Rampant Bulls run in nine tries

As the torrential rain eased off, Ives kicked off their first Friday night league fixture with a rip-roaring attack.
With only seconds on the board, slick hands left Ben Fleming in space and he slid his way in to score in the corner.
There was some concern in the minds of the many onlookers as the Bulls then managed to spurn three gilt-edged chances before the clock had passed ten minutes.
Queens managed to get to the Ives 22 and it was only stout defence that kept them out.
Ives reset their attacking playing and keeping the ball in hand proved successful. Returning skipper John Paxton darted through to score under the posts.
Queens continued to attack with some hard, direct running, but Ives defence was again up to the task.
Having weathered the storm, Ives fought their way back upfield. Joe Cox developed a two on two to score a fine try. And shortly before half time, Matt Wood was left in space after the ball had swung from one side to the other to score the bonus point try.
With Cox converting two, Ives were 24-0 up.
The second half saw Ives score some fine tries. The direct running and offloading was a pleasure for the significant number of onlookers to enjoy.
The pack was also beginning to dominate the set piece. Pushing Queens off their own ball gained Ives possession which was whipped wide for Albiee Tayedzerwa to round the defence and score.
A well worked line out move saw Sam Marjason-Stamp release Paul Ashbridge through some soft shoulders in defence to score the next.
Wood was back in the action as he made a fine run straight through the visitors’ defence. Again, good hands saw the ball go wide for Tayedzerwa to score his second.
Queens continued to try to get something from the game and began to run the ball from everywhere. Ashbridge showed the way in defence again with a crunching tackle. His opposite number attempted to offload, but found Ollie Raine who accepted the pass to score.
As time was running out, Ives still had enough time to release Fleming out wide. He scampered past the defence to score in the corner.
With Cox converting another 4 tries, the final score was 57-0.
Head Coach Paul Humphreys was candid with his appraisal. “Being Friday 13th and with the atrocious weather, which is always a leveller, the match had the feeling of a banana skin. However, the boys started well. We scored a well-worked try off the training ground inside 2mins, which settled the nerves. Our accuracy let us down but the desire to play was good.
“We played okay up the slope and did enough to make the game safe by half time.
“Our defence especially in the second half was very good, I think I can count on one hand the number of missed tackles.
“We continued to attack, and made changes which made a difference. When we settled into a rhythm, our accuracy was better.
“We’re pleased to come away with the win, but the lads acknowledged they never got out of 3rd gear.
“Credit must be made to Queens who never gave up the fight and made us work. Special mention to Alex Henly who gained his 100th cap!”