Ely 30 Southwold 16 AN EXCELLENT performance ensured that Ely Tigers kept their lead at the top of the table. Ely got off to a dream start when Lee Coulson ran 50-metres to score a try and Ed Fahy converted to give them a very early 7-0 lead. Southwold re

Ely 30 Southwold 16

AN EXCELLENT performance ensured that Ely Tigers kept their lead at the top of the table.

Ely got off to a dream start when Lee Coulson ran 50-metres to score a try and Ed Fahy converted to give them a very early 7-0 lead.

Southwold replied with a penalty, but this was cancelled out when Fahy kicked an Ely penalty to take the scores to 10-3.

Ely continued to attack at every opportunity, but lacked the finishing touch.

The Ely forwards forced the next try. The Ely defence had been pressurising the Southwold ball all half, and the visitors were forced into a scrum, five metres from their own line. Ely took the ball against the head and the back row picked up and started a rolling maul from which Alan Mason scored.

Their lead was cut to 15-6 by another Southwold penalty before half-time.

Changes were made at the interval as Ely reshuffled the backs, with Sam Sanders-Hewett taking over at fly-half and Ricky Neale coming on to play hooker.

The half started with Southwold kicking a penalty which was soon matched by one from Ely's Fahy to take the score to 18-9.

The Tigers began to dominate, making breaks from all directions and hounding all Southwold possession.

The Coulson brothers then stepped up to extend Ely's lead; Southwold won a set piece ball, 15 metres from their line, and as the pass came back to the fly-half, flanker Lee Coulson and scrum-half Daniel Coulson followed up quickly to charge down the kick, and Daniel Coulson fell on the ball as it crossed the line, to score a try he fully deserved, being easily the best player on the field. Fahy converted to give Ely a 25-9 lead.

From here on Ely gave away penalty after penalty after some back-chat to the referee which, when coupled with a yellow card, gave the visitors hope, especially after they scored a try against the run of play. However, it was the Tigers who ran a quick penalty, moving the ball swiftly to the wing where Fahy scored in the corner for 30-16.

Ely finished the match having a further try disallowed.

Director of Ely Rugby Club Terry Moore said: "This performance was a very good one by the Ely players both in attack and to a lesser extent in defence, producing an irresistible style which strongly contrasted the lack of clinical finishing and discipline.