Ely Tigers Rugby Club dropped to 10th in the Counties 1 Eastern Counties league after falling to a 28-12 defeat to the unbeaten league leaders Bury St Edmunds IIs.

The Tigers had raced into a 12-0 lead heading into halftime but conceded four unanswered tires, two in each half, as they struggled to contain a free-flowing Bury side.

It was another week where the Tigers were forced into changes, but with 30 minutes on the clock, neither side could find the breakthrough in an evenly contested opening.

Ely Standard: Ely's Matt French was the Tigers' standout player as he was recognised with the man-of-the-match award.Ely's Matt French was the Tigers' standout player as he was recognised with the man-of-the-match award. (Image: Steve Wells)

The game then burst into life with four tires in ten minutes when Tigers' Ricky Neale crashed over the try line for a converted score and a 7-0 lead.

Then, from an Ely line out, the Tigers scored their second try when the ball was moved from right to left to John Surbey, who fed Jordan Barnes for an unconverted try and a 12-0 lead.

Ely Standard: Jordan Burns scored one of the Tigers' two tries during their 28-12 defeat.Jordan Burns scored one of the Tigers' two tries during their 28-12 defeat. (Image: Steve Wells)

The home side struck back almost straight away, as from the restart, Bury crashed over the line under the posts to reduce the gap to five points after the successful conversion.

As Ely searched for a third try, an intercepted pass inside their half was picked off as the Bury players raced three-quarters of the pitch to score under the posts, heading into the break with a 14-12 lead.

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Another breakaway converted try by Bury from inside Ely's five-metre line extended the winning gap to nine points as the Tigers toiled to get back into the game.

Ely Standard: Ely were committed in defence and in their tackling but could not break down a strong Bury side.Ely were committed in defence and in their tackling but could not break down a strong Bury side. (Image: Steve Wells)

Eventually, the final try came again from Ely losing the ball, which allowed Bury to break away to score a bonus point try for a 28-12 win.

Ely will hope some of their injured and missing players will return in time for their next fixture to give the side a boost when they host 4th-placed Shelford IIs on Saturday, October 14.