Eastern Counties 1 - Ipswich YM 15 Norwich Crusaders 0

IPSWICH’S first home game since December 10 ended in victory against Norwich Crusaders.

The home side went on the attack from the off and pinned the Crusaders in their half of the pitch.

With YM pressing forward a score looked inevitable, but a combination of great defence from the Crusaders and mistakes from the home side saw the score remain pointless for the opening quarter.

Crusaders hit back with some good attacking of their own and it was Ipswich’s turn to dig in defensively.

However, it was the hosts that finally made the breakthrough, five minutes before the break, when flanker Collard broke through to score an unconverted try and give his side a 5-0 half-time lead.

Crusaders started the second period on the front foot, but YM again proved resilient and stopped the Crusaders in their tracks, defending two penalties on the YM five-metre line and sending the visitors back into their own half.

After 15 minutes of defending, YM began to get on top again but they could not add to their advantage – the ball being knocked on or a penalty going to the other side.

On 74 minutes, YM did add to their lead – Elliston converting a penalty.

From the restart, winger Lea raced away from the halfway line to score under the posts and seal the game for the YM, the try being converted.

The match was also even better for YM player Tim Styles who played his first full game after major knee surgery last year.

The weekend was also once again great for the whole club with the YM Hawks winning 53-17 against Hadleigh 2s and the YM third team once again punching far above their weight by only just losing out to Haverhill 2s (31-29).