Harlow 14 Diss 15

London League Division 3

(10/102005) Wayne had 30 stitches and is out of hospital and doing well.

The latest news on Wayne Morgan is that he is seeing a plastic surgeon on Sunday (9/10/2005) to stitch his ear back on after having his head stamped on by the Diss hooker. We wish Wayne all the best and hope to see him fit and well shortly and we will keep you all informed of his progress..

Match report

For Harlow it was again a case of what might have been. Playing the third placed club Diss they had enough of the play to win the game but could break a solid defence only once. To be fair in their previous three games combined Diss had only conceded a total of 11 points so putting 14 on them is not all bad. 

The game started with an 8 minute period of pressure from Diss in the Harlow 22 which they weathered and then started to mount their own attacks.  Harlow had a major setback losing centre Wayne Morgan early on when a kick to the head left him with an injury to his ear which will need major surgery to repair. James McFerran came on as the replacement. A further attack by the Diss pack saw them force their way over for an unconverted try and a 5 point lead.  Minutes later a quick move by the Diss backs saw them break the first Harlow defensive line before Gibb the fullback came outside his winger to make the extra man and ran 40 yards for a try under the posts leaving Harlow 12 point adrift.  Harlow began to get a firmer grip on the game making very good use of their forwards. Diss were forced to defend and conceded several penalties keeping the Rams out. One of these was in range and McFerran slotted it to reduce the margin to 12 – 3.  The Harlow defence was now looking much safer but Diss added to their lead with a drop goal which just grazed inside the upright. The closing minutes were enlivened by one of the best periods of pressure play from Harlow this season. First a break by the forwards, ball in hand, saw Pickett make ground before setting the ball. Harron recycled quickly to Jarvis and the ball passed through several more pairs of hands before another breakdown. This time Harron gathered and made a solo dash for the line adding the five points for a 15 – 8 scoreline at half time.

The second half saw Harlow dominate Diss in term of territory making good use of the rolling maul. Early on they were held up virtually in the line but Diss cleared. Minutes later McFerran slotted a second penalty to cut the margin to 11 – 15. Harlow continued to attack using their pack and working the touchline well. At the start of the final quarter a McFerran penalty closed the gap to one point and the pressure was on. Despite Harlow’s efforts the Diss defence was solid. Lee Smith came close with a good run followed by his trade mark chip and chase but was unlucky with the bounce and his opposite number scrambled it into touch.  Two other attacks involving Vanbeck and Howard came close but not close enough. In the closing minutes McFerran was just wide with a difficult kick at goal from out wide and then with a second, further infield; but by then the wind had freshened and took it just outside the post. The game ended with Harlow still battering on the Diss line.

Eton Manor lost to Westcliff on Saturday which leaves this division wide open. Manor and Diss are at the top on 8 points each with Romford on 7 and then Rochford, Ipswich and Harlow all on six and with only seven match points separating them. In two weeks time Harlow resume their league campaign against relegation strugglers Sudbury. A win is vital but that is not enough, this league is going to be very close and points difference is critical. Other clubs have put in big scores against them and Harlow mist do the same; a win without a good margin could be nearly as bad as a defeat.

Tries: Lee Trifton Harron

Penalties: James McFerran (3)

(Follow links to player profiles)
1. James Ephgrave
2. Martin Mallia

3. Will Bayford (Sub Gary Brown)

4. Jon Snow (Sub Jamie Pope)

5. James Grover
6. Scott Thorne
7. Mark Pickett
8. Paul Eynon (Captain)
9. Lee Harron
10. Rhys Loveday
11. Lee Smith

12. David Stradling
13. Wayne Morgan (Sub James McFerran)
14. Simon Vanbeck

15. Matt Howard

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