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BASILDON 31 - EAST LONDON 27
Gary Bird27 Sep 2016 - 20:49
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Fight back almost snatches the points
East London fought back from a 24-point deficit to claim two bonus points and almost snatch the match from opponents Basildon who last season were playing two leagues above them.
The home side started the first half with a strong wind behind them and their stronger and more experienced pack used it to their advantage.
East London found themselves four tries down in 24 minutes, two of which were converted. But skipper Dan Bracken stirred his troops into a comeback that almost won them the game.
As the Basildon pack began to tire, the faster East London backs began to exert control. A break by inside centre Jono George resulted in left wing Daryl O'Brien scoring in the left corner on 29 minutes. Fly half Alan Ferguson missed the conversion.
They added a second try five minutes before half-time. A break was held up close to the line but the ball was recycled and right wing Ben Goacher scored. The conversion was missed.
Adrian Samuel and Gary Pearmain replaced prop Paddy Coman and openside flanker Eddie Brown in the pack early in the second day half and by now the Basildon forwards were losing their discipline with one yellow carded for a high tackle on Ferguson.
East London took advantage and on the hour scrum-half Lucas Estevez scrambled over. Ferguson converted to bring the score to 24-17 and then narrowed the gap with a penalty on 71 minutes.
As the visitors looked for the match-wining score they conceded another converted try on 75 minutes, but there was fresh hope when full-back Nik Dyer scored to secure the bonus point for four tries. Ryan Billinghurst used the wind to convert from the left touchline to gain the losing bonus point. Try as they might, they couldn’t score again.
Skipper Dan Bracken said: “We cannot afford to give teams such big early leads. We didn’t give up and came back strong and were the better side for an hour.”
Even the Basildon team were full of praise. Their website match report said: “East London deserved their bonus points at the very least. They play attractive rugby, looking to go wide as soon as possible. They also counter attack effectively and they ruthlessly exploited Basildon's mistakes. Their number 8 (Dan Bracken) was a good footballer and was involved in everything they did well. Their scrum-half (Lucas Estevez) was a busy player who wasn't afraid to get involved. In the backs their inside centre (Jono George) ran hard lines and put them in the right areas with the boot.”
East London will be looking to get back on the winning trial against local rivals Ilford Wanderers at the Memorial Ground in West Ham on Saturday. Kick-off is 3pm.
East London 1st XV vs Basildon: 1 Paddy Coman; 2 Ben Hogan; 3 Chris Hodgson; 4 George Hill; 5 Eoin Kelly 6 Nick Parrott; 7 Eddie Brown; 8 Dan Bracken; 9 Lucas Estevez; 10 Alan Ferguson; 11 Daryl O'Brien; 12 Jono George; 13 Ryan Billinghurst; 14 Ben Goacher; 15 Nik Dyer. Replacements: 16 Adrian Samuel; 17 Gary Pearmain; 18 Will Brown.
The home side started the first half with a strong wind behind them and their stronger and more experienced pack used it to their advantage.
East London found themselves four tries down in 24 minutes, two of which were converted. But skipper Dan Bracken stirred his troops into a comeback that almost won them the game.
As the Basildon pack began to tire, the faster East London backs began to exert control. A break by inside centre Jono George resulted in left wing Daryl O'Brien scoring in the left corner on 29 minutes. Fly half Alan Ferguson missed the conversion.
They added a second try five minutes before half-time. A break was held up close to the line but the ball was recycled and right wing Ben Goacher scored. The conversion was missed.
Adrian Samuel and Gary Pearmain replaced prop Paddy Coman and openside flanker Eddie Brown in the pack early in the second day half and by now the Basildon forwards were losing their discipline with one yellow carded for a high tackle on Ferguson.
East London took advantage and on the hour scrum-half Lucas Estevez scrambled over. Ferguson converted to bring the score to 24-17 and then narrowed the gap with a penalty on 71 minutes.
As the visitors looked for the match-wining score they conceded another converted try on 75 minutes, but there was fresh hope when full-back Nik Dyer scored to secure the bonus point for four tries. Ryan Billinghurst used the wind to convert from the left touchline to gain the losing bonus point. Try as they might, they couldn’t score again.
Skipper Dan Bracken said: “We cannot afford to give teams such big early leads. We didn’t give up and came back strong and were the better side for an hour.”
Even the Basildon team were full of praise. Their website match report said: “East London deserved their bonus points at the very least. They play attractive rugby, looking to go wide as soon as possible. They also counter attack effectively and they ruthlessly exploited Basildon's mistakes. Their number 8 (Dan Bracken) was a good footballer and was involved in everything they did well. Their scrum-half (Lucas Estevez) was a busy player who wasn't afraid to get involved. In the backs their inside centre (Jono George) ran hard lines and put them in the right areas with the boot.”
East London will be looking to get back on the winning trial against local rivals Ilford Wanderers at the Memorial Ground in West Ham on Saturday. Kick-off is 3pm.
East London 1st XV vs Basildon: 1 Paddy Coman; 2 Ben Hogan; 3 Chris Hodgson; 4 George Hill; 5 Eoin Kelly 6 Nick Parrott; 7 Eddie Brown; 8 Dan Bracken; 9 Lucas Estevez; 10 Alan Ferguson; 11 Daryl O'Brien; 12 Jono George; 13 Ryan Billinghurst; 14 Ben Goacher; 15 Nik Dyer. Replacements: 16 Adrian Samuel; 17 Gary Pearmain; 18 Will Brown.
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