Sunday 11th February 2007
Essex County RFU 17 - 12 Surrey County RFU
Surrey started the match much the stonger and Essex were slow to get into their stride in this their second match in the RFU U20 County Championships. An early converted try put Surrey 7 points ahead and a short time later a second try gave Surrey a 0 - 12 lead. Essex defended reolutly during this first half against the wind and when they did break out into the Surrey half they looked threatening. A missed penalty from under the posts would have set many heads down but Essex kept trying and prevented any further scores by Surrey before half time.
The half time pep-talk appeared to do the trick and the second half began in earnest and it was Surrey's turn to defend. However despite the pressure Surrey managed to hold out until half way through the second half when a quickly taken penalty just inside the Surrey 22 was quickly passed over to the left wing where Adam Ferrier picked up the ball at the ruck and drove over for the first try converted by Adam Kain. At 7 - 12 Essex could sense they could take the match and persistant infringements at the ruck and maul led to the Surrey loose head prop having to spend 10 minutes in the sin bin. Wilth no front row replacement available the scrums went uncontested and Essex were unable to press home the one man advantage in the set pieces. Surrey did manage to hold out but with five minutes to go super-sub Michael Jarvis picked up a loose ball from a ruck and powered his way over the line under the posts to give Adam Kain the easiest of conversions to give Essex the lead 14 - 12. With a sense of victory Essex continued to put on the pressure and a penalty to Essex in the dying seconds of the game sealed Surreys fate as Kain calmly guided the ball between the sticks to give Essex a final score of 17 - 12.
Head Coach Dean Cutting said"Though the boys started slowly they showed once again that they have the character to come back. They all know they did not perform in the first half but they got it together in the second half and Surrey hadly ever got into our half. We are now in with a real chance of ending up top of our pool. Hampshire are a big heavy pack and we will have our work cut out but I have faith in this group of boys and it was good to see our injured Danny Cleary turn up to lend his support them."
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