West Norfolk began their 2025/26 Eastern Counties Division One campaign with a hard-fought 19-17 victory at Ely Tigers.
The Gatehouse Lane outfit turned the tables on a side that had thrashed them 58–0 the last time the two clubs met.
Head coach Jamie Williamson praised the character of his squad after they overturned that painful memory with a display full of promise.
“We’ve worked hard all off-season to build on what we achieved last year,” Williamson said.
“You have a plan, but you never really know how things will come together on game day.
“There are still areas we need to improve, and I feel we have more gears in attack, but Ely isn’t an easy place to play, especially on the first weekend of the season.
“To come away with a win is really pleasing, and it gives us a strong platform to build on.”
That platform was built on a blend of returning experience and new blood.
Key men James Dobler, Jack Trundley and George Lemon all made long-awaited comebacks from injury, while fresh recruits Jeremy Darley, Angus Flint and Frazer Brown were handed debuts – and all made telling contributions.
The game began with Ely applying relentless pressure, eventually breaking through when their scrum-half darted over for the opening score.
But West hit back immediately. New signing Brown showed sharp instincts, intercepting a loose pass on halfway, kicking ahead and winning the foot race to touch down.
Their second try showcased the impact of the summer recruits.
Darley bulldozed through tackles before Flint pierced the line and slipped a clever offload to skipper Jack Wicks, who dotted down beneath the posts.
Ely, however, remained stubborn opponents.
A surging solo run from their second row levelled the contest once more as the teams turned around with little between them.
The second half turned into an arm-wrestle, dominated by set-piece exchanges and tactical kicking.
The decisive moment arrived late on, when vice-captain JJ Hart pounced on a fumbled lineout to spark an attack.
Carries from Conor Clarke and makeshift centre Lewis Rudd pushed Ely back before fly-half Trundley produced a moment of brilliance, stepping through traffic to score what proved the match-winning try.
Though Ely threatened again in the closing stages, West’s defence -marshalled by the tireless Lemon – held firm.
Fittingly, the returning flanker was named Man of the Match for his industry and leadership across the park.
The narrow victory may not have carried the same emphatic scoreline as Ely’s win two seasons ago, but for West Norfolk it proved that their new-look side can compete at the sharp end of the division.
