Match Report: Holt 40 Ipswich YM 7

Thank you to Martyn Sloman for this match report:

Holt started this match as the early season table leaders, having won their first two games, both with a try bonus. The visitors from Suffolk were newly promoted to this league and, while they played with determination, struggled throughout.

In the opening quarter Ipswich YM spent much of the game defending in their own twenty-two. The Holt scrum was dominant with loose-head Aaron Cole able to lift his opponent as part of a well-co-ordinated drive. After ten minutes Holt scrum-half Bruce van Poortvliet lofted a pass to set off wing Henry Flower on a mazy run leading to a try which was converted by full-back James Wyatt. Shortly afterwards Ashley Woods stole an Ipswich line-out ten metres from their line and dived over for a soft try, again converted by Wyatt.

At this stage it looked as though Holt were in for an easy afternoon. However the Ipswich forwards, with back-row players Kaselle Lee and Ryan Quinton prominent at the breakdown, kept their side in contention and the visitors always threatened to score a breakaway try. The half time score of 14-0 to Holt was a disappointing return on the amount of territory and possession that the home side had secured.
Immediately after the restart Holt’s second row, Paul Amiss, took advantage of some weak tackling to score an individual try after a determined thirty metre run, again followed by a Wyatt conversion. Shortly afterwards centre Melvin Gilmore picked up a very difficult pass to score under the posts giving Wyatt his easiest conversion of the day. The score was now 28-0 with the bonus point secured. Both sides were tiring but, to their credit, Ipswich YM were showing the greater determination. Their reward came when, following slick inter-passing amongst the backs, wing three-quarter Carlton Ford scored a deserved consolation try with Giles Wilson converting.

The Ipswich YM try acted as a wake-up call as Holt then scored two further tries of their own. The first followed an excellent finish by centre Aaron Tagg in the corner; this time the conversion was missed. The second rounded off a most satisfactory afternoon for the Bridge Road crowd: popular Holt captain Ashley Woods followed up an optimistic kick-ahead and outpaced some opposition three-quarters to score with Wyatt yet again converting.
The referee for the game was the elected Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk, Tim Passmore. He described Holt as a great club with a marvellous atmosphere. Fortunately the game was good-tempered throughout so his policing knowledge was not required at any stage.
Centre Melvin Gilmore was Holt’s Norfolk Brewhouse Man of the Match with the award presented by the lunch sponsor Steve Atkins of farm machinery manufacturers DAL-BO. Holt remain early season leaders in the London 3 Table.