Ely Tigers brought their 2024/25 season to a close with a trip to Diss – already relegated but still determined to finish on a high. A win would’ve seen Tigers secure a top-half finish, but it wasn’t to be, as a late try gave the home side a 24–18 victory.
Diss made a quick start, scoring a converted try within the first four minutes. Tigers, still seemingly on the bus, struggled to settle into the game and were plagued by early errors.
Twenty minutes in, Ely finally found a breakthrough. Moving the ball from right to left, they created space for Jordan Barnes to go over in the corner. The conversion was missed, and almost immediately from the restart, missed tackles proved costly as Diss slipped through for another converted try under the posts.
Diss stretched their lead further with a long-range penalty from halfway, taking the score to 17–5. Just before the break, Ely won a penalty directly in front of the posts and opted to kick for points – but the attempt drifted wide.
The second half saw Tigers return with more intent and energy. A lineout deep in the Diss half led to a well-finished try by John Surbey in the corner. The conversion was missed, keeping the score at 17–10. Diss had a chance to respond with a penalty of their own but pushed it wide.
A yellow card for Diss gave Ely a boost, and they took the points from another penalty – this time the ball bounced off the upright and dropped over, closing the gap to 17–13.
Momentum swung again when Adam Tallack broke the line and sent the ball wide to Surbey, who went over for his second try of the afternoon, giving Ely an 18–17 lead.
With just minutes remaining, Tigers needed to manage the game and hold on. But a late handling error gave Diss one more chance, and they made it count – scoring a try and nailing the conversion to win 24–18.
The result leaves Ely Tigers 8th in the table on 51 points. A strong season with plenty of positives to take forward.
Photo caption: Try scorer John Surbey in action for Ely Tigers.
