Ely Tigers come out on top after long trip to Southwold

Forced into changes due to availability, some players played out of position and there was a league debut for Aaron Borland, as Eli Williamson returned to the pack.

Tom Elliott was forced off with an early injury, but Ely scored the first points when moving the ball across field from left to right to find Borland on the wing where his pace was too much for the hosts an he touched down in the corner.

Aaron Borland scores a try for Ely Tigers at Southwold (Image: Steve Wells)

Matt McCarthy was unable to add the conversion as the wind held the ball up, with a penalty also missed soon after.

The home side hit back with a penalty of their own but as they looked to put pressure on Ely's backline, the ball dropped kindly to Paul Dewey who released Borland for his second try on the afternoon under the posts.

The conversion was added and McCarthy then crossed for a try, which he also converted, before Southwold were reduced to 14 men.

The home side scored next with a penalty before Ely's John Dibb was shown a yellow card, but Ely's defence held firm after the restart, before a penalty attempt fell short.

Southwold eventually found a gap to score their opening try, with the conversion missed, but McCarthy replied with a penalty soon after.

The home side claimed another converted try as the game headed towards the final stages but they conceded another penalty, which McCarthy sent through the posts, using the wind perfectly to complete the scoring.

Captain Lory Martin said: “Southwold is a tough place to go and play, but everybody stepped up and it was a strong performance from the entire squad which deserved the win.

"Excellent defence was shown against a big pack, and our backs were superb considering we had some newer players and players out of position. A great platform to build on for next week’s game against West Suffolk.”