H&D 2’s v Essex University - Game Abandoned

Harwich select headaches continued this week with the clubs ever growing injury list for both the first and second strings giving promotion to the elite for a number of second team regulars Captain Oly Bray amongst them.

As per previous week there was a number of old faces coming out of the wood work together with some new ones in the line-up all making first appearances for the season and club, this included the welcome return of Jamie Petersen follow a long stint out through injury together with Ross Elmore, Josh Eldridge, Danny Horrigan, Justin London, Paul Miller, James Shingler and the last minute debutant young Owen Cowley adding yet another father son combination to the clubs long list.

Essex University Fresher’s week meant they were unable to travel for this week fixture leading to Harwich relinquishing home advantage to ensure the fixture was played and they were greeted by a large, young fit squad of students.

Harwich possessed the individual skills but struggled from the start as the players unfamiliarity needed time for them to bed in with one another, fortunately the host whilst full of running were not showing much structure to their efforts giving Harwich time to get their act together and set about the task ahead, the forwards Strength and game craft being made the corner stone of the efforts as they were able to contain the spirited advances.

It seemed an aged before the dead lock was broken as the contrasting side’s competed, Essex University having pace to spare out wide and Harwich dominating the contact zones infield, twenty minutes into the game saw Harwich wing Lewis Kerley power his way over the line for an unconverted try.

Essex University went down to fourteen men after receiving a yellow card which proved to be their best performance of the day forging ahead, first with a converted penalty followed by two converted tries exploiting the wings with some blistering speed.

The visitors did recover and replied with a push over try from the host own twenty two, the technique of the pack and the added ballast of the power bellies too much to contain as No.8 Rob Nicoll grounded the ball.

There a strong partisan contingent of supporters on the side line cheering on the home side which were ecstatic when soon after the turn around witnessed there team extend with another individual effort down the wing for a converted try.

Harwich effort were soon dealt a cruel blow as the home side unable to field a front row resulting in un-contested scrum for the remainder of the game taking away their forwards dominance, surprising this proved to be a catalyst for a resurgence as the visitors turned up the intensity as the forward and back combined to physically dominated the park and produce two top draw tries from full back Ross Elmore out wide and the second was claimed by Mike Cowley as the forwards smashed there way over the line, Kerley making a single conversion.

The score sitting at 27 – 22 to the home side and ample of time on clock the game was very much within the visitors grasp until proceeding were brought to an abrupt halt when one of the University players sustained an injury and was unable to be moved from the field of play as he received treatment and with no other pitch available the game was stopped with both team and the match official all being in agreement to abandon the game to be reschedule for a later date.

Man of the match for Harwich was young Jamal Schut who continues to mature into the adult game punching well above his slight frame.

Team: M Sanders-Crook, A Hannon, R Kemp, M Cowley, I Woodward, James Shingler, L Durrant, R Nicoll, Guy Williams, O Cowley, L Kerley, Paul Miller, R Boyne, J Petersen, R Elmore, D Warren, P Day, J Schut, J Eldridge, H Horrigan, J London, A Bray