Ellingham & Ringwood Colts away at Bournemouth

The Colt's season started with a 4x20 minute friendly at Chapel Gate. The team got to play on the stadium pitch and began well with a strong display from the forwards. The pack mixed up using Kjalt Wilmar, James Edward Morris, Matthew Cotter and Jacob Davidson on the pick and go with Zach Lillis, Robert Wakefield, Nathan Searle and David Edmunds coming around the corner in pods. This gave the home side issues and they fell offside. Zachary Leishman used the free play to great effect, chipping over the rush defence and collecting his own kick to score and convert from under the posts. The visitors kept up the pressure and with centres Paddy Johnson and Sam Barrow running decoy, Zachary was able to ghost through the midfield and score, and convert, under the posts again. Ellingham nearly scored a third try from a kick pass to Amir Moghal but the touch line just beat him.

The visitors rang the changes at the break with Conor Cosgrove and Tom Philpot coming on the back row, James Dyoss and Jort Hille Ris Lambers in the second row and Craig Martin at hooker. To all of their credit the intensity of the team’s rucking didn’t skip a beat and Ellingham still generated quick ball. Oliver Richardson, at 9, and Finaly Serle, at 10, kept switching the tempo ensuring the defence didn’t know if they should defend narrow against forwards or drift to stop the pace of Joe Sexton, Joe Candy, Joshua Balais and Simeon Grabsch out wide. The teamwork in this regard was excellent and soon the system was to reward James playing at lock but masquerading as a centre too power his way through the defence for a third try.

Bournemouth are too good to stay down for long and started to enjoy some possession of their own. Forced to defend for the first time Ellingham were perhaps a little complacent but Bournemouth scored a good try of their own at the end of the second quarter.

The third quarter gave Ellingham the chance to try different combinations but sadly a Bournemouth play sustained a nasty injury and there was a lengthy delay. Minutes after the game resumed Bournemouth piled the pressure on. Ellingham responded with ferocious defence. A Bournemouth player suffered a head injury in the build up to their second try. This lead to another long break and the decision was taken to stop the game.

Ellingham may have been 19-10 up at the point of stoppage but it feels only fair to award Bournemouth a draw. The game was played with great passion and skill but in the best spirit of the game with respect shown by all.

Ellingham can now look forward to their first league game at home this Sunday against Bognor. K.O. is 2pm.