West Norfolk prove too much for battling Tigers

Ely Tigers Rugby V West Norfolk (Image: Archant)

A sluggish start from Ely cost them dearly against table-topping West Norfolk at Downham Road on Saturday.

Two tries for the visitors inside a blistering first 20 minutes put Ely firmly on the back foot and, despite a spirited fight back, there was no catching their opponents, who monopolised possession for long periods.

Victory would have moved second-place Ely level on points with the visitors but they struggled to compete against a well-drilled West Norfolk side who, with four wins out of four, look every inch title contenders.

West Norfolk scored their first try within the opening five minutes; a chip through was fumbled in the Tigers twenty-two and West Norfolk gained the put in at a scrum. Forming a maul, they scored an unconverted try in the corner.

Ely continued to struggle after the restart and Norfolk retained possession to devastating effect. The visitors blindsided the Tigers five metres out and touched down for another unconverted try.

Ely fought back however, and earned their first points of the afternoon in the run-up to half-time as Joel Scott Paul kicked a three-point penalty.

John Dibb’s side came out guns blazing in the second half and they gained a penalty early on for foul play in the air and kicked for the corner. Ely went down the blind side and dropped the ball over the try line but were unable to convert any points after Norfolk cleared under pressure.

A few minutes later and the hosts found themselves a man down after a yellow card was given for holding on in the ruck. West Norfolk took advantage of the overlap and spread the ball out to wing to score an unconverted try in the corner.

Ely tried to close the gap but could only manage a single try from Mitchell Kennett, who crashed the opposition defence to score an unconverted try.