Mersea Island

Eastern Counties 1

27/10/01

In another top-of-the-table clash the Bulls entertained Mersea Island in the anticipated close encounter of the day. With EC1 developing into a 3 horse race between these 2 clubs and current league leaders Stanford Le Hope, Mersea Island needed the win more than the Bulls to stay in contention after losing already to Stanford. Unfortunately the Bulls gifted Mersea with 2 points at the cost of a 14 month unbeaten home league record.

Sporting the casualty list that has become a regular phenomena this season the Bulls could easily blame this concerning list of key players for this narrow 15-19 defeat, but the truth of the matter is even with this they should have still beaten Mersea and they generated far more try scoring opportunities than their guests, by a factor of 3 at least. Suffice to say this was a hard lesson in the need for clinical finishing and for not squandering scoring positions within 10 yards of the try line, which happened on at least half a dozen occasions.

The match could not have started better. Mersea Island arrived and were by far the largest, most tactically aware side the Bulls have faced this season. However, contrary to recent weeks where the Bulls have dawdled into the match, Beccles started the game lively enough and scored within 3 minutes when No8 Andy Warnes was spun a wide pass by Skipper Owen Hadridge from a tap penalty on the visitor's 5-yard line after a rucking infringement. Jon Puxley stepped up to slot the difficult conversion.

Mersea were lucky not to find themselves further behind when from a mid-field scrummage on the half-way line 10 minutes later a simple blind-side move between the 2 architects of the opening try allowed Hadridge to gallop to within 10 meters of the try line before drawing cover and slipping a pass to the wing only to see this simple pass dropped with an open try line begging. From the resultant scrummage the Bulls managed to regain possession and flanker Darren Ley crossed to touchdown right on the line in a pile of Mersea players, but the Referee was completely unsighted and failed to award the score. This was to prove crucial as it later transpired!

The rest of the half was fairly evenly contested with the only scoring opportunities for Mersea coming from some rather curious penalty decisions, which effected both sides concentration. Mersea's fly half, John Williams, was having an uninspiring day with the boot and only managed to get Mersea on the score sheet on the stroke of half time with his first converted penalty from at least 4 attempts, 2 of which hit the woodwork.

Instead of turning the screw in the 2nd Half the Bulls started poorly. Mersea, although getting close to the Bulls try line on only 2 occasions during the whole match, did not squander the opportunity when they did. Their first try was almost a re-run of the try Beccles failed to get awarded in the 1st half, this time it was Mersea's flanker Dave Breaden who managed to ensure the Referee spotted his try. Williams added the conversion and spurred on by improving form added a penalty 5 minutes later to open up a 6 point lead for Mersea.

The Bulls responded by marching back up field but received scant reward in the form of Puxley penalty, instead of a try, when Mersea killed a maul that was heading towards the try line.
Williams added 2 more penalties to open the score deficit up to 9 points before the Bulls really started to pile into Mersea and the last quarter was all Beccles.

On 4 occasions the Bulls found themselves within 5 meters of the visitors try line, only to squander the opportunity by either losing possession or conceding unnecessary penalties. Puxley's kicking form also deteriorated and he missed 2 penalty opportunities to pull the Bulls level, which with hindsight may have been better to scrummage or run.
With the clock counting down the Bulls finally succeeded in crossing the try line when from some well worked phases the ball ended up with Davy Kingston, just returned from injury, who crashed through 2 tacklers to cross the try line. Unfortunately with Mersea appealing vigorously the Referee adjudged this to be 'held-up'.

Beccles finally scored when from a driven line-out just in the visitors half, Hadridge fed to Warnes who sprinted through a gap close to the loose to cover fully 40 yards on the left of the pitch before being dragged down by the covering defence. The ball was recycled and fed wide right before coming back left for Warnes himself to provide the scoring pass to winger Pete Anderson who cantered in around the despairing defence. Denny Pyle's missed conversion attempt was the last kick of the match.

The Bulls can be severely disappointed in the outcome on the day, but have to face the facts that the game was there for the taking. Although they scored more tries than their visitors it was the fact that they crossed the line on 2 other occasions without reward and wasted at least 2 others that cost the game when coupled with their ability to concede un-necessary penalties.

The Bulls now need to dig deep and aim to beat both Mersea Island in the return match and Stanford Le Hope in either home or away leg to seriously challenge for another promotion this season. To expect to achieve this a more clinical approach to finishing is required, which is not an impossible task

Andy Warnes.

Beccles Press Officer.