COLCHESTER 19 TENDRING BARBARIANS 12
Tuesday 31 August

Colchester and Tendring Barbarians played their traditional season opener at Mill Road, with Colchester winning a sometimes scrappy but often entertaining game.  Colchester looked the better side for the first quarter of the game, while the Tendring players, drawn from Mistley, Brightlingsea, Harwich and Clacton, got used to playing together.  The first score came after 12 minutes when Colchester full back Chris Allan came into the line, and with one man to beat passed to wing Ed Merry to ground the ball, James Gee converting well from near the right touchline.

Tendring were living off scraps of possession but they played an effective spoiling game, slowing down the ball and regularly turning it over.  However, they were forced to defend most long periods.  With 23  minutes gone Colchester won a line out five metres out, and a catch by 17 year old Mark Braidwood was driven over the line where flanker Josh McCormack grounded the ball, Gee again converting for a 14-0 lead.  The lead was nearly extended further just a few minutes later when a Braidwood charge was stopped just short of the line, with the ball being swiftly passed to Merry to touch down in the corner, but the try was disallowed after the touch judge had seen some foul play.

Changes were made to both sides at half time, and Barbarians captain Lee Amman from Clacton rallied his team to up their game for the second half, and they responded by putting Colchester on the back foot with aggressive rucking and hard running from the backs.  Good defence from Colchester kept Tendring out until a chip from Colchester's Mike Fields (playing for Tendring) was pounced upon by Clacton's Grant Jarmain to reduce the lead to 14-5 with 15 minutes to go.  The Barbarians had their tails up and they continued to press, Amman and Mistley's Phil Weedon both making inroads.  A Tendring penalty 20 metres out was quickly taken by fly half Rob Bloom (Mistley) who tore through the Colchester defence to score a try converted by Weedon, reducing the lead to just two points.

The last ten minutes was end to end stuff with both sides looking for a decisive score, but it was Colchester who persevered when a Tendring kick to touch was fielded by Merry who outsprinted the defence to ground the ball in the corner.  

Tries: Grant Jarmain (Clacton), Rob Bloom (Mistley)
Cons: Phil Weedon 1 (Mistley)

Proceeds from games are donated to The Wooden Spoon Society