Bury St Edmunds:
Reed, Earnshaw, Johnson, Kharbouch, Loose, Penfold, Metcalfe, Robinson, Carmichael, Cooper, Grigg-Pettitt, Kelland, Andrews, Guy, Williams.
Subs: McCartney, Stone, Donovan, Lavin, McPhun.

Old Albanians:
Noot, Bridger, Jones, Lound, Nurse, Dalrymple, Thomas, Harris, Fleckney, Holland, Gibbs, Kingswell-Watts, West, Alexander, Ponsford.
Subs: Ramzanpour, Samuel, Radovanovic, Walsh, Ajeigbe.

Referee: Jack Sutton
Star Player: Patrick Robinson (Bury St Edmunds)
Attendance: 397

Scorers:
Bury St Edmunds:
Tries: Kharbouch (19), Penfold (28), Robinson (76).
Conversions: Reed (20, 29, 77).
Penalty: Reed (50).

Old Albanians:
Tries: Nurse (9), Noot (23, 59).
Conversion: Jones (10).
Penalty: Jones (16).
This match marked the halfway point of the season, with both teams struggling for consistency and finding themselves in the lower half of the league. A lack of confidence was evident throughout, as the players appeared nervous, tense, and wary of losing. This unfortunately led to a performance lacking in quality for long periods, punctuated by numerous errors.

Old Albanians (OA’s) opened the scoring after a period of sustained pressure, with Andrew Nurse crossing the line following a scything run. Sam Jones added the conversion.
Bury 0–7 OA’s

Another spell of OA’s pressure resulted in a penalty, which Jones duly converted.
Bury 0–10 OA’s

Bury began to make inroads midway through the first half. From a maul, the ball was played wide, allowing Samir Kharbouch to finish powerfully. Charlie Reed converted.
Bury 7–10 OA’s

Just before half-time, a long-range penalty attempt by Sam Jones fell short. The resultant clearance kick found its way to the electric Alex Noot, who sped in unopposed to score. The conversion was missed.
Bury 7–15 OA’s

Bury responded with a rare visit to OA’s 22. A penalty gave them the opportunity to set up a scrum, and Ben Penfold crashed over from solid set-piece play. Reed added the extras.
Bury 14–15 OA’s

A scrappy and nervous passage of play brought the first half to an end.
Half-Time: Bury 14–15 OA’s

The second half began with neither side able to find much rhythm, as unforced errors disrupted the flow of the game. Bury struggled to build momentum, while OA’s opted to kick in behind the defence, forcing Bury to turn and defend. A penalty earned by Bury in a rare attacking highlight was converted by Reed.
Bury 17–15 OA’s

However, a momentary lapse in discipline saw referee Jack Sutton issue a yellow card to a Bury player, raising concerns among the home crowd. OA’s capitalised, with a well-timed kick enabling Noot to score his second try. The conversion was missed.
Bury 17–20 OA’s

As the match progressed and Bury returned to full strength, their scrum began to dominate. Scrum penalties allowed them to gain territory, and from a solid platform, Patrick Robinson crashed over for a crucial front-row try. Reed converted to restore Bury’s lead.
Bury 24–20 OA’s

In the closing stages, OA’s mounted sustained pressure, aided by Bury’s usual string of penalties. A superb opportunity arose with a lineout on Bury’s 5m line, but the throw was ruled not straight. Bury elected to scrum, executed cleanly, and kicked the ball dead to secure a much-needed victory.

Post-Match Reactions:
Bury’s Director of Rugby, Jacob Ford, identified the scrum as the decisive factor in securing the narrow win. He praised loosehead prop and man of the match Patrick Robinson for his heroic efforts. Ford expressed relief at winning the last home game of the first half of the season, acknowledging the performance was far from perfect but emphasising the importance of the result.

For OA’s, this will feel like a match that got away. Despite securing a bonus point, they will rue their missed opportunities, particularly the crucial lost lineout at the end.