First XV

Some six weeks ago this was a match that Ipswich would have viewed with some trepidation.

But with the match having been postponed twice and Ipswich having recorded a confidence building away win at Lowestoft and Yarmouth the home side were full of confidence.

The result records a 31 -19 win to Ipswich. But the result did not hinge on the Ipswich scorers as much as it did on their defence. In recent weeks the ability to score using a dynamic three quarter line has been superimposed on a truly resolute “they shall not pass” attitude. This was the case with the day’s visitors, Hampstead who have been free scoring in the league hitherto. They laid siege to the Ipswich line for large parts of the first Half but such was the determination from the home side that not only did they keep the visitors out but with imaginative running out of their own half, they finished the first period 26-5 up.  The scorers were typical of the Ipswich style this year with two brilliant individual tries from Scrum Half John Lasbrey and a great chip and chase from Iwandre Spangenberg.No 8 Chris Blom also got in on the act with a characteristic 12 meter wrecking ball trundle. Kicking specialist Craig Burrows was a specialist for three of the tries and not so special for the other one

The second half saw a brief resurgence with Hampstead gaining an immediate try but Ipswich responding immediately with one of their own from the speed machine Tim Hopkins. For the rest of the half Hampstead posed question after question but while they scored two converted tries they only did so after spending a lot of time to finally breach the Ipswich wall. A match played in Great Spirit with no quarter given on either side. On this form Ipswich need fear nobody in this division.