Under 14s Ely 41 Saffron Walden 7

Ely were crowned county champions after a resounding win over Saffron Walden.

Ely started the stronger and, pushing for an early score, spent much of the opening 15 minutes Walden’s twenty-two.

However, some inspired defending and a lack of composure from Ely with their final pass meant it wasn’t until the 20th minute that they Ely broke the deadlock.

The remainder of the half saw committed defending by Saffron Walden and a series of handling errors and forward passing causing Ely to squander good field position.

But Ely settled and managed to run in two more tries prior to the half before a series of missed tackles saw a try from Saffron Walden, bringing the score to 15-7 at half-time.

Ely struggled to dominate the game once more after the break and a lack of discipline at breakdowns invited pressure from Walden.

But, with the game heading into the crucial final 10 minutes, Ely showed their class and powered into an unassailable lead, a series of strong running resulted in converted tries.

Tries on the day came from Jack Emery (2), Stephen Snook (2), Byron Read (2) and Robbie Hayes. Conversions came from Harvey Cross (2) and Jack Brosnan.

This victory means Ely will represent Cambridgeshire at the eastern counties final on March 23.