Watching Colchester play Shelford on a foggy Saturday afternoon was a bit like watching gorillas in the mist! Visibility was poor but the referee kept the momentum of the game going and the visitors from Cambridgeshire came out on top in the end.

Despite having a bulkier pack than the week before, the Blacks were often shoved back by the powerful Shelford forwards in the scrums so that, despite the efforts of half backs Matt Wadling and Matt Barnes, the backs were often getting poor quality ball because they were on the back foot.

Colchester tried their best but Shelford proved to be tough opponents and showed why they are six places higher in the league.
The game was only five minutes old when Shelford got their first score. One of their flankers broke from a scrum five metres out and went over the line for an unconverted try. Before long Colchester replied with two successful penalties by fullback James Crozier which put them in the lead 6-5 for the first and last time. Later Crozier attempted a drop kick but, unfortunately, it went wide.

After twenty minutes Colchester were awarded a scrum on the halfway line and openside flanker, Danny Whiteman, made a break and set up an attack. The ball moved swiftly through the backs' hands only for it to be spilt forward, ruining a scoring opportunity. Colchester's coaches made a couple of substitutions with new prop Toby Hill, who was working hard in the front row, being replaced by Jay Hatcher and lock Ethan Hughes making way for Ollie White. Both players subsequently had forays into their opponent’s territory. For Shelford, their scrum half proved a handful for Colchester's defence as he was an elusive and nippy runner.

Colchester were only 6-12 down at the interval and still very much in the game but, at the end of half time, Shelford returned to the pitch with the bit between their teeth and proceeded to dominate the rest of the game. Their intense pressure on the Blacks led to Colchester giving away too many penalties and dropping too many passes. Hooker Joe McMillan linked well with skipper Liam Pickett in the lineouts but the game was lost in the scrums where Shelford were dominant.

Before long their fly half kicked a penalty bringing the score to 6-15 and soon they were on the rampage. During the rest of the game they scored three more tries, all following successful scrums. Their flanker got his second, their outside centre claimed one and the last was scored by all the forwards driving a scrum over the line.

This trio of tries bought the score up to 6-32 and so it remained until full time. The Blacks kept competing for the whole 80 minutes but, frustratingly, could not cross Shelford's tryline despite getting close several times. They will be disappointed by this defeat but at least they now have a three week break to rest and recuperate hoping for an upturn in their fortunes in the new year.

Join us back at Mill Road as our 1st XV #REBUILD their position in National League 3