St. Ives 6 v 0 Stamford ‘B’

St. Ives started with the ball and quickly made good ground, only to be repelled. This was only a brief hiatus, as Thomas Johnson burst through but was stopped, the resulting ruck saw Zac Ling dart through and offload to Harry Spittle who had a clear run to the line. The next few minutes saw St. Ives squander the chance to increase the lead, as play is restricted to the central area. Stamford eventually concede a penalty, Cullan fed Thomas who threw a great dummy and stormed through the gap to score the second. Another penalty from Stamford, this time for handing-off enabled Tommy McCarthy to show off his ‘dancing feet’ to squeeze through the narrowest of gaps, but is eventually forced into touch. HT: 2 – 0

The second half started with Stamford turning over the ball following good work from Damon Cameron-White, Adam Roberts was able to pick up and pass to Tommy who this time needed no second asking as he sprinted to the line. It was Adam again who was able to pick up from the next ruck, making a few yards, then a neat pass to Harry who fed Eamon Byrne who jinked his way to the line. Stamford’s use of the hand-off gave the ball back to St. Ives, but Harry then gave the ball back for the same offence. Strong defence forced a knock-on and from the scrum swift passing enables the blues to move forward. Another penalty for a high tackle led to no ground as the ball was knocked-on, but St. Ives won the ball back from the scrum, and Adam Roberts was able to evade the tackles to increase the lead further. Thomas was able to round the scoring off, as the tacklers bounced off whilst charging down the wing.

St. Ives 0 v 5 Stamford ‘A’

The second match was a much tougher affair, as the hosts fielded a very strong ‘A’ side. Although the Blues started the match, possession was quickly surrendered as the ball was turned over at the first tackle. The home side then moved the ball well only to knock-on. The scrum held firm, but Stamford quickly gain possession again, the ball is pushed wide, and although the defence was strong, the ball was recycled quickly and Stamford were able to open the scoring. The restart was good with some good driving in the ruck and maul area, but the strong Stamford side regain the ball and drive forward themselves. Some hard and desperate defending by Damon and Harry keep them at bay for a while, but eventually the dam burst for the second score. HT: 0 – 2

Stamford soon increased the lead in the second half, as some poor tackling enabled them to go over. St. Ives worked hard to gain ground, but couldn’t break through the massed ranks of the home side. They managed to force a scrum, but the ball squirted out and the home side reacted first and scooped up the ball to sprint for the line. Some good work and driving from Jacob Mackay pushed St. Ives deep into the Stamford half, and a break from Charlie Bowen almost led to a score but for a fine last ditch tackle. The resulting scrum was won by the home side, and with too many bodies committed to the ruck, there was space out wide which was exploited to the full, despite a heroic chase from Thomas, with a try on the final whistle.