Before the game Rochford had to sit and watch Chelmsford win their Semi. Gary was undecided about how this would effect his men! It was one of those games which went against us. Chelmsford went into the game more or less straight after there semi win and they were still in good form and Rochford were exhausted.
Although Peter and Stuart warmed them up it wasn’t enough and what with George and Oliver 2 vital players not completely up to cup Final strength it was going to be tough and before we knew it Rochford were 3-0 down. We did have some chances but it was hard as Chelmsford were now dominating the game which took its toll on our men. We had some harsh decisions made against us like Jakes try which the ref denied because he said Jake put the ball down a little bit too hard. This dented our morale and the ref also disallowed 2 more try’s for no apparent reason which left Rochford deflated but then Speedy Joe gave ua a glimmer of hope scoring 2 fantastic try’s out of nowhere closing the gap. Rochford 2 Chelmsford 3 our supporters were ecstatic. But Chelmsford replied with 2 more try’s and then there coach started to waste time on the clock which was ever nearing the end by bringing on subs! Oliver did get one more try before Chelmsford got another and then the game finished. If the game had carried on Rochford would of eventually turned Chelmsford over. At the end of the day Rochfords young men were like warriors!
Overall despite losing the Final we were runners up and are now officially the second best team in Essex.
Gary should be well pleased and give himself a pat on the back having achieved so much in so little time. Quite frankly an amazing performance! Thanks to Peter and Stuart for all they did for the team and all who came to cheer our wonderful young men on also special thanks to Adam and Alfie who shared the Rochford love and passion with Thames. Extra special thanks to Alfie’s mum and dad and also adam’s dad for giving their undivided support.