St Ives and St Neots played out a gripping 38–38 draw on a cold but gloriously sunny afternoon, in a fiercely contested derby that had everything: early tries, momentum swings, controversial calls, heroic defence, and a final kick that would have settled it — but didn’t.
St Neots kicked off, but it was St Ives who struck first. An immediate line-out gave the visitors a platform to push deep into Neots' territory, and inside three minutes Paul Ashbridge crashed over the line to deliver the opening try. The conversion drifted wide, but it was an early statement of intent at 0–5.
The hosts, however, responded quickly. A line-out and powerful maul in the 10th minute saw St Neots rumble over, adding the conversion to edge ahead. Ives refused to be outdone and hit straight back, with coach Josh Dear restoring the lead to 7–10.
What followed was a frantic spell of “ping-pong” rugby. St Neots pounced on a turnover, and their fly-half showed blistering pace to race clear and score under the posts. Another well-worked try soon followed, both converted by a reliable Neots kicker, to open up a 21–10 advantage. A missed penalty for a high tackle kept the gap manageable, but the closing stages of the half were brutally physical, including a yellow card for St Neots after a dump tackle.
Trailing 21–10 at the break, St Ives emerged with renewed intent. Ashbridge delivered his second try of the match in the early minutes, with Mandley adding the conversion to close the gap. Then came Albiee Tayedzerwa's moment — introduced from the bench, he tore down the far touchline and finished between the posts, making it 21–24 and swinging momentum firmly Ives’ way.
St Neots threw everything at the Ives line, battering away through phase after phase. Ives’ defence stood tall for an extraordinary spell, but eventually the hosts forced their way over to retake the lead at 28–24. The response was immediate with Ben Fleming finishing smartly in the corner, and Charlie Mandley landing a superb conversion to make it 28–31.
A held-up try denied Ives again, but former Captain, John Paxton, soon powered through under the posts to stretch the lead to 28–38. St Neots clawed back with a penalty and then, after sustained late pressure, forced a try in the final five minutes to level the scores at 38–38.
A missed last-minute penalty spared Ives heartbreak, before one final chance fell their way. After Ashbridge made strong yards, a high tackle from Neots delivered Ives a penalty giving Mandley the opportunity to win the match. His kick slipped wide as the whistle blew, however.
On a day when neither side deserved to lose, a draw felt fitting. Fierce, physical, and unrelenting, this was derby rugby at its very best.
Man of the Match: Paul Ashbridge