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Woodbridge Warriors 3 v Holt RFC 14

28th January 2018 Simon Ballard — No Comments
Woodbridge 3 v Holt 14

Woodbridge Warriors 3 v Holt RFC 14

Early scrum penalties put Woodbridge on the back-foot, James Wyatt missed a penalty kick but the short ball was knocked on by Adam Plummer and the resulting scrum became the first of many periods of duress for the home defence which held well, Matt Bowman, Tom Stokes, Ed Banthorp and Manny Aroza among the ones putting in hard tackles – no surprise Woodbridge dropped to 14. As the rain started both sides kicked for territory, Woodbridge enjoyed some possession and Bowman ran a penalty with support from Jamie Smith and the tireless Aldis Salavejs at No8. The counter from left wing Ollie Woodrow was quick however – forcing a try-saver from Smith. Holt capitalised on the resulting penalty, No8 Jeremy Seaman dropped his first try attempt but scored from the re-set 5m scrum. Both sides tried flowing rugby – Tom Jackson the Holt fly-half fed his backs with good lineout ball from Capt Ashley Woods at flanker and Salavejs was opportunistic from the back of the scrum. Nevertheless most ground was made by kicking and it was Holt that besieged the Warrior line but were vexed not to score.

Holt started the second period with Woods, now playing at 8, and No7 Henry Harrison bashing down the right wing and Jackson punishing ruck penalties with corner kicks. Star of the day was the Warrior’s defence which took a frequent and sustained battering from the unrelenting Holt pack. A few substitutions refreshed the home pack and a lineout saw Bowman set Capt Tom Stokes off on a 40m dart into the Holt 22 where Holt lost a player to the bin and Smith kicked three points. The Warriors ratcheted back through a period of line-outs, Felix Kibble finding a good touch Aroza, Bowman, Salavejs and big sub Tom Edwards having some thundering carries. It was looking promising and the crowd sensed a Warrior score when Jackson intercepted a cross field pass and sprinted 50m to score a try that knocked the wind out of the Woodbridge collective. With ten minutes to go Woodbridge broke the Holt 5m line but, with time and a strong Holt defence, any chance of a come-back was as miserable as the drizzle.

Clacton 5 v Saxons 29

14th January 2018 Simon Ballard — No Comments

Woodbridge survive immense pressure and a yellow with solid scrums and fantastic defence. Woodbridge kick off and clacton knock onthe ball backwards, Jack Jermyn ッ jumps on the loose ball and it’s shipped out to the backs till play is stopped by a knock on. Woodbridge recover the ball and John Yorke runs through the clacton defence and boots it up the field and forces clacton to make some try saving tackles. Woodbridge fire again but a knock on stops play. A solid drum sees the ball spun wide to Doug who steps inside to score, john y for the extras. 7-0 to the good. This kicks clacton into life and with another penalty given away puts them on Woodbridge’s 22. A great chase and tackle out of the back of the scrum but Josh Mr-Morphine Sugrue stops clacton on their tracks. Woodbridge give away another penalty and clacton kick the ball out on the 5m. Jez Hannon calls no jump at the line out and it works as clacton knock on. A brilliant scrum gives john Y a chance to smash the ball up the field. Clacton refuse to accept this and set up camp in Woodbridge’s half but the Saxons are not giving clacton a chance to breath with a brilliant display in defence. After 20-25 mins of pressure from clacton, Woodbridge regain the ball and jez and Alex Delbrouque power up the field. A great kick from John y and great work at the line out from jack see’s Woodbridge inches from the try line.clacton recover and boot the call up the pitch and Ben Herbert collects but a shoulder barge from Chris Voller stops play. Clacton now back in Woodbridges half and applying massive pressure and the Saxons fight for every inch but clacton finally go over 7-5. Game on!

A great period of back and forward from both teams and some great running from Ben h sees john y slip through and score, takes the extras too.

One change at halftime with Matthew North off and Marc tindall on and having a instant impact with a great return from the kick off.clacton regain the ball and almost score but Ben H saves the day. Woodbridge used the pure power of josh and Stephen Sugrue and Ben h slips around to score, easy points for john Y! Woodbridge return the kick via Ben h who receives a nasty looking high tackle and voller has a few words and gets yellow. A powerful scrum allows adi and john Y to ship the ball out to Doug to score his 2nd, no extras this time. Powerful running from the big lumps sees clacton feel the pressure and give away the the penalty and jez points to the posts, John steps up and converts. This makes clacton rally and they tear Woodbridge but the Saxons weather the storm, the steal the ball back and get into their half and a beautiful pass sees Matt north go over before being called back for a forward pass. This doesn’t phase Woodbridge and they almost score again but a skilful tackle see’s ham knocked into touch. A tense 2nd half but Woodbridge hold firm. 29-5 final score!

Thetford 34 v Woodbridge Warriors 8

14th January 2018 Simon Ballard — No Comments

This mid–table clash didn’t disappoint. Both sides started energetically. The Warriors pressured through full back Jamie Smith who ran back clearance kicks joined by fly half Adam Plummer and flanker Matt Bowman. Thetford’s big Adam Harper retaliated, bursting through several tackles to make ground, mauling from the line out and forcing clearances and penalties – scrum half Joshua Sharp kept his forwards; Abraham Barnes, Richard Sharp and Aaron Stokoe supplied with driving passes but it was Sharp that scored. Wing Robert Duchesne made a sinuous 40m dash to harass Woodbridge further only for the chip to go dead. The drop-out was run back fast on the left wing by Ryan Gardiner and centre William Martin ran through scant defence to score. Woodbridge came back from the restart, passed quickly left, Bowman carried 20m before offloading to winger, Felix Kibble to score. Penalties allowed Thetford into their 22 but the Warriors defended well, clearing up-field where Smith kicked three points.

Thetford started the second session by blasting Woodbridge back into their 22, missing an opportunity wide on the left which allowed the visitors to get back into the home half before they also missed a penalty chance for more territory. Harper had another good run to the halfway line but the Warriors applied some pressure of their own putting Thetford momentarily on the back foot. It was the boot of centre William Martin that cleared and put Plummer under pressure and the lineout produced fast hands across pitch to Martin who broke three tackles to score.

Smith missed a penalty shot before long kicks forced them to run from deep but they occupied the Thetford half for a period forcing penalties and passing fluidly. Thetford counter-attacked through left wing Gardiner and Sharp took three penalty points as the balance switched – a ruck outside the 22 and long pass from Sharp to Gardiner set up a try-line ruck and Sharp dotted down.

After a shabby restart failed to make 10m a centre-field scrum saw wingers combine – Duchesne to Gardiner and a fifth try confirmed a well-earned Thetford victory.

Woodbridge Warriors 19 v W Norfolk 30

7th January 2018 Simon Ballard — No Comments

West Norfolk started belligerently, from an early lineout big lock Adam Fox forced the Warriors back into their 22 and set the agenda for a busy forwards day. Scrum half Hayden Revell squirrelled cross-field to set up a scrum and No8 Edney Costa picked and drove back. Woodbridge defence held, No8 Aldis Salavejs ran from deep but the respite was short-lived as first wing Steve Aspery attacked the left and then quick hands saw centre Freddie Playford score wide on the right. With fly half Sam Moses kicking well Norfolk took another three penalty points. The restart saw Woodbridge No 10 JP Hart gather and sprint 40m under the posts for a cheeky try against a confused West Norfolk. Prop Paul Bridges and Fox responded by bashing their way through some uncharacteristically desultory tackling to besiege the home tryline where an intense pick-and-drive fest and held-up try set up an attacking scrum from which Aspery scored. Woodbridge Salavejs and flanker Matt Bowman put in several up-field carries until a chip from Hart was intercepted by Aspery who scampered 80 metres to score his second.

The game resumed with Revell still using Fox as a battering ram. Hart, with the wind at his back, tried the long kicks but full back Mark Tilbrook and wing Ollie Ridout were quick to exploit weak tackling to regain territory. Norfolk’s forwards took the ball up to the Warrior line again and this time Moses scored. Moments later another onslaught yielded Moses another three penalty points as the home team remained under pressure. Woodbridge defended another couple of attacks and benefitted from some Norfolk penalties as the game went aerial, both sides trying to ratchet up the touchlines. Woodbridge got their dividend when, Ed Banthorp and Tim Johnson grafting at the breakdowns, wing Reece Monk combined with full back Luke Wattam on the left before the ball was recycled right and Felix Kibble scored. Boosted by this late return on investment the Warriors attacked again Hart finishing a move with an offload to Wattam who scored. Johnson and the hard-working scrum half Adam Plummer got the crowd going with another charge but the come-back was too late and West Norfolk survived as worthy winners.

Woodbridge U21 – 19 Southwold U21 – 24

2nd January 2018 Simon Ballard — No Comments

A youthful Woodbridge team, comprised mainly of Colts and U19’s, gave their older rivals a fright before finally succumbing in what was the last play of the day, 24-19. Two early penalties from Jack Johnson had set the tone; the Woodbridge lads were looking for a scalp against a free scoring Southwold backline that had battered Ipswich 79-0 earlier in the week. The Wold backline looked dangerous with the ball in hand, particularly in running from deep and returning kicks, but one v one tackles being made, notably by Harrington, Ives and Wright, and some committed scramble defence, kept Southwold at bay until the last play of the half when Wold scored under the posts. 6-7

Johnson kicked a further penalty as the game opened up, with the increased tempo seemingly favouring a now fired up home XV.  The teams exchanged tries with Aldis Salavejs scoring in the left hand corner after a searing break, and George Pryke repeating the trick in the same corner minutes later, benefitting from a deft offload from Dafydd Harston to apply a horizontal finish. 19-12

With an unlikely win in sight, Southwold upped the ante and drew level when Woodbridge failed to clear their lines.19-19.

A draw would perhaps have been a fair result, (particularly welcome a in the Carlstroem household!) but the visitors were not to be denied, and scored on the whistle to retain the bragging rights in what has been a welcome addition to the Christmas Fixture list.

Simpson Cup 2017 Chairman’s XV 17 Varsity Wanderers XV 28

2nd January 2018 Simon Ballard — No Comments

The annual Simpson cup challenge was played out in ideal conditions and a large crowd was rewarded with an end-to-end game of rugby in the bright winter sunshine. It was perhaps no surprise to see the Students/Exiles prevail as a squad largely made up of last year’s cup wining Colts squad was bolstered by several returning Army lads with Dan Taylor, Neil Copes and Connor O’Reilly adding some nous and graft to the Student pack – all too often their Achilles heel.

The Club XV, captained this year by Angus Clogg, took the opportunity to introduce eight colts to adult rugby, all of whom relished the challenge, and offered a marked increase in tempo. And it would not be a Boxing day match without a father/son combination, Stephen and Jordan Collins joining club captain Tom Stokes in an unlikely front row.

The Club dominated the opening exchanges – retaining possession well before Aldis Salavejs took advantage of some weak tackling to open the scoring. The Students hit back and two quick fire tries from Archie Read gave them a 14-7 lead at the break. Tries from Jack Johnson and an opportunist score from Adi Sanday – both converted – saw the students extend the score to 28  -7 before the club hit back with late tries from the hard running Salavejs and Ewan Maclean – debuting on the right wing.

A hugely enjoyable day – and our thanks to Eastern Counties for their continued support with the fixture.

Stowmarket 26 v Warriors 5 16/12/17

16th December 2017 Simon Ballard — No Comments
STOWMARKET

Stowmarket, joint league leaders, started with intent – their pack pushed the visitors back and scrum half Jo Fifield shot quick passes to hooker Jake Squirrell and the forwards to charge on to. Dummy runners defected defence and full back Daniel Garrard was omnipresent, kicking from hand and chasing chip kicks. Woodbridge countered through No8 Aldis Salavejs and flanker Matt Bowman but handling errors and penalties meant the Stow onslaught continued, winger Nicholas Faliveno and Garrard coming close. After several tries on the Warrior’s 5m line the Stowmarket pack finally drove over and No8 Nic Kegge dotted down, Garrard adding the conversion.

Stowmarket’s pack continued to dominate; they held possession and made ground before feeding the ever-threatening Garrard and wings Scott Woolnough and Faliveno. Woodbridge gained some traction from penalties, wing Jamie Smith had a shot at three points and right wing Felix Kibble put in a good run but Stow rebuffed the intrusion into their 22 after repeated scrum penalties.

Woodbridge restarted with a charge by centre Sam Hallows, battering up the left wing but Stow turned the attack, fly half Colin Clarke building a move with flanker Scott Fitzpatrick, Kegge and the forwards which gave flanker James Simpson an easy run in. The battered Warrior defence put in tackle after tackle as waves of runners worked down the right wing, drawing defence in before centre Scott Milton linked with Woolnough who offloaded to Fifield to score. Woodbridge put together some good phases from the restart, Bowman, centre Tom Stokes and hardworking scrum half Adam Plummer shifting wide for Hallows to make 40 metres. Despite some tricky box kicks from Fifield, Stokes and Herb Parsley ran back, setting up several rucks from which Plummer moved quickly right for Kibble to finally get the Warriors on the scoreboard. Fifield and Kegge lead the charge back aware of the bonus point from another try and their points parity with Southwold. No surprise when a scrum in the centre of the Woodbridge 22 yielded the extra point from another Kegge try after a Clarke feed, a just and fitting conclusion from an entertaining exchange.

Warriors 3 v Southwold 21 9/12/17

9th December 2017 Simon Ballard — No Comments

Top-of-the-league Southwold returned with eight new faces against sixth-ranked Woodbridge who stole the cup match from them in extra time last Saturday. The first scrum hinted at the forward bias in Southwold’s game-plan as they repelled the Warriors enthusiastic start. Scrum half Chippy Middleditch used lock Jamie Jenner, flanker Sherrard Block and No8 James Hall to batter the home defence and win a penalty attempt. The visitors kept the territory forcing Woodbridge to run from deep where ‘Wold pushed them back from a 5m scrum and Hall scored.

Woodbridge tried to answer the forward threat through No8 Aldous Salavejs and Matt Bowman winning penalties that allowed fly-half JP Hart to ratchet downfield to be penalised for holding on, Southwold forwards drove from a scrum and fly-half Callum Anthony scampered 30m before wing Jon Utting and full back Josh Wallis put centre Cemil Duruk over for the try. Southwold kept Woodbridge pinned in their half with fast line speed and the boot of Anthony testing the home defence which held until the break.

Woodbridge restarted with a couple of long lineout balls and a close call from wing Felix Kibble. Muddled defence allowed Southwold two attempted breaches but Hart punted a scorcher to safety. It was the Warriors that now punched upfield with centre Sam Hallows and Bowman forcing a hard tackle from sub Matt Howell. Clogg kicked three points before Southwold returned to the onslaught, getting close with a rolling maul. Woodbridge threatened with a period of repeated charges Tom Stokes and Owen Scott much in evidence. Southwold ran from their own half, flanker Phillip Pymer and sub Patrick Stevens had good carries. The game went aerial as both sides tried to get in behind the full-back and Woodbridge took nothing from a lot of frustrating phases in the Wold red zone. Hall rallied Southwold with a great sprint and a lineout on the 5m line saw Patrick Stevens break from a maul and score. The Warriors had another crack at charging the try line, sub Herb Parsley bashing at the door, but these plucky endeavours ended fruitlessly as Southwold redressed last week’s bookie’s losses.

Woodbridge Amazons 5 v Bury Foxes 22

3rd December 2017 Simon Ballard — No Comments

Match Report by Ian Girling

This all Suffolk league fixture pitted a young, up and coming Bury side with this seasons established and promising contenders, the Woodbridge Amazons.
Both sides have dispatched the other Suffolk outfit, Southwold Swallows with consummate ease in the past few weeks, the seasider’s still reeling after relegation, and this match up promised plenty.
The visitors began the brighter, as Burys speedy back division looked a handful. Early pressure resulted in a try for Stephanie Durrant after quick hands forged an overlap.
Dani Lee missed the conversion, 0-5.
Woodbridge hit back and enjoyed a period of possession. Errors however, led to turnovers and no real scoring opportunities emerged.
Bury forced their way up-field and when a clearance kick was charged down, it was the Foxes Holly Fifield that reacted the quickest to drop on the bobbling ball for her sides second try.
Ex Amazon EJ Stearn was allowed to waltz through tackles for a third try before the half and the sides turned around with the visitors firmly in charge.
If ever a game can be described as a “tale of two halves” then this was it!
The Amazons came out for the second half and literally played as though their lives depended on it. Forward excursions from Kat Sidders, Alex Saunders and Tor Felstein created gaps for the skipper Claire Brickley to burst through. She was supported by winger Robyn Gordon, with number 8 Carmel Roisin constantly on their shoulders.
Bury were forced to defend for long periods as wave after wave of Woodbridge pressure threatened the try line. Prop Beth Kinlan and Centre Beth Clapson were both held up in goal, and a score looked imminent.
Unfortunately, a score did come, but it was a length of the field breakaway from a Bury winger! Lee converted her fourth attempt and advanced the score to 22.
Rather than accept defeat, the Amazons poured forward again. Scrum half Morven McAlpine was everywhere, linking forwards and backs in attack. Kaz Black had to leave the field with concussion symptoms after laying her body on the line, as the hosts dominated proceedings.
Penalty after penalty went the way of the hosts, as desperate defending resulted in a yellow card for Stearn.
Eventually a try came as drive after drive from the pack created space outside for Gordon to touch down.
Despite the score-line, the second half performance alone proved the Amazons are full of heart, while the victorious visitors from up the A14 proved they may be a new side, but they’re a force in Suffolk rugby.

Woodbridge Amazons 5 v Bury Foxes 22