Tomorrow's home match is on. Meet at 11.30am for 12.30 kick off.
Unfortunately this match, too, was cancelled when the referee judged that the pich was not fit for play. Thanks to West Norfolk for making the trip, despite the disapppointment of not playing.
Saturday, 11 December 2010
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Saffron Walden 0 - 36 Newmarket
In the first half of the match Newmarket played their most complete rugby of the season. The forwards continued their form of recent weeks to set a solid platform, but the backs also came into their own with a series of flowing moves that resulted in a number of scores.
The first couple of plays were rather scrappy with Newmarket knocking on from the drop out. The Saffron Walden scrum was solid but the away side gave them no time on the ball and quickly recovered it with some fierce tackling. Scrum-half Lewis Heap put a foot into touch as he darted for the line but Walden had already infringed. From the short range tap penalty the ball went to Jack Watson and the inside centre scored under the posts. Joe Stafford added the extras for a seven point lead.
Newmarket were soon back in the opposition half as Nathan Buckle, Dan Bristow and man of the match Anton Philips drove the ball forward before it was spun out to the wing. Unfortunately the pass went slightly forward. Gwilym Davies recovered it after the scrum, first tackling the outside centre and then pouncing on the loose ball. Stafford's chip forward went slightly too far and ran dead but from the 22 drop out Newmarket worked it back to the Walden line and slick passing from Heap saw Toby Colletta score right of the posts. Stafford just squeezed over the conversion.
Newmarket almost scored again direct from the re-start. Bristow charged forward before the ball went to Levi Jagropp who broke the line. His pass went out through Stafford and Watson to Davies who couldn't quite find the final pass that would have given Colletta a certain second try. It was a temporary let off for the home side as Dan Downing wriggled close to the line before Stafford jinked past the defence to touch down.
Saffron Walden were finding it difficult to clear their lines and Lenny Gray ran the ball back strongly from full-back. The forwards then took over. The front row had needed some reorganisation following a foot injury to Tom Wills. Oliver Sanusi-Bartlett was joined by Downing who moved to prop and Philips at hooker, but it proved an equally effective combination. The back row of Ben Jeacock, Buckle and Jamie Griggs continued to rampage forward and it was a simple task for Bristow to crash over from a couple of metres on the stroke of half-time.
Newmarket started the second half as they finished the first. Philips secured the drop out ball and it was quickly in the hands of Matt Marsh who produced a surprising turn of speed for a second row forward to outpace the Walden backs and score in the corner. His run was significantly straighter than the route he took to get to the ground in the first place.
It would have been easy for the home side to have become demoralised but they deserved a great deal of credit for digging deep. For the rest of the half they challenged Newmarket's overall superiority. Their full-back and No. 8 in particular led by example with strong, straight running leading to missed tackles by the away side and pressure on the Newmarket line.
With a number of rolling substitutions disrupting the organisation of Newmarket's backs, the game became rather scrappy and both sides were guilty of knock-ons and infringements when in good scoring positions. Five minutes from time Newmarket forced the home team to give away a penalty in front of their own posts. Tom Chandler, on at scrum-half, gave them no time to reorganise and nipped over for the final try, converted by Stafford.
Saffron Walden nearly had the last word and were unlucky not to score following great driving by their forwards. The faintest of knock-ons was spotted by the referee to bring the match to a close.
The first couple of plays were rather scrappy with Newmarket knocking on from the drop out. The Saffron Walden scrum was solid but the away side gave them no time on the ball and quickly recovered it with some fierce tackling. Scrum-half Lewis Heap put a foot into touch as he darted for the line but Walden had already infringed. From the short range tap penalty the ball went to Jack Watson and the inside centre scored under the posts. Joe Stafford added the extras for a seven point lead.
Newmarket were soon back in the opposition half as Nathan Buckle, Dan Bristow and man of the match Anton Philips drove the ball forward before it was spun out to the wing. Unfortunately the pass went slightly forward. Gwilym Davies recovered it after the scrum, first tackling the outside centre and then pouncing on the loose ball. Stafford's chip forward went slightly too far and ran dead but from the 22 drop out Newmarket worked it back to the Walden line and slick passing from Heap saw Toby Colletta score right of the posts. Stafford just squeezed over the conversion.
Newmarket almost scored again direct from the re-start. Bristow charged forward before the ball went to Levi Jagropp who broke the line. His pass went out through Stafford and Watson to Davies who couldn't quite find the final pass that would have given Colletta a certain second try. It was a temporary let off for the home side as Dan Downing wriggled close to the line before Stafford jinked past the defence to touch down.
Saffron Walden were finding it difficult to clear their lines and Lenny Gray ran the ball back strongly from full-back. The forwards then took over. The front row had needed some reorganisation following a foot injury to Tom Wills. Oliver Sanusi-Bartlett was joined by Downing who moved to prop and Philips at hooker, but it proved an equally effective combination. The back row of Ben Jeacock, Buckle and Jamie Griggs continued to rampage forward and it was a simple task for Bristow to crash over from a couple of metres on the stroke of half-time.
Newmarket started the second half as they finished the first. Philips secured the drop out ball and it was quickly in the hands of Matt Marsh who produced a surprising turn of speed for a second row forward to outpace the Walden backs and score in the corner. His run was significantly straighter than the route he took to get to the ground in the first place.
It would have been easy for the home side to have become demoralised but they deserved a great deal of credit for digging deep. For the rest of the half they challenged Newmarket's overall superiority. Their full-back and No. 8 in particular led by example with strong, straight running leading to missed tackles by the away side and pressure on the Newmarket line.
With a number of rolling substitutions disrupting the organisation of Newmarket's backs, the game became rather scrappy and both sides were guilty of knock-ons and infringements when in good scoring positions. Five minutes from time Newmarket forced the home team to give away a penalty in front of their own posts. Tom Chandler, on at scrum-half, gave them no time to reorganise and nipped over for the final try, converted by Stafford.
Saffron Walden nearly had the last word and were unlucky not to score following great driving by their forwards. The faintest of knock-ons was spotted by the referee to bring the match to a close.
Friday, 19 November 2010
Next Fixture: Away at Saffron Walden
We are away to Saffron Walden on Sunday.
10am meet for 11am kick off.
Click here for Saffron Walden RFC website and directions
10am meet for 11am kick off.
Click here for Saffron Walden RFC website and directions
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Shelford 24 - 10 Newmarket
It was a case of what might have been for Newmarket who put in a terrific 15 man effort against a strong Shelford side in a very watchable encounter.
With secure ball at the scrums and lineouts and terrific rucking, (really showing the impact of this week's training sessions), the away side had a territorial advantage in both halves. However, Newmarket found it difficult to contain the speedy running and confident handling of the Shelford backs, who took every opportunity to run the ball away from their own try line. As a result they went two tries ahead by half-time, having survived strong pressure from Newmarket who twice went close to crossing the line themselves.
Newmarket continued to pressure in the second half and were rewarded by two tries as a result of great driving mauls, with both backs and forwards keeping the ball alive. Tom Wills and Dan Bristow each got the ball down for the tries. Between these two scores, though, Shelford got a third break away try and they finished the game by wriggling over at the corner to stretch the margin to 14 points.
Every single Newmarket player put in a fantastic, committed performance and singling out anyone was difficult, but Tom Chandler was named man of the match for his outstanding
tackling.
To see what Shelford thought of the match, click here
With secure ball at the scrums and lineouts and terrific rucking, (really showing the impact of this week's training sessions), the away side had a territorial advantage in both halves. However, Newmarket found it difficult to contain the speedy running and confident handling of the Shelford backs, who took every opportunity to run the ball away from their own try line. As a result they went two tries ahead by half-time, having survived strong pressure from Newmarket who twice went close to crossing the line themselves.
Newmarket continued to pressure in the second half and were rewarded by two tries as a result of great driving mauls, with both backs and forwards keeping the ball alive. Tom Wills and Dan Bristow each got the ball down for the tries. Between these two scores, though, Shelford got a third break away try and they finished the game by wriggling over at the corner to stretch the margin to 14 points.
Every single Newmarket player put in a fantastic, committed performance and singling out anyone was difficult, but Tom Chandler was named man of the match for his outstanding
tackling.
To see what Shelford thought of the match, click here
Friday, 5 November 2010
Away match at Shelford
The Shelford match kicks off on Sunday at 11am. Please arrive for 10am warm up.
Sunday, 31 October 2010
Training: Tuesday 2nd November
Tuesday's training will be taken by Dave Sayer, First Team Coach. Ideally we need the whole squad to benefit from this opportunity, so please make sure you attend. Usual time 6.30 - 8.00pm
Next Sunday's match is away at Shelford.
Next Sunday's match is away at Shelford.
Swaffham 7 – 24 Newmarket
With both teams nearer full strength this match was much more closely fought than the reverse fixture a week earlier, though the result went the same way.
Much of the first half was a rather scrappy affair with Newmarket dominating open play but losing out in the rucks to Swaffham's more determined forwards. Nevertheless the home team found it very difficult to escape from their own half and were pinned in their own 22 for long periods.
Having held up Newmarket over the line in the second minute, Swaffham's defence couldn't keep them out again shortly afterwards. Ashley Reid returned a clearing kick from the home team. Gwilym Davies pressured the full-back, allowing Dan Downing and Ben Jeacock to move the ball forward. When it was smuggled back to Dan Bristow he handed off the full-back to score in the corner.
Joe Stafford missed the conversion but his penalty to the corner soon put Newmarket back in scoring range. However, a number of handling errors and penalty offences of their own halted progress. In the best team move of the match, though, Ollie Sanusi-Bartlett, Downing and Ben Jeacock picked and drove to within 5 metres of the try line. Jeacock's pass to scrum-half, Lewis Heap, was slickly flicked on first to Stafford then to Levi Jagropp, and the outside centre touched down close to the posts. This time Stafford made no mistake with the conversion for a 12 point lead at half-time.
Any complacency Newmarket might have had was quickly dispelled as Swaffham's never-say-die attitude forced a 5 metre scrum from which they crashed over under the posts. The away side responded in the best possible way and within a minute they had again extended their lead. Bristow took the ball from a tap penalty and handed it off to Anton Phillips who wriggled into the corner despite the close attention of four defenders.
As the second half progressed Newmarket increasingly dominated, with man of the match Tom Wills and flanker Nathan Buckle influential in the loose. The backs had been outstanding in defence but now got chances to run at the opposition. Toby Colletta, Jack Felton and Reid all tested the Swaffham wingers. But it was Jeacock who set up the final try, getting to within a few metres and slipping the ball for Stafford to touch down. Reid converted and then, full of confidence, sold an outrageous dummy in a charge along the touchline shortly before the full-time whistle.
Much of the first half was a rather scrappy affair with Newmarket dominating open play but losing out in the rucks to Swaffham's more determined forwards. Nevertheless the home team found it very difficult to escape from their own half and were pinned in their own 22 for long periods.
Having held up Newmarket over the line in the second minute, Swaffham's defence couldn't keep them out again shortly afterwards. Ashley Reid returned a clearing kick from the home team. Gwilym Davies pressured the full-back, allowing Dan Downing and Ben Jeacock to move the ball forward. When it was smuggled back to Dan Bristow he handed off the full-back to score in the corner.
Joe Stafford missed the conversion but his penalty to the corner soon put Newmarket back in scoring range. However, a number of handling errors and penalty offences of their own halted progress. In the best team move of the match, though, Ollie Sanusi-Bartlett, Downing and Ben Jeacock picked and drove to within 5 metres of the try line. Jeacock's pass to scrum-half, Lewis Heap, was slickly flicked on first to Stafford then to Levi Jagropp, and the outside centre touched down close to the posts. This time Stafford made no mistake with the conversion for a 12 point lead at half-time.
Any complacency Newmarket might have had was quickly dispelled as Swaffham's never-say-die attitude forced a 5 metre scrum from which they crashed over under the posts. The away side responded in the best possible way and within a minute they had again extended their lead. Bristow took the ball from a tap penalty and handed it off to Anton Phillips who wriggled into the corner despite the close attention of four defenders.
As the second half progressed Newmarket increasingly dominated, with man of the match Tom Wills and flanker Nathan Buckle influential in the loose. The backs had been outstanding in defence but now got chances to run at the opposition. Toby Colletta, Jack Felton and Reid all tested the Swaffham wingers. But it was Jeacock who set up the final try, getting to within a few metres and slipping the ball for Stafford to touch down. Reid converted and then, full of confidence, sold an outrageous dummy in a charge along the touchline shortly before the full-time whistle.
Sunday, 24 October 2010
Newmarket 39 - 0 Swaffham
Newmarket had a number of regular players missing from this convincing victory against an equally depleted Swaffham side. However, that didn't stop them producing an excellent all-round performance in which a number of more recent recruits took their opportunity to shine.
The home team were on the scoreboard almost immediately as good chasing from the kick off set up Anton Phillips to score in the corner. With Phillips and Gwilym Davies putting Swaffham under pressure as they followed up Nathan Buckle's positional kicking, it was not long before Newmarket set up another try opportunity. Swaffham were forced to give away a penalty and Dan Bristow proved unstoppable from short range. For the second time Joe Stafford slotted the conversion from the touchline.
The away side found it difficult to get the ball out of their territory. When they did they found themselves on the receiving end of some strong running from the Newmarket backs. Lenny Gray reliably gathered the ball at full-back and returned it with interest. Jack Watson added solidity on his return from injury with a broken leg ,and his running and tackling was enough to earn him the man of the match award. However, it was Levi Jagropp, playing his first club match, who made the most obvious impact. Picking up the loose ball, the winger was held up over the line. From the subsequent set piece, scrum half Lewis Heap spotted the blindside opportunity and this time Jagropp could not be denied.
With the front row of Dan Downing, Phillips and Ollie Sanusi-Bartlett forming a rock solid platform at the scrums, in the second half the backs continued to break the line and both Iain Moffat and Jamie Griggs were unlucky not to convert long range runs. However, it was another run from Griggs and some excellent handling that allowed Stafford to score the fourth try.
The forwards didn't want to be left out and determined scrapping by Downing and Ben Jeacock allowed second row Matt Marsh to stretch out a long arm and score. Shortly afterwards it was Tom Chandler's chance to to pick up the loose ball from a Swaffham scrum and this time he was able to evade the chasing defenders and touch down after a 70 metre run.
In recent matches Newmarket had been let down by poor passing, but that appeared to be a thing of the past as the ball again went smoothly out to the wing and Jagropp outpaced the defence to cap a fine performance. Despite conceding the score Swaffham continued to show 100% effort and surprised Stafford by charging down his conversion attempt.
The final score didn't flatter Newmarket, but Swaffham were unlucky not to have put some points on the board themselves.
Thanks to Tim Davies for taking the photographs.
The home team were on the scoreboard almost immediately as good chasing from the kick off set up Anton Phillips to score in the corner. With Phillips and Gwilym Davies putting Swaffham under pressure as they followed up Nathan Buckle's positional kicking, it was not long before Newmarket set up another try opportunity. Swaffham were forced to give away a penalty and Dan Bristow proved unstoppable from short range. For the second time Joe Stafford slotted the conversion from the touchline.
The away side found it difficult to get the ball out of their territory. When they did they found themselves on the receiving end of some strong running from the Newmarket backs. Lenny Gray reliably gathered the ball at full-back and returned it with interest. Jack Watson added solidity on his return from injury with a broken leg ,and his running and tackling was enough to earn him the man of the match award. However, it was Levi Jagropp, playing his first club match, who made the most obvious impact. Picking up the loose ball, the winger was held up over the line. From the subsequent set piece, scrum half Lewis Heap spotted the blindside opportunity and this time Jagropp could not be denied.
With the front row of Dan Downing, Phillips and Ollie Sanusi-Bartlett forming a rock solid platform at the scrums, in the second half the backs continued to break the line and both Iain Moffat and Jamie Griggs were unlucky not to convert long range runs. However, it was another run from Griggs and some excellent handling that allowed Stafford to score the fourth try.
The forwards didn't want to be left out and determined scrapping by Downing and Ben Jeacock allowed second row Matt Marsh to stretch out a long arm and score. Shortly afterwards it was Tom Chandler's chance to to pick up the loose ball from a Swaffham scrum and this time he was able to evade the chasing defenders and touch down after a 70 metre run.
In recent matches Newmarket had been let down by poor passing, but that appeared to be a thing of the past as the ball again went smoothly out to the wing and Jagropp outpaced the defence to cap a fine performance. Despite conceding the score Swaffham continued to show 100% effort and surprised Stafford by charging down his conversion attempt.
The final score didn't flatter Newmarket, but Swaffham were unlucky not to have put some points on the board themselves.
Thanks to Tim Davies for taking the photographs.
Friday, 15 October 2010
Sunday 17th October
No match this week, so training at 10.30am at Scaltback on Sunday morning.
Please note that next Tuesday's training will be taken by Dave Sayer, Newmarket First Team Coach. Please make sure you attend, if at all possible.
Please note that next Tuesday's training will be taken by Dave Sayer, Newmarket First Team Coach. Please make sure you attend, if at all possible.
Sunday, 10 October 2010
Sudbury 34 - 5 Newmarket
Every member of the squad did something good during the match. Unfortunately Newmarket's individual approach was no match for Sudbury's team effort. A disappointing day saw Newmarket out-tackled, out-passed, out-thought and out-played.
Newmarket's only points were a second half try from Joe Stafford.
Newmarket's only points were a second half try from Joe Stafford.
Thursday, 7 October 2010
Sunday 3rd October
The next match is on Sunday 10th October, away at Sudbury.
Please arrive at their ground to start warm up at 10am. Kickoff is at 11am.
Let's hope that we get to play this week, following the disappointment of turning up at Bury on Sunday only to find that the match had been cancelled. Some mis-communication between the clubs, apparently.
At least it allowed me to get to Shelford for the closing stages of the U11 County Cup. Newmarket were very unlucky to lose to the home team in the final. They were defeated by a golden try in the last play of extra time. Nevertheless, a fantastic effort considering it was the team's first competitive outing of the season.
Please arrive at their ground to start warm up at 10am. Kickoff is at 11am.
Let's hope that we get to play this week, following the disappointment of turning up at Bury on Sunday only to find that the match had been cancelled. Some mis-communication between the clubs, apparently.
At least it allowed me to get to Shelford for the closing stages of the U11 County Cup. Newmarket were very unlucky to lose to the home team in the final. They were defeated by a golden try in the last play of extra time. Nevertheless, a fantastic effort considering it was the team's first competitive outing of the season.
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| Newmarket & Shelford U11 County Cup Finalists |
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Newmarket 31 – 7 Ely
Straight from the opening drop out, Newmarket had Ely under pressure. Following good driving by Ethan Brown, first Ben Jeacock and then Chris Le got over the try line only to be held up. However, it was third time lucky as the rock-solid scrum gave Joe Stafford the opportunity to crash over. His conversion was the first of three successful kicks.
It was closely followed by a second try as Tom Chandler at scrum-half picked up from a Newmarket heel and got close enough to the line for Le to have the simple job of diving over.
It looked as if Newmarket might rack up a cricket score but they then started giving away a series of penalties for infringements, around the ruck and at the line-out, that allowed Ely to clear pressure away from their lines. When the home side did get close to the try line they too often failed to spot the overlaps and Ely snuffed out the direct attacks.
However, Ely found it difficult to lift the pressure entirely and the Newmarket backs were quickly on them as they struggled to gather ball from some excellent territorial kicking from Stafford and Nathan Buckle. First Gwilym Davies caught the opposition winger behind his own line and then Iain Moffat chased down the ball, allowing Tom Wills to drive forward and present a short range scoring opportunity to Dan Bristow.
With Lewis Heap on at scrum-half there was time for a fourth try before half-time. The forwards drove the ball from near the half-way line to within ten metres. Heap darted for the line and Stafford was there to snaffle the ball and score another short-range try.
With the wind in their faces, Newmarket found it much harder going in the second half. A re-invigorated Ely side camped near their try line and crossed it twice in the first ten minutes. Their No. 8 was unlucky to knock-on the first time, but they soon put that right from a tapped penalty for a seven point score.
Newmarket soon returned the favour as strong runs by Moffat and driving by the front row of Ollie Sanusi Bartlett, Dan Downing and Wills allowed the last of these to cross the line, only to be penalised for a double movement in getting the ball down. Although a number of backs moves then petered out, Newmarket were soon back near the line, with newcomers Matt Marsh and Anton Phillips heavily involved in driving mauls, and this time man of the match Bristow was on hand to pick up his second try of the day.
The home side had a couple of further scoring chances before the final whistle sounded, but were foiled by the Ely full-back who first dumped Bristow into touch and then repeated the performance to thwart a strong run by Toby Colletta on the wing.
It was closely followed by a second try as Tom Chandler at scrum-half picked up from a Newmarket heel and got close enough to the line for Le to have the simple job of diving over.
It looked as if Newmarket might rack up a cricket score but they then started giving away a series of penalties for infringements, around the ruck and at the line-out, that allowed Ely to clear pressure away from their lines. When the home side did get close to the try line they too often failed to spot the overlaps and Ely snuffed out the direct attacks.
However, Ely found it difficult to lift the pressure entirely and the Newmarket backs were quickly on them as they struggled to gather ball from some excellent territorial kicking from Stafford and Nathan Buckle. First Gwilym Davies caught the opposition winger behind his own line and then Iain Moffat chased down the ball, allowing Tom Wills to drive forward and present a short range scoring opportunity to Dan Bristow.
With Lewis Heap on at scrum-half there was time for a fourth try before half-time. The forwards drove the ball from near the half-way line to within ten metres. Heap darted for the line and Stafford was there to snaffle the ball and score another short-range try.
With the wind in their faces, Newmarket found it much harder going in the second half. A re-invigorated Ely side camped near their try line and crossed it twice in the first ten minutes. Their No. 8 was unlucky to knock-on the first time, but they soon put that right from a tapped penalty for a seven point score.
Newmarket soon returned the favour as strong runs by Moffat and driving by the front row of Ollie Sanusi Bartlett, Dan Downing and Wills allowed the last of these to cross the line, only to be penalised for a double movement in getting the ball down. Although a number of backs moves then petered out, Newmarket were soon back near the line, with newcomers Matt Marsh and Anton Phillips heavily involved in driving mauls, and this time man of the match Bristow was on hand to pick up his second try of the day.
The home side had a couple of further scoring chances before the final whistle sounded, but were foiled by the Ely full-back who first dumped Bristow into touch and then repeated the performance to thwart a strong run by Toby Colletta on the wing.
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Biggleswade 32 - 7 Newmarket
After last week's impressive 15 point win against Peterborough, Newmarket were brought down to earth this week by a very competitive Biggleswade team and their own under par performance.
From the start of the first match between these teams for five years, the Bigglewade backs ran the show and it was only last ditch defence that held them at bay until ten minutes into the game when they scored left of the posts.
Nothing was working for Newmarket as passes failed to go to hand, tackle after tackle was missed and lineouts were lost. However, they saw a glimmer of hope when they finally got close to the Biggleswade line, due to good work by Anton Phillips, and Dan Bristow took the recycled ball to crash over. Joe Stafford converted the try for the away side to take a two point lead.
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| He really has scored |
Phillips and Ben Jeacock showed how tackles should be made but even when Newmarket got temporarily on the front foot they found themselves on the wrong end of a number of close refereeing decisions. Biggleswade hardly made a handling error and their strong running allowed them to put a further five tries on the board for a well-deserved win.
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Newmarket 15 – 0 Peterborough
These well-matched teams continued from where they left off in 3 encounters last season with another closely contested and thoroughly watchable game. Traditionally Newmarket have been slow starters but this year pre-season training seems to have paid off as they put in a ferocious performance and maintained a high tempo right to the end of the game.
The basis for the win was laid by the Newmarket forwards who dominated their opponents and frequently stole Peterborough ball from scrums and lineouts. This gave the backs early opportunities to run at the opposition and it was a quick tap from a penalty that allowed new recruit, Tom Chandler, playing at scrum half, to run half the length of the pitch and score in the corner for a 5 point lead at half-time.
This was only one of a number of champagne moments that made the match sparkle. Particularly notable were the strong tackling and running of Iain Moffat; Ashley Reid at fullback gathering a dangerous bouncing ball at full speed in order to clear the danger from the advancing Peterborough attack; the terrier-like determination of Anton Phillips as he somehow wrestled and wriggled his way forward out of rucks; and the equally good defensive qualities of Peterborough as they repeatedly held up Newmarket players who had crossed their try line.
In the second half Newmarket’s superior fitness began to pay dividends and they benefited from a rising penalty count. From one infringement Dan Bristow took the short ball ten metres out and a simple pass inside allowed man of the match, Joe Stafford, to score left of the posts and double the lead.
It wasn’t until the last couple of minutes that Newmarket’s territorial advantage was turned into further points. The ball went along the backs to Toby Colletta who ignored the pleas of his team mates to pass as he took on the entire Peterborough defence to go to ground two metres in front of the posts. As the ball came out of the ruck Ethan Brown popped up with it to dive over for the second time in the match. This time he was able to get the ball down and score.
A great start to the season for Newmarket, marred only by an injury to Jack Watson who played with a fractured bone in his leg for the last quarter of the match and will now be out for up to six weeks.
The basis for the win was laid by the Newmarket forwards who dominated their opponents and frequently stole Peterborough ball from scrums and lineouts. This gave the backs early opportunities to run at the opposition and it was a quick tap from a penalty that allowed new recruit, Tom Chandler, playing at scrum half, to run half the length of the pitch and score in the corner for a 5 point lead at half-time.
This was only one of a number of champagne moments that made the match sparkle. Particularly notable were the strong tackling and running of Iain Moffat; Ashley Reid at fullback gathering a dangerous bouncing ball at full speed in order to clear the danger from the advancing Peterborough attack; the terrier-like determination of Anton Phillips as he somehow wrestled and wriggled his way forward out of rucks; and the equally good defensive qualities of Peterborough as they repeatedly held up Newmarket players who had crossed their try line.
In the second half Newmarket’s superior fitness began to pay dividends and they benefited from a rising penalty count. From one infringement Dan Bristow took the short ball ten metres out and a simple pass inside allowed man of the match, Joe Stafford, to score left of the posts and double the lead.
It wasn’t until the last couple of minutes that Newmarket’s territorial advantage was turned into further points. The ball went along the backs to Toby Colletta who ignored the pleas of his team mates to pass as he took on the entire Peterborough defence to go to ground two metres in front of the posts. As the ball came out of the ruck Ethan Brown popped up with it to dive over for the second time in the match. This time he was able to get the ball down and score.
A great start to the season for Newmarket, marred only by an injury to Jack Watson who played with a fractured bone in his leg for the last quarter of the match and will now be out for up to six weeks.
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Trip to Twickenham
The U15s had a very enjoyable trip to Twickenham on 4th September to see the double header that opened the new Premiership season.
Traffic problems meant that we only arrived in time for the second half of the match between London Irish and Saracens. In the second match, Wasps versus Harlequins, the crowd was distracted from the play for at least 5 minutes as Mexican wave after wave rippled round and round the stadium. The air was thick with the cardboard beer holders as they were spun into space from the upper tiers.
While waiting for the homeward traffic to thin, Chris Stafford showed the boys how it was done with a flat out tackle on a bush. When the pints of anaesthetic had worn off he discovered that he had broken his arm. First injury of the season to the parents.
Many thanks to Louise Buckle for making all the arrangements for a great day out.
More photos here
Traffic problems meant that we only arrived in time for the second half of the match between London Irish and Saracens. In the second match, Wasps versus Harlequins, the crowd was distracted from the play for at least 5 minutes as Mexican wave after wave rippled round and round the stadium. The air was thick with the cardboard beer holders as they were spun into space from the upper tiers.
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| Chris contemplates breaking something later |
While waiting for the homeward traffic to thin, Chris Stafford showed the boys how it was done with a flat out tackle on a bush. When the pints of anaesthetic had worn off he discovered that he had broken his arm. First injury of the season to the parents.
Many thanks to Louise Buckle for making all the arrangements for a great day out.
More photos here
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Sunday 18th April: Training and Barbecue
Excellent barbecue after training. Thanks to Harry and Louise for the organisation, including the fantastic weather.
The head coach was the subject of a number of 'thank you's from the team.
The head coach was the subject of a number of 'thank you's from the team.
Sunday, 11 April 2010
Newmarket 27 - 0 Peterborough
It was third time lucky for Newmarket as they gained revenge, in some style, for two narrow defeats by Peterborough earlier in the season.
The writing was on the wall for the away team from the kick off. Newmarket recovered the ball from their own drop out, forced a penalty and Aiden Cooper crashed over with fewer than two minutes on the clock.
The home team were so dominant that the only times that Peterborough crossed the halfway line in the first half were when they re-started after a score. Those incursions were only brief and with Newmarket quick to the breakdown and disrupting opposition ball it was only a few minutes before they were back in front of the away side's posts. This time a Peterborough clearing kick was gathered by Jack Watson and his pass out of the tackle allowed Iain Moffat to score from outside centre.
Cooper soon had his second try as the home side won a scrum against the head. Chris Le picked up at No. 8 and drove for the line before slipping the ball to the scorer who evaded several tackles to touchdown. This time Joe Stafford correctly judged the swirling wind to land the first of his two conversions and give Newmarket a 17 point lead at half-time.
The second half started no better for Peterborough. Their kick off was gathered by Dan Bristow and the second row sprinted the length of the field to score under the posts. However, they responded well and had their best passage of play. Newmarket found themselves pinned in their own half as a number of handling mistakes resulted from their commitment to an expansive running game. But, with the exception of a powerful run by the Peterborough full-back, Newmarket never looked in serious danger of conceding points.
They stretched their advantage as Bristow snaffled a Peterborough throw and again outpaced the defence, this time from the halfway line, to secure his second try and the man of the match award.
The writing was on the wall for the away team from the kick off. Newmarket recovered the ball from their own drop out, forced a penalty and Aiden Cooper crashed over with fewer than two minutes on the clock.
The home team were so dominant that the only times that Peterborough crossed the halfway line in the first half were when they re-started after a score. Those incursions were only brief and with Newmarket quick to the breakdown and disrupting opposition ball it was only a few minutes before they were back in front of the away side's posts. This time a Peterborough clearing kick was gathered by Jack Watson and his pass out of the tackle allowed Iain Moffat to score from outside centre.
Cooper soon had his second try as the home side won a scrum against the head. Chris Le picked up at No. 8 and drove for the line before slipping the ball to the scorer who evaded several tackles to touchdown. This time Joe Stafford correctly judged the swirling wind to land the first of his two conversions and give Newmarket a 17 point lead at half-time.
The second half started no better for Peterborough. Their kick off was gathered by Dan Bristow and the second row sprinted the length of the field to score under the posts. However, they responded well and had their best passage of play. Newmarket found themselves pinned in their own half as a number of handling mistakes resulted from their commitment to an expansive running game. But, with the exception of a powerful run by the Peterborough full-back, Newmarket never looked in serious danger of conceding points.
They stretched their advantage as Bristow snaffled a Peterborough throw and again outpaced the defence, this time from the halfway line, to secure his second try and the man of the match award.
Sunday, 28 March 2010
Swaffham 5 - 46 Newmarket
Newmarket continued their recent good form with a fifteen man performance that overwhelmed the Swaffham defence and made it difficult for the opposition attack to cross the gain line. With forwards and backs firing on all cylinders it was no surprise when Newmarket scored early, as Dan Bristow and Chris Le combined to get within inches of the try line and set up Ethan Brown to wriggle over.
They had soon doubled the score as Aiden Cooper spotted a gap on the blindside and slipped the ball to Iain Moffat. The winger had work to do before touching down in the corner, following his welcome return to the team. With both conversions missed, Le was then close to another score, only to be adjudged rightly to have made a double movement in trying to get the ball over the line.
Moffat moved from wing to outside centre shortly afterwards as Nathan Buckle had to be carried off with a serious-looking ankle injury. Newmarket responded well and Swaffham found themselves pinned in the own twenty-two and having to kick to clear their lines. With Newmarket winning any lineout ball and Ashley Reid comfortably catching and returning any open field kicks it was inevitable that the waves of pressure would tell and this time it was Cooper who cut back in past the wrong-footed defence to score under the posts. Joe Stafford converted the try and soon added to his points tally with a try of his own on the stroke of half time to give Newmarket a 24 point lead.
The pattern of the game continued in the second half as Stafford made good use of kicks over the top of the Swaffham defence to put them under pressure. First a good chase by Joe Metts and Moffat enabled the ball to be recovered with Stafford finishing off what he had started. Then Gwilym Davies put the defence under pressure allowing Metts to charge down the clearance kick and Jack Felton benefited from the rebound for his first try for the club and the man of the match award.
In between these Newmarket scores, Swaffham managed to break out of their own half briefly and a powerful run led to an unconverted try in the corner. The score gave the home side more heart and they defended stoutly for the remainder of the game against a Newmarket side that was reduced to 14 by a sending off. However, their efforts were in vain as Stafford scored a hat-trick try for the second week running following a powerful run by Cooper.
The front row of Tom Wills, Dan Downing and Oliver Sanusi Bartlett, together with flanker Ben Jeacock had been at the heart of much of Newmarket's success in retaining ball and they were responsible for starting the move that resulted in Newmarket's final try. This time Stafford turned provider to put Cooper in close to the posts. Sanusi Bartlett's narrow conversion miss ended the game.
They had soon doubled the score as Aiden Cooper spotted a gap on the blindside and slipped the ball to Iain Moffat. The winger had work to do before touching down in the corner, following his welcome return to the team. With both conversions missed, Le was then close to another score, only to be adjudged rightly to have made a double movement in trying to get the ball over the line.
Moffat moved from wing to outside centre shortly afterwards as Nathan Buckle had to be carried off with a serious-looking ankle injury. Newmarket responded well and Swaffham found themselves pinned in the own twenty-two and having to kick to clear their lines. With Newmarket winning any lineout ball and Ashley Reid comfortably catching and returning any open field kicks it was inevitable that the waves of pressure would tell and this time it was Cooper who cut back in past the wrong-footed defence to score under the posts. Joe Stafford converted the try and soon added to his points tally with a try of his own on the stroke of half time to give Newmarket a 24 point lead.
The pattern of the game continued in the second half as Stafford made good use of kicks over the top of the Swaffham defence to put them under pressure. First a good chase by Joe Metts and Moffat enabled the ball to be recovered with Stafford finishing off what he had started. Then Gwilym Davies put the defence under pressure allowing Metts to charge down the clearance kick and Jack Felton benefited from the rebound for his first try for the club and the man of the match award.
In between these Newmarket scores, Swaffham managed to break out of their own half briefly and a powerful run led to an unconverted try in the corner. The score gave the home side more heart and they defended stoutly for the remainder of the game against a Newmarket side that was reduced to 14 by a sending off. However, their efforts were in vain as Stafford scored a hat-trick try for the second week running following a powerful run by Cooper.
The front row of Tom Wills, Dan Downing and Oliver Sanusi Bartlett, together with flanker Ben Jeacock had been at the heart of much of Newmarket's success in retaining ball and they were responsible for starting the move that resulted in Newmarket's final try. This time Stafford turned provider to put Cooper in close to the posts. Sanusi Bartlett's narrow conversion miss ended the game.
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Newmarket 57 - 0 Ipswich
With the benefit of some pre-match tips from Dave Sayer, Newmarket's 1st team coach, the U14s proved unstoppable against an Ipswich side that was short of competitive playing time in a disrupted season. The home side dominated in every phase of the game and ran in nine unanswered tries.
The writing was on the wall for the visitors from the first kick off when Ethan Brown and Gwilym Davies combined well to recover the ball. From the subsequent lineout Chris Le gathered loose ball and shrugged off the tacklers to run in from 20 metres out. Joe Stafford converted the first of his five successful conversions.
With Ipswich's scrum proving solid, the visitors tried to run the ball through their backs at every opportunity, but Newmarket were quickly up in defence to shut them down and force the errors. When they kicked for touch, Newmarket dominated the lineouts and it was stolen ball from a throw in that allowed first Dan Downing and then Lewis Heap to carry play almost to the try line, from where Dan Bristow was unstoppable.
The third try came almost immediately. From the drop out Newmarket smuggled the ball back to Heap. The scrum half found his fly half and Stafford raced three-quarters the length of the pitch to outpace the Ipswich defence and touch down in the corner. With Heap in confident mood he was unlucky that his cross-field kick was not gathered by Ashley Reed, Newmarket's pacy full-back. A couple of plays later a solid ruck provided the platform for Brown to test the blind-side and prop Tom Wills benefited from the well-timed pass that allowed him to score his first Newmarket try.
Ipswich put up some resolute defence at the start of the second half and did well to bring down Le and Bristow, Newmarket's rampaging forwards. However, they struggled to clear their lines completely as first Ben Jeacock got close and then Le was held up over the line. From the subsequent scrum the half backs again combined to give Stafford his second try.
By now the whole Newmarket team was playing with confidence and neat passing between Nathan Buckle, Davies and Brown resulted in the ball finding its way to Jack Felton for the first of several curving runs, from which he was unlucky not to score but which won him the man of the match award. Again Newmarket found themselves in front of the Ipswich posts and when a scrum became a penalty, Heap took a quick tap and this time wriggled over to score himself.
With both backs and forwards keeping the ball alive and breaking tackles the home side were soon back near the Ipswich line. The pressure told and a stray Ipswich pass behind the posts was seized on by the alert Jeacock who beat the defence to the ball and touched down.
It took just four touches of the ball for Newmarket to cover the length of the pitch and score their eighth try. Jack Watson collected the drop out, passed the ball to Reed who crossed the half way line before slipping it to Stafford who ran in under the posts and then generously allowed Watson to finish the move he had started.
Despite the scoreline Ipswich deserved a great deal of credit for the way in which they continued to stick to their task and, briefly, they managed to get into Newmarket territory and probe for a way through the home defence. But despite nice passing through the hands, the move again broke down allowing Buckle to kick safely to touch. Newmarket retrieved the ball from the lineout and another Felton run paved the way for Stafford to cap a tremendous performance as he mesmerised the Ipswich defence to score his hat trick. The match ended with Reed slotting the extra points.
The writing was on the wall for the visitors from the first kick off when Ethan Brown and Gwilym Davies combined well to recover the ball. From the subsequent lineout Chris Le gathered loose ball and shrugged off the tacklers to run in from 20 metres out. Joe Stafford converted the first of his five successful conversions.
With Ipswich's scrum proving solid, the visitors tried to run the ball through their backs at every opportunity, but Newmarket were quickly up in defence to shut them down and force the errors. When they kicked for touch, Newmarket dominated the lineouts and it was stolen ball from a throw in that allowed first Dan Downing and then Lewis Heap to carry play almost to the try line, from where Dan Bristow was unstoppable.
The third try came almost immediately. From the drop out Newmarket smuggled the ball back to Heap. The scrum half found his fly half and Stafford raced three-quarters the length of the pitch to outpace the Ipswich defence and touch down in the corner. With Heap in confident mood he was unlucky that his cross-field kick was not gathered by Ashley Reed, Newmarket's pacy full-back. A couple of plays later a solid ruck provided the platform for Brown to test the blind-side and prop Tom Wills benefited from the well-timed pass that allowed him to score his first Newmarket try.
Ipswich put up some resolute defence at the start of the second half and did well to bring down Le and Bristow, Newmarket's rampaging forwards. However, they struggled to clear their lines completely as first Ben Jeacock got close and then Le was held up over the line. From the subsequent scrum the half backs again combined to give Stafford his second try.
By now the whole Newmarket team was playing with confidence and neat passing between Nathan Buckle, Davies and Brown resulted in the ball finding its way to Jack Felton for the first of several curving runs, from which he was unlucky not to score but which won him the man of the match award. Again Newmarket found themselves in front of the Ipswich posts and when a scrum became a penalty, Heap took a quick tap and this time wriggled over to score himself.
With both backs and forwards keeping the ball alive and breaking tackles the home side were soon back near the Ipswich line. The pressure told and a stray Ipswich pass behind the posts was seized on by the alert Jeacock who beat the defence to the ball and touched down.
It took just four touches of the ball for Newmarket to cover the length of the pitch and score their eighth try. Jack Watson collected the drop out, passed the ball to Reed who crossed the half way line before slipping it to Stafford who ran in under the posts and then generously allowed Watson to finish the move he had started.
Despite the scoreline Ipswich deserved a great deal of credit for the way in which they continued to stick to their task and, briefly, they managed to get into Newmarket territory and probe for a way through the home defence. But despite nice passing through the hands, the move again broke down allowing Buckle to kick safely to touch. Newmarket retrieved the ball from the lineout and another Felton run paved the way for Stafford to cap a tremendous performance as he mesmerised the Ipswich defence to score his hat trick. The match ended with Reed slotting the extra points.
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