New looks EELS in a game of Two Halves!

A repeat of last year’s shield final fixture was always going to be a cracker, especially as both sides shared the spoils in the league winning their home games respectively. Eels as usual blooding New and Young Talent with nine open age Debutants. Three were new recruits from the off season and two returning to the club after playing at youth level. The squad of sixteen also included four sixteen year olds David Baker, Jacob Travers, Harry Pyke and James Sullivan. All developed through the clubs youth system, which is great news for the club going forward.

The game started with a near on ten minute arm wrestle of completed sets and immaculate kicks and returns from both sides, but the young Eels held their nerve and stuck to their structure which led to Tom Scarsbrook and Joe Heavey pulling the strings for the returning Charles Hammond to carry his East RL 9s scoring form into the season, dotting down to the left of the uprights and Scarsbrook easily added the extras. The next ten minutes was error filled with Eels trying to dominate and Crusaders trying to get back into the game, which they did after a repeat set from a solid in goal kick, they chose to play the ball and slide in out wide on their last tackle. But failed to convert the try leaving the scores 4-6.

The rest of the half was mostly Eels dominated whether it was solid defence holding the crusaders out and forcing errors in crucial positions. Brentwood were sticking to the game plan and it was paying dividends, until it came to striking the killer blow it wasn’t to be with wrong options being taken and a miscount in tackles led to key chances to extend the lead were missed. Although it was not all for nothing as the effort in attack still depleted the crusaders which the eels took advantage just on the close of the half again through Hammond and a bit slippery footwork he was under the posts and another easy conversion for Scarsbrook. Leaving the scores in favour of the visitors 4-12.

Second half Crusaders come out firing and forced and made the most of an Eels error on the return kick and scored again out wide and this time they added the extras making it 10-12. Eels responded with Tom Scarsbrook nailing a kick off deep in crusaders half which forced a drop out from under the posts. Debutant Paul O’Dell carried hard giving Eels go forward ball which led to Ben Nugent beating three or four defenders with some tidy footwork to dot under the posts. Eels now leading 18-10 and were on the ascendency with only a big 30 minutes to play. Eels had a lot of position over the next ten minutes where they should of put the game to bed but credit to North Herts and their back rower for getting them out of some sticky positions on their own line on more than one occasion and carrying hard on exit sets.

Just over twenty minutes to go and Eels had nothing to show for their domination and were feeling the effects of the game due to missing two extra squad members. Pushing the boundaries is where they come undone running into touch on exit set gave the crusader prime position in which they scored out wide for a third time but failed to convert the scores now 14-18 to Eels. The game again went into another ten minute phase of completed set ping pong which was halted by an Eels player alleged by referee of “flopping” on the tackler which resulted in a penalty deep into eels half. Crusaders returned hard and seemed to knock the ball on at the play of the ball but referee deemed play on which caught half of the Eels defence out but not the crusaders stand our back rower who dotted over to the right of the uprights which led to an easy conversion and North Herts to take the lead for the first time in the game with just over ten minutes to play the score was 20-18. Eels forced an error on the following kick off and were hoping to make a menses on the kick return but due to a few injuries players were playing out of positon and a pass was thrown to nobody which bounced up beautifully for Crusaders on running winger to dot down for the easiest try of the game under the posts which extended the crusaders league and sealed the victory at 26-18. The last five minutes were best forgotten with a young team feeling down about what could have been a great away win. This led to crusaders now full of confidence to score two late tries again out wide. Which left the scoreboard in an undeserved state of 38-18.

Eels continue their league campaign on the road again at St Ives Roosters, who will be on high spirts after a great away win, narrowly defeating East RL 9s winners St Albans Centurions 39-32.

Average Age 18.96