Diss 3s 27 : 10 UEA - 30th January 2016

The UEA travelled to Diss on the back of a heavy defeat from North Walsham and had stuttered in their efforts to pull away at the top of the league. With many players unavailable, through the skiing season and injuries, Diss thirds looked rather unfamiliar from the modern day side and more of a team from 1998. Andrew Thorpe made an appearance along with Seb Goodge and Dave Horne returned to help out also after frantic phone calls from Benny Goodman lasting well into the early hours of Friday and Saturday. James Winterbottom made a welcome phone call and Will Foote made a return to the side and at the final count most of the side had a tremendous amount of first team experience but were the wrong side of forty. Diss began at a high tempo and soon got on the score sheet after good scrummaging put the backs into space and after passes out wide Thorpe scored. Diss continued on the front foot, Mike Jones made a break and after good lineout ball Diss managed to score again out wide on the left after Charlie Oakes made a break and got through and scored. UEA returned with the most fearsome attacks and were lucky not to score out wide when a pass went astray. Jo Kindly Sides by now had a tackle count well into double figures and with Mike Jones kept the students at bay. Will Foote by now had scars over his face to show what he had been doing and by now the students deserved a try but it never came. Just before half time Diss again scored out left after a Thorpe kick had put a lineout in the students twenty two and after a few phases Will Appleton drove over the line to score. Half time 15-0 to Diss. The students came back into the game and managed to score after pressure on the Diss line and eventually tackles were missed and the students scored to make the game interesting. Diss returned and managed to get some ball out wide to Ben Brooks and eventually Jay KindlySides at scrum half found space to score. The students came back and never stopped attacking and scored again to set up a close final twenty minutes. With the scrums working well and the students tiring of playing veterans rugby Diss again managed to score through Jo Point break KindlySides after the Diss pack had put massive pressure on the UEA scrum. The students kept attacking and with Seb Goodge coming on to calm the situation down Diss managed to hold on to the bonus point win and continue to stay top of Easter Counties Three North.