CLACTON 34

CANVEY ISLAND 32

Essex League division one

WARM, dry conditions and a strong cross-field sea breeze set the scene for the opening fixture of the 2016/17 season at Clacton.

The home side had enjoyed a good pre-season and were well prepared for this early encounter.

It started well for them and, after a period of pressure, Canvey kicked loosely for touch.

The ball was fielded by Simon Anderson at full counter attach speed.

After making ground, the ball was passed inside to Lee Amman, then on to Richard Brannan, before coming back to him for the opening try.

Elliott Shuttleworth narrowly missed the conversion.

The visitors rallied and scored two tries in quick succession, converting one, to lead 10-5.

They added a well-struck penalty, extending their lead to eight points.

Clacton’s strongest period followed and intense pressure saw them score three converted tries.

The first, a tap penalty from Dan Wigfall, saw Amman score and then another quick tap led to Jake Buxey scoring the second.

The third came from more try line pressure, when Brannan charged down a clearance kick, calmly collecting and touching down under the posts.

A quick look at the scoreboard saw that Clacton had rattled up a strong 26-13 lead.

The Islanders rallied and, after a period of strong pressure, scored a converted try for a half-time score of 26-20.

The visitors carried the momentum into the second half and dominated the possession.

The next half hour saw them claim two further tries, converting one, reclaiming the lead at 32-26.

Clacton came back and started going through phases.

While playing an advantage, Shuttleworth released a speculative cross-field kick.

Opportunist Darren Garrod raced through and beat his opposite wing to the ball.

One point behind, Shuttleworth narrowly missed the conversion, leaving Canvey with the smallest of leads.

From the restart, and with time running out, Clacton pressed again.

After a controlled period of play, they were awarded a penalty, calmly slotted home by Shuttleworth for a two-point lead. Some Canvey dissent saw the referee award Clacton a penalty restart.

Shuttleworth decided to go for the posts from the halfway line but narrowly missed the target.

Canvey had time to restart with a drop out but Clacton resolve saw them hold out for a hard-fought 34-32 win.