Felixstowe RFC 21 - 19 The Mighty

A warm welcome was received from our friendly coastal neighbours, which set up the day for an excellent afternoon of rugby.

With a truly Mighty squad of 29, dipping to 28 on Friday night, as young George Ray couldn't commit; the draw of the bright city lights and the London boozer was too much for him to handle, and at 10pm the call was made, he had decided his train was going to be delayed! Saturday saw us climb back to a heroic 29 with a surprise appearance from our 2017/18 top try scorer, Connor Danielsen. Well done Connor.

A raft of new players joined the line-up, making us look like a more youthful outfit than our usual weathered rabble. Our spritely appearance was, however, mainly due to the absence of Harley and Brian. (Who were both thoroughly missed... most of all by PJ, who snaffled the honor of being the oldest player on the pitch.)

The game got underway and took the form of 4 x 20 min quarters, to allow us to better manage the interchanges across our mammoth numbers.

A quick try from the opposition in the opening minutes made us a little apprehensive, as we doubted our ability to contend with the higher league team. But doubt was short lived as we bounced back in the second quarter, equalising with a neat run in.

Felixstowe turned it up a notch following our try and returned a further 2, both converted. One from a well rehearsed chip and chase, over our back line, completed by a speedy youngster. If practiced plays were going to win the day, our pre-season training attendance suggested where the outcome of this game was going to lie! And it did not look good!

That said, the 10 mins of pre-game prep, which we have come to master over the last 2 seasons, began to pay off, as we started to claw back points and hold a solid defense.

With the score at 19-21 we were awarded a sitter of a penalty within easy reach of the posts, but looking around for a kicker, we had none on the pitch. Before the call could be made to give someone a go, "just for the hell of it", Jacobs had taken a quick one. We made no ground and the minutes ticked down to leave us 3 points shy of a win at 80 minutes.

Almost Man of the Match - for an excellent return game and for enjoying it so bloody much - Arron Button @ 3

Actual Man of the Match - for some solid ball carrying and excellent ground made in his debut senior game - Zac @ 8

Dick of the Day - for spending most of the second half posing suggestively for his "friends" photos - Deano @ 15

A solid performance from all, and despite the jest above, was a truly encouraging start to the season for the whole squad. Thoroughly proud of everyone on the pitch, even Deano! A great start for the colts and their transition into the big boy game.

Well done all. Tremendous effort!