Bury St Edmunds 31–26 Birmingham Moseley

Half-time: Bury St Edmunds 14–14 Birmingham Moseley
Full-time: Bury St Edmunds 31–26 Birmingham Moseley
Star Man: Clarke Macfarlane
Attendance: 617
Referee: Jack Sargentina

Match Report

An entertaining, enthralling and closely contested match was decided with the final play at the Greene King IPA Haberden, as Bury St Edmunds secured a dramatic victory over Birmingham Moseley.

The visitors' powerful pack made early inroads into the Bury defence, with Ben Pogson rolling off a maul to score the opening try. Zac Jones added the conversion.

Bury responded with finesse, as George Loose showed his pace to race away for the hosts' first try, with Ben Penfold converting to bring the scores level.

Morgan Dawes restored Moseley's lead straight from the restart with a strong finish, Jones again adding the extras.

Speedster Tim Andrew drew Bury level with a clinical finish following some excellent work from Samir Kharbouch. Penfold converted.

Bury St Edmunds 14–14 Birmingham Moseley

The remainder of the half saw Moseley continue to use their sizeable pack to test the Bury defence, while the hosts were always looking for opportunities to gain the upper hand. Neither side could find a breakthrough before the interval.

Half-time: Bury St Edmunds 14–14 Birmingham Moseley

Bury flew out of the blocks in the second half and took the lead when Ruaraidh Williams crashed over following several phases of sustained attacking pressure. Penfold converted.

The hosts maintained their momentum and were rewarded when Matt Hicks powered over from a catch and drive to extend Bury's advantage.

Bury St Edmunds 26–14 Birmingham Moseley

Just when it looked as though Bury might pull away, a series of unforced errors gifted Moseley opportunities, which the visitors seized with relish.

First, Fred Ma'a smashed his way over following several punishing carries, with the conversion reducing the deficit.

Then, in the closing minutes, George Perry followed suit, crossing the line to bring Moseley level and set up a dramatic finish.

Bury St Edmunds 26–26 Birmingham Moseley

With the scores tied and time running out, Bury strained every muscle in search of a winning score.

A Moseley knock-on handed the hosts a scrum and one final opportunity. Tim Andrew carried hard before Samir Kharbouch found the space to force his way over, much to the delight of the home crowd.

The dramatic final-play try sealed a hard-fought victory for the Wolfpack and sparked celebrations around the Haberden.

Full-time: Bury St Edmunds 31–26 Birmingham Moseley

Bury DoR James Shanahan singled out Clarke Macfarlane for his outstanding contribution, praising his efforts not only in attack but also under the high ball, where he proved imperious throughout the contest.

Teams

Bury St Edmunds: Loose, Macfarlane, Hema, Kharbouch, Andrew, Penfold, Goode, Robinson, Hicks, Cilia, Sams, Grigg-Pettitt, Riches, Ashdown, Williams.

Replacements: F. Jones, Cooper, Sloot, Tamani, Bedford.

Birmingham Moseley: Condliffe, Nevitt, Ingram, Creed, Peppitt, Z. Jones, Gipson, Barwodd, Pogson, Perry, Allen, Smith, Wrottesley, Dawes, Yallop.

Replacements: Randall, Ma'a, Greaves, Owen, Read.

Scorers

Bury St Edmunds
Tries: Loose (11), Andrew (28), Williams (43), Hicks (68), Kharbouch (80)
Conversions: Penfold (12, 29, 44)

Birmingham Moseley
Tries: Pogson (4), Dawes (13), Ma'a (73), Perry (77)
Conversions: Jones (5, 14), Read (74, 78)

Photo Credit: BeanstalkMedia

Full Match Gallery From Beanstalk Media available here.