The conditions didn't make for fluent running rugby but, despite that, both sides passed and handled well, except in the rucks-come-mudwrestling where far too many turnovers resulted from the slippery ball squirming away like a bar of soap.
Playing uphill in the first half, Newmarket dominated territory. Tactical kicking by Joe Stafford and fierce tackling by the whole side kept Ely largely pinned in their own half but, despite getting close to the try line on several occasions, failure to control ruck ball let the visitors down until Dan Downing squirmed over near the posts. Stafford converted what proved to be the only score of the first half.
The second half saw Newmarket continue to dominate the lineouts, but an injury to one of the Ely props and the consequent move to uncontested scrums took some of the competitiveness out of what had been an even and hard-fought part of the game. It was Newmarket who were first to break the second half deadlock. Dan Bristow broke away from a maul in his own half and out-paced the Ely defence until brought down ten metres from the line. However, close support by the forwards then took Jack Watson to within inches of scoring before re-cycled ball reached Stafford who crashed over.
However, Ely were not done for and they had soon cut the deficit with a converted try of their own following strong running by their backs that cut through the Newmarket defence. They were unlucky not to get a further try when only last ditch defence by the visitors kept them at bay. Ely too were making good use of the kicking game, but Ashley Reed at fullback proved absolutely reliable under the high ball and put in a man of the match performance for Newmarket with his faultless catching.
It was Newmarket's dominance of the lineout that led to their third and final try. Chris Le gathered the ball from an Ely throw and broke the gain line before Bristow carried on from level with where he had ended his earlier run. This time he was unstoppable. The only question, quickly answered, was whether he would manage to touch the ball down before his momentum took him over the dead ball line and into a waiting puddle.
Both sides deserve credit for their contributions to a well-fought match in difficult conditions.
