Starting XV: Hall; Affleck, Loose, Kharbouch, Earnshaw; Penfold, Metcalfe; Robinson, McCartney, Mitchell, Harrison, Kelland, Grigg-Pettitt ©, Guy, Williams

Replacements: Stone, Donovan, Russell, Sams, Rees

Guernsey Raiders

Starting XV: Roberts; Armstrong, C McGann, Dawe, Smith; Simmonds, S Boyland; Dunn, Le Noury, Dromantas, Hackett, Webb, Welch, Creber, Poullet ©

Not used: Bray, Batiste, Davies, B Boyland, N McGann

Referee: Harry Parsons (RFU)
Attendance: 473
Half-time: 17-07 (to Bury St Edmunds)
Star man: Calvin Mitchell (Bury St Edmunds)

Scorers

Bury St Edmunds

Tries: Metcalfe 7, Earnshaw 14, Robinson 32, Kharbouch 47, Williams 73
Conversions: Penfold 8, Hall 48
Penalties: Hall 78

Guernsey Raiders

Tries: Smith 9, N McGann 52, Creber 67, B Boyland 75
Conversions: C McGann 10
Penalties: C McGann 59

Match Report

Fantastic five as the Bury boys get back to winning ways

CHEERS of ‘Bury boys’ echoed from the Haberden ground’s main grandstand as No.8 Ruaraidh Williams scored the home-side’s fifth try to win a titanic tussle against Guernsey Raiders.

A dominant forward pack with a clear set-piece advantage laid the platform as Bury St Edmunds earned their first home win since before Christmas to reignite their ambitions of finishing in the top five this season.

Jacob Ford, Bury St Edmunds director of rugby, said: “This is the big result we needed and I’m pleased with the character and resilience we showed at the end to seal the win.

“We’ve been in a winning position in eight games but lost it in the last play so it was about time we came out on the right side because we could easily have fallen into the same trap as previously.

“Calvin Mitchell, Paddy Robinson and Ruaraidh were big for us today. All our forwards were brilliant, 100 per cent at the line-out, didn’t concede a maul try, scored one ourselves and very dominant in the scrum against one of the league’s biggest packs. So that was a big pillar for our success and hopefully it’ll give us the momentum we need to break into the top five over our final six games.”

With the sun beaming down in East Anglia and the pitch in near perfect condition, it was end-to-end from Bury St Edmunds’ kick-off and on the seventh minute a turnover deep in their own half led to Bury wing Alex Earnshaw flicking dust as he skirted three defenders to set-up No.9 Will Metcalfe who scored by the left post.

Guernsey targeted the restart shrewdly, blindside flanker Liam Welch turning over the ball and setting up Ethan Smith to score in front of the grandstand.

The Suffolk side won several penalties and from a right-hand side lineout the backs worked the ball left to Earnshaw who skirted around Guernsey fly-half Charlie Simmons to slide over in the corner.

The match became stop-start until the home-side won a Guernsey scrum and kicked to touch. The line-out driving maul was held up but Patrick Robinson muscled over from a quick restart just after the half-hour.

Guernsey was camped in Bury territory for ten minutes before half-time, and in the opening exchanges of the second-half but couldn’t score.

As soon a Bury St Edmunds got back into Raiders’ half they looked dangerous, and after a line-out driving maul in front of the main stand was halted, a Metcalfe tap-and-go led to inside-centre Samir Kharbouch dashing over on the left for the home-side’s try bonus point.

Several replacement changes on the 50th minute re-ignited the islanders, who won a scrum penalty and a line-out five metres from Bury’s try line on the left led to a maul and several quick cross-field passes finished off by replacement wing Niall McGann in the right corner with his first touch of the ball.

Ciaran McGann’s conversion rebounded off the post, but the outside-centre kicked a penalty just before the hour-mark before the visitors openside Matt Creber muscled over on the short-side of a line-out move to score in the right corner, narrowing the game to 24-20.

From the restart Bury’s forwards won the collisions, and after shoving the visitors back and winning a penalty at a Guernsey scrum, a line-out from ten metres out on the right rumbled over with Williams’ dotting down at the back of the driving maul and the crowd cheering “Bury boys”.

That try proved decisive for Bury’s victory, and despite Guernsey young debutant Blake Boyland’s scoring a late try on the right from a smart bit of deceptive handling play by Charlie Simmons, it could only ensure two bonus points for Guernsey.

In the final minutes another penalty against the islanders for not rolling away saw Bury fullback Callum Hall kick a penalty off the tee sweetly through the sticks to add the icing on the cake for the home-side’s victory.

The win lifts Bury St Edmunds above Guernsey to eighth in the National 2 East table on 55 points.

Guernsey coach Jordan Reynolds said: “Despite the loss I’m really encouraged. Our guys picked themselves up from the narrow loss to Colchester last week and played well. We controlled territory and possession really well at times but two slips in the midfield that led to two of Bury’s tries were the only difference in the game.”

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Stats:

Bury St Edmunds:

Penalties conceded: 9
Line-outs won: 14
Line-outs lost: 0
Scrums won: 5
Scrums lost: 4
Sin-bins: 0
Red cards: 0

Guernsey:

Penalties conceded: 12
Line-outs won: 8
Line-outs lost: 2
Scrums won: 3
Scrums lost: 1
Sin-bins: 0
Red cards: 0