Haverhill Rugby Football Club Ltd

  Castle Playing Fields, School Lane 

                        01440 702871/07734795401  

HALL FOR HIRE CALL 01440 702871 / 07734795401

  MOVE DOWN PAGE 

Contact 

Information

01440 702871

Postal address

Castle Playing 

Fields, 

School Lane,

Haverhill 

 

MESSAGE 

BOARD

 

                                    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Training every Tuesday at the club 7.00pm

for information phone  07809198244.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Haverhill vs Felixstowe – Suffolk Shield Final 26th November 2011

Haverhill 60 – Felixstowe 5  

History made in consummate rugby performance.

A huge crowd turned out to watch Haverhill host Felixstowe in the final of the Suffolk Shield completion. In one off shirts for the competition, the strongest Haverhill team to take to the field for a while looked exceptionally confident in their ability to wrest the trophy and it had to be a very good Felixstowe performance to make a difference and so it seemed in the first minute.

The Haverhill lineout “pods” failed to fire at the first Felixstowe line, making it uncontested. Quick ball for the opposition backs saw the Felixstowe winger cross the line in the corner for 0-5.

In a perverse way, this was the best thing that could have happened to Haverhill. Felixstowe walked to the centre line with a swagger of “this will be easy” and Haverhill got the kick that they needed. To be perfectly honest, that was the end of the Felixstowe competitive contribution to the game.

From the restart, the ever present Carl Anderson harried the Felixstowe defence, setting up the ball for the Haverhill pack to drive and set. Three phases saw the ball spun wide using all the backs and for Brad Gibson to level the score at 5-5. The strong wind, which was difficult for both teams for the whole game took the Adam Hunt kick wide and short.

Haverhill dominates play and Hunt is again in the mix and is unlucky to be penalised as he picks the ball to break through for a score.

On 8 minutes, the crowd is finally rewarded with the first scrum of the day. With a number of 2 metre plus players in their side, Felixstowe pack looked large and a possible match to the powerful Haverhill pack. Haverhill destroyed the Felixstowe ball, winning against the head and broke out towards the Felixstowe line. Lovely quick hands sees Hunt release Joe Brown on the wing and a certain try, only to be called back for a forward pass.
On 11 minutes Haverhill win a Penalty and a lovely drive from Ben Jackson sees a nice rolling ruck develop for Dave Quinney to plop over the line, keeping his scoring run going. Hunt converts to make it 12-5.

The Mark Jury / Adam Hunt combination is by now purring like a well-honed Rolls Royce, with Jury intelligently using the wind with clever chip kicks for Hunt and Stewart Newman to run on to, causing mayhem in the Felixstowe defence.

It was a nice Jury penalty of 70 metres to place the ball to 5 metres out that sees Anderson gather and a balletic Paul Bergin rolling round and over the line for 17-5.

On the half hour, another Anderson line set sees Skipper Hope spin quick ball to Jury who performs a great jinking move to split open the Felixstowe defence, timing his pass to Hunt to the second and a 40 metre run and over for 22-5. Hunt could not convert his effort on this occasion.

Haverhill continue to dominate and the comedic moment of the game came just before half time when Bergin breaks out down the wing, handing off the Felixstowe winger who ended up on his back off the park, only to be called back for a knock on.

At the turn, Haverhill is now playing into the wind, but this does not seem to make any difference to their play. On 44 minutes Haverhill wins a scrum 15 metres out. The call from the crowd is to drive and this is exactly what Haverhill had in mind. Having a strong scrum is only made good if the No 8 knows how to control the ball at the back, releasing it or using it at the correct moment. Chris Flannery excelled in this position and walking the ball towards the Felixstowe line picks and scores to make it 27-5. Alex Hieatt replaces Jackson in the front row at this break.

Locks Adrian Cooper and Martin Ramsome, not to be outdone by the more glamorous pack positions are central to the ruck and maul, with Cooper often achieving the turnover ball by spoiling the Felixstowe work. The lightning speed of flanker Ricky Brown in the breakdown and set piece was impossible for Felixstowe to cope with and ensured Felixstowe never got into the game as a competition.

On 63 minutes another Haverhill scrum from 10 metres sees a repeat of the Flannery move and a score close to the posts for Hunt to convert and 34-5. Brodie Patrick replaces Joe Brown on the wing and on 67 minutes, Ransome leaves the field to great applause from the crowd and youngster Dom Farnell drops into the back row, with Flannery moving to lock. With this change, it may have been expected that honours would be even for the last 10 minutes, but the Felixstowe ball is pushed off and Haverhill attack again. A nice chip kick from Hunt sees the Felixstowe full back ground the ball for a Haverhill 5 metre scrum.

The ball is set well, Anderson at No8 released to Hope, who spins out along the line. With the masterful full back Mike Woods up in the line, the overlap is ensured, but not required as Hunt crashes over for 39-5.

Within 2 minutes, Haverhill are back again for Jury to score after a great Hunt / Newman breakout for Hunt to convert and 46-5.

With three minutes to go, the crowd witness the best try scored in memory after a running backs and forwards passing move sees the ever present Bergin emerge from the melee on the line for Hunt to convert and 53-5. With 90 seconds to go, it could not get any better, but the team had other ideas.

A penalty to Haverhill between their 22 and 10 metre lines would normally be kicked towards the corner. However, Jury had other ideas and taps through the mark for Flannery to continue the run. What must have involved all the players and a riot of running from the backs and forwards alike finally see Newman release Gibson on the wing and for him to slide past the winger and under the posts for Hunt to make it the round 60 points and the ecstatic crowd cheering the final whistle.

This truly was one of the best displays of rugby seen at the Castle Fields and, having watched a lot of professional rugby, would have graced a number of better known named parks like Welford Road or The Stoop. Felixstowe were good opposition but were completely blown away here.

Jacob Plumridge needs to be congratulated on what he has bought to Haverhill rugby over the last 10 months and we are all hoping to see him well enough again and playing his expansive style of rugby once more.  

Haverhill now has the excitement of playing in the Suffolk Plate in the New Year, with Woodbridge visiting in January (date to be confirmed)

With three games in three weeks against Ipswich away and Harwich and Stowmarket at home, the run