NC East 1 Chelmsford Bluebirds 7 Harwich & Dovercourt 12 Chelmsford Bluebirds faced Harwich & Dovercourt at home for the second time this season, writes Annie Coulson.

East Anglian Daily Times: A Chelmsford runner looks for a gap in the Harwich defence. Picture: CHELMSFORD RCA Chelmsford runner looks for a gap in the Harwich defence. Picture: CHELMSFORD RC (Image: Archant)

Having rescheduled the match once before, due to snow, Chelmsford were uncertain as to whether the game would go ahead.

And the cold temperatures and hard ground made for several injuries and stilted play.

The game started strong with the Bluebirds switching on from the off and showing a drastic improvement in their attacking play. The conditions were windy and Chelmsford kept the ball in hand, driving the ball up the pitch and drawing in the opposition. But Harwich & Dovercourt are top of the table for a reason and the first half saw 15 minutes of fierce grappling in the centre of the pitch.

Both teams fought hard and play became messy with scrum after scrum frustrating both teams. With five minutes to go till half-time, Vicky Grainger managed to drive over the try line after several minutes of strong defence from Harwich.

Despite strong winds, Nicola Lopez converted the try with ease and the score at half-time was 7-0.

Unfortunately, despite having the incline in their favour, the Bluebirds flagged in the second half and found themselves on the defensive.

A change in the opposition’s front row strengthened their scrum and it was not long before Harwich found an overlap and levelled the score.

The Bluebirds held off Harwich for the majority of the rest of the second half, determined to come away with at least a draw. Harwich did make some gains but each gain seemed to result in a whistle blow and this bolstered the Chelmsford spirit.

But with two minutes left to go Harwich showed the kind of skill that’s expected in a team that has remained top of the table throughout the season as they grabbed the winning try.