Rugby Report: March Bears - Mersea Island on Saturday, September 7. 

Final Score: March Bears 9  - Mersea Island 24.

March Bears faced up to their first match in the higher Counties 2 Eastern Counties league on Saturday after their undefeated season in 2023/24 which saw them gaining a well deserved promotion.

This, however,  was to prove a game with little given by either side, and for the Bears it was a huge test against a well drilled, experienced and sometimes cynical side from Mersea Island.

With 29 penalties against Mersea, the question is, why it took until the 75th minute for any Mersea player to see yellow

However, the game saw an immediate penalty against the Bears  in four minutes which saw them go down 0 v 3 but they levelled scores in eight minutes with a penalty of their own from Sam Howat

Another penalty gifted a second  score to Mersea in 20 minutes but again a few minutes later Sam Howat belted a penalty over from distance which evened up the scores again.

Mersea continued to tick up the penalty count against them and two attempts by March were missed.

Then incredibly, despite the penalty count the other way, Scott Conway was given a technical yellow card for March in the 38th minute and within a minute from the ensuing ruck, Mersea collected a push over try in the corner.

This was followed up by a very good conversion from the touch line and this saw the sides turn round at half time with Mersea holding a 6 v 13 lead.

For the first 20 minutes of the second half,  the score stood still until the 60th minute when Sam Howat kicked his third penalty of the day for March now within  within a one try margin at 9 v 13.

However the physical nature of the game then saw March suffer several injuries to key players  with Ciaran Brown, Bryn Pughsley then nearer the end Harvey Brown all having to leave the field of play.

In the next 10 minutes, March were twice frustrated on the try-line, but instead, in the 68th minute Mersea managed another try from an organised eight man maul on the line taking the score out to 9 v 18 .

Then two further late penalties were scored by the away side saw the final score go out to 9 v 24 which more than flattered the away team.

Although this was a loss for March for the first time in over a year, it proved to a be a great test for this young team, and hopefully one from which lessons have been  learnt going forward at this far higher level.