Mersea Island welcomed local rivals Sudbury to the Glebe on Saturday in what was a game that could define the Islanders season. With only 4 games left to play, a win would almost guarantee another season in London & SE.

Mersea received the kick-off, and set about their work, going through their phases with good continuity. However, the Sudbury defence as equal to it and eventually forced an error from the home side. From the first scrum of the match, Sudbury attacked into the Mersea 22 but the visitors were tackled into touch. Following on from last week, the Islanders lineout was functioning well, and after securing the ball, Mersea exited their red zone well.

With a significant wind at their backs, Sudbury balanced their attack well by mixing up their pass and kick game, and when the ball went to boot, they tried to pin the home side back into the corners. However, with Ollie White and co imperious in the air, Mersea was able to launch from a solid lineout platform. On this occasion, Centre Michael Williamson hit the ball up flat and sliced through the Sudbury defence to get the Islanders on the front foot. As it was all day, Sudbury’s defensive line speed slowed the Mersea attack down and either caused errors for the home team or conceded defensive penalties.

The next phase of the match saw both teams struggle for some cohesion, and the game was almost exclusively played between 22s. Strong defence from both sides was on show for the spectators, and the game was in the balance. However, it was Mersea who took the advantage to strike off the back of a slew of penalties against the visitors. Solid lineout attack allowed Mersea to roll on into the Sudbury 22 and a cynical knock on gave Mersea another go only a few metres out. Hitting the target again, hooker Nic Woodhead pealed around and joined the rolling maul; eventually crashing over to give Mersea a well-deserved 5-0 lead.

The remaining 15 minutes of the half saw Sudbury have a couple of bright points, one being their left winger in open space and for all money going to open the visitors account. However, some maximum effort from the covering Mersea Fullback James Deighton allowed him to make a try saving hit on the line and the Sudbury player knocked the ball on in goal. Sudbury also had a final shot of their own lineout in the Mersea 22, but some clever defensive work by the home team saw a penalty for holding on, and Williamson kicked it out to end the half.

The second half started with Sudbury attacking left but being bundled into touch by a huge hit from flanker Joey Barber. Mersea had another opportunity to attack, and some nice feet from Brad Gardiner saw him dance past the flailing defenders and offload to Williamson. With the tryline in sight, it was only an excellent covering tackle that stopped Mersea notching up their second score of the match. With only a few inches to the try line Mersea battered away through forwards and backs until eventually Woodhead was on hand to pick and go to score a brace. Ben Norfolk converted and Mersea had a 12-0 lead.

From the restart, Norfolk rose high to take the ball and the Islanders got back on a roll. Industrious lock Ed Johnston made some metres up the middle before the ball went right to Baber who crashed it up near the touch line. Quick ball came back to Woodhead whose miss pass put Johnston in a hole to run up field. Sudbury chopped him down 10 metres out, and his offload was just touched by a retreating defender, meaning replacement prop Ed Harris couldn’t hold on, and Sudbury got away with a scrum.

The game stayed in Sudbury territory for the next 10 minutes as both teams traded blows with errors and penalties making it a stop-start affair. Mersea had another opportunity to set a rolling maul, but some stoic defence on the line won Sudbury back the ball. It was now Mersea who started to concede penalties, and the gave Sudbury the piggyback they needed to work their way down field and into Mersea territory. Sudbury’s game plan – now playing into the strong wind – was to run the ball at every opportunity, and with some good movement through the backs made some metres around the edges. However, the Mersea defence was equal to it, and when the ball when right their winger was again taken into touch. Mersea again won their own lineout and attacked, but Sudbury’s line speed kept the home side at bay, pushing them back towards their own 22 until a relieving penalty allowed the Islanders to kick back up field.

Now back in the opposition half, Mersea attacked with good continuity, but again the Sudbury defence was solid. Going left and right, the home side looked for gaps until another indiscretion by Sudbury – now up to about 20 penalties for the match – gave Mersea another opportunity to enter the redzone. Norfolk went quick and set off down the right, offloading to Ollie White deep inside the Sudbury 22. However, the retreating defence managed to snaffle the ball and relieved pressure once more. Strangely they ran it, and when two players went down injured the game restarted with a Sudbury scrum.

Sudbury didn’t give up their high-risk attacking game and although they got another penalty for a high tackle by Mersea, they opted to tap and go once more; this time knocking it on and gifting possession to Mersea wide right just outside the 22. From the scrum, Flyhalf Aidan Frensham took the ball to the line, pulling it back to the looping right-wing George Chisnall who squared up the defence before quick hands to Deighton and then left-wing Alex Strutt, who skinned the cover to score Mersea’s third. Norfolk converted and it was now 19-0.

With 20 minutes remaining, the game could have looked done and dusted for Mersea but Sudbury – who’s strong fitness began to show – didn’t give up and the last phase of the game was a tense affair. Firstly, pressure on a Mersea scrum only 5 metres out from their own line saw the ball squirt out the back and the Sudbury scrumhalf dive on it to score. Only a handful of minutes later, a quick tap penalty gave Sudbury a chance to attack left, and this time their winger finished it off to bring the score back to 19-12 with only 10 minutes to play. Not to be outdone, a bobbling kick down field from Frensham into the Sudbury 22 put their fullback under pressure, and by the time he managed to get the kick away Norfolk rose high and charged it down. The ball fortuitously landed in Chisnall’s hands, and a neat pass to Deighton gave him an unopposed run in from 10 metres out. Norfolk converted again, and it was 26-12 to Mersea.

The last few minutes saw both teams attack and defend, with Sudbury frantic and shipping the ball side to side in an effort to find a gap. Eventually they had a scrum wide left just inside the Mersea half, and with a mix up in defence their centre cut through and weaved his way around the cover to score. A quick drop goal conversion made it 26-19 and Mersea had one last play to see out before the end of the game. The kick off was missed by Sudbury and the ball trickled into touch to finish off what was a tense and exciting match.

With next weekends home game being cancelled due to Cottenham not being able to field a side, this takes Mersea up to 43 points and 6th place on the table in Counties 2 Eastern Counties, and 18 points away from the drop zone with only 3 games to play. If Mersea fulfil their remining fixtures, another season in London & SE level 8 is secured.

Well done to the Mersea boys.