Match Report (archived)
Match reports 2005/6: 1st XV | Stacks | Gnus
1st Team Match Report - 4th March 2006
Score: 25 - 6
League leaders Upminster travelled to Canvey this week bringing their 100% unbeaten record with them. However this Canvey side still boasted the best defensive record in the league, and have been unbeaten at home now for 2 years. A large crowd were in attendance to witness the top two in Essex 1 go at it.
A fired up Canvey side attacked Upminster immediately from the off. The Canvey forwards hit the larger visiting pack hard, and drove them back deep into their own half. The Islanders maintained their forward dominance for the early period of the game, and Upminster looked shell shocked as Canvey continued to up the intensity. With the visitors on the back foot, Canvey unleashed their backs. Fullback Dave Dennis hit the line at pace, he drew in Upminster's outside centre and passed on to Canvey centre Alex Breading who hit the long pass out to winger Jay Bedford, beating his opposite number and shrugging off the covering back row forward to score in the corner.
Upminster came back from the re-start and attacked strongly, in a passage of play that resulted in a penalty for them in front of the posts. The kick was duly converted into 3pts. The Islanders viewed this as just a mere inconvenience, and went straight back again on the rampage, resulting in a penalty of their own. Brett Smith kicked successfully, applying more pressure on the league leaders.
The Islanders forwards began again, with some excellent rolling mauls. The work rate from 1 through to 8 was unbelievable, and Upminster again had no option but to back pedal. 5m out from Upminster's try line there was no way Canvey's backs were ever going to get the ball. Canvey's big guns Jamie Saunders and Martin Ewins charged the ball on, resulting in yet another try for No.8 Ewins.
Upminster now realised they were in a game, and would have to do something to stop the onslaught. They attacked strongly, showing the home side just why they were the league leaders. However in response Canvey lead by Man of the Match, No.10 John Breading showed Upminster, with an awesome display of tackling, just why they have the best defence in the league. Canvey tackled everything that moved, continuously shutting the door in the visitors faces. At half time the score read 13 vs. 3 to the Islanders.
After the half time interval and spurred on by a passionate home crowd, the Islanders mounted another surge forward. Yet again there was no answer to Canvey's excellent forward play, and it was their hard graft that resulted in an excellent team try. With Upminster pinned back on their 22m line, the backs were provided with some good clean quick ball. Fly Half John Breading executed a dummy scissors with his inside centre Kevin Cooper, drawing Upminster's backline across. Breading then popped a perfectly weighted pass to the on rushing outside centre Alex Breading, who picked a beautiful line punching through the centres before side stepping two defenders to finish off the move in style.
Canvey were rampant! Smith converted and the Islanders looked hungry for more. Upminster started to look dejected. Canvey with ball in hand looked impressive, and were making the opposition look very ordinary. Canvey continued to shift the visitors around the park, with their forwards looking just as comfortable as the backs with the ball. This proved to be the case, when flanker Brett Smith attacked the backline, drawing his man in before off loading to prop Jamie Saunders who engaged in a David vs. Goliath battle with the visitors winger. However unlike the fable, Goliath was victorious on this occasion with Saunders claiming Canvey's fourth try of the game.
Credit to the away side, they didn't turn over and came back with another 3pts from a penalty. Spurred on by this they went on a late attacking surge. But just as before Canvey's defence was astounding, with yet again No.10 John Breading standing out, tackling relentlessly.
The final score was 25 vs. 6 and Upminster suffered their first defeat of the season. Canvey now sit just 2pts behind them in the league as the promotion race into the London leagues hots up.
Man of the match: John Breading
