IPSWICH YM 46

HALSTEAD TEMPLARS 5

Greene King Eastern Counties League division three south

A FIFTH loss in a row - this time to newly-relegated Ipswich YM - marks the worst start to a season since Halstead Templars first entered league competitions in 2011.

In a quirk of fixtures, however, the men in red remain in fifth place in Greene King Eastern Counties League division three south at this early stage with Clacton, tomorrow’s visitors to the Pit, in last place thanks to some very heavy defeats.

With Ipswich also having suffered at the hands of Harwich, who the Templars ran very close in their league opener, the guests were a little complacent in the preparation to the game, supporting a MacMillan coffee morning held at the Halstead Royal British Legion prior to setting off for Suffolk.

A very lacklustre warm-up routine followed while waiting for players to arrive and the fact that only a flat 15 made the journey didn’t help.

Neither did losing Ashley Meade, playing on the wing, after just 30 minutes to a badly cut eye that required hospital attention.

Down to 14 men, and down three tries in that time, really set the scene for a defeat of their own creating.

Very few of the Templars could manage to match the speed of the opposition although aggression and commitment could not be faulted in the tackle and breakdown.

However, the lack of cohesion within the team meant that good work done by captain Adi Illingworth clearing out rucks was not backed up by others securing the ball.

Full-back Steve Fellowes was again solid under the high ball but was often surrounded by two or three of the hosts following up the kick too quickly for him to do anything but clear the ball rather than mount a counter-attack.

The half time score of 22-0 was no less than Ipswich deserved and the Templars got a well-deserved dressing down from head coach Neil Prentice.

With the wind and the slope in their favour, the Templars started to make better use of the ball and gained territory with every possession, however, the final pass or run always came up short and the counter-attack of the home side meant that all the hard work was wasted.

Big tackling flanker Callum Smith and Jordan Samuels, once more playing at eight rather than prop, were joined by eventual man-of-the-match Josh Beckinsale who all put in a good shift defensively.

However, the patience of Ipswich in the build-up was rewarded time and again as they sucked in defenders and left themselves three-on-one overlaps against inexperienced wingers Tom Ransom and Nathan Hayes, who could do nothing to stop tries being scored.

While the Ipswich tries were the result of a good build up and a clinical execution, Halstead’s only score was the definition of opportunistic.

At 46-0 and running from everywhere, an Ipswich pass went astray and was chased down by fly-half Ed Merry who somehow managed to gather the ball and burst between the covering tackles to score a consolation try.

Brett Ballard failed to add the extra two points, though, and the final score stayed at 46-5.

Halstead host bottom of the league Clacton at the Pit at 3pm tomorrow.

Anyone who fancies giving rugby a try is always welcome to attend training on a Wednesday evening at the Pit from 7pm.