Ely Tigers were minutes away from another win but a late penalty gave Shelford a narrow 20-19 victory. The Tigers came into this one on the back of three straight wins and, for most of the match, looked set to extend that run. A couple of missed chances and a rising penalty count proved costly as Shelford edged ahead at the final whistle.
First Half: Trading Blows
Both teams started strong and the game stayed tight in the early stages. It took until the 18th minute for the first breakthrough when Shelford found space out wide and dived over for the opening try.
Ely hit back fast. Matt McCarthy broke through the defence to score and with his conversion sailing through the posts Ely took a 7-5 lead.
Shelford responded straight from the restart. An error handed them possession and they made no mistake. Try under the posts with the conversion added put them 12-7 ahead.
As halftime approached Ely struck again. McCarthy spotted a gap and slipped the ball to Jake Alsop who powered over the line. Rhys Williams Goldman stepped up and slotted the conversion to put Ely in front 14-12 at the break.
Second Half: Missed Chances and Big Calls
The second half followed the same pattern with both sides battling for every inch. Ely were the first to strike. Adam Tallack saw his chance broke through and dived over. The conversion attempt missed but Ely were 19-12 up.
Shelford responded with pressure inside Ely’s half. The penalty count started to climb against the Tigers and Declan Wolverson was shown a yellow card. Down to 14 men Ely defended hard but Shelford took advantage scoring a crucial try to close the gap to two points.
With five minutes left Ely had the chance to put the game to bed. A penalty just inside Shelford’s half. McCarthy struck it well but the ball dropped just short.
Shelford came forward one last time. They won a penalty right in front of the posts. The kicker made no mistake and the final whistle blew.
20-19. A tough one to take.
A Tough One to Take
Ely put in a huge shift and gave everything but it was not quite enough.
📸 Try Scorer: Jake Alsop
