Colchester Colts narrowly defeated by Shelford in EC Cup

Putting behind them the previous 46-5 defeat to Shelford earlier on in the season, Colchester Colts travelled to Shelford for their second Eastern Counties Cup fixture and put in a terrific defensive performance characterised by determined tackling, a solid scrum and excellent team spirit. Shelford really did have much more territory and possession than Colchester and the margin of victory perhaps could have (and should have) been greater - but all credit to the level of performance that Colchester produced; the coaching team were very impressed and this was perhaps the performance of the season to date.

Shelford dominated territory and possession in the first period, the tone being set early on with kicks ahead keeping Colchester pinned back close to their own line. Stout defence and a couple of penalties relieved some pressure but the deadlock was broken on 11 mins when the Shelford winger broke tackles to score an unconverted score. Following the restart, Colchester enjoyed some hard earned possession and with patient build up and effective recycling, managed to create an opportunity for second row Enzo McIntyre to squeeze over in the corner on 15 mins; score now 5-5. Back came Shelford and from within their own 22, ran the ball through their backline, creating space on the wing for an excellent team try under the posts to make the score 12-5 on 23 minutes. With Colchester maintaining their work ethic, typified by the effective ball carrying of prop Ben Ainslie, the home side became frustrated resulting in a yellow card for deliberately not releasing close to the line. Ongoing hard work at the breakdown and forward effort allowed hooker Jack Wilson to cross from close range just before half time.
Half Time: Shelford 12 Colchester 10

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first with the home side dominating ball possession and territory; only tigerish defence and a wasteful home attack preventing a wider scoreline. The decisive score came early in the second period (38 mins) with a close range Shelford try but further home try scoring opportunities were squandered. It was well over half way into the second period before Colchester managed some pressure in the Shelford half; number 8 Elliott Adams made a great break and was well backed up by his forward colleagues but the Shelford defence held firm and that proved to be Colchester's last incursion. Very well played to Shelford who deserved their victory on the day, but much credit must go to the effort of Colchester who performed admirably against a very good side.
Full Time: Shelford 17 Colchester 10

Many thanks to Shelford for the warm welcome and for the opportunity of playing on the artificial 3G pitch.
A copy of the Shelford match report can be found via: http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/shelfordrugbyclub/teams/86268/match-centre/0-4024209