Harlow 18 Norwich 24.
(Basildon Bond Eastern Counties Cup Semi Final).
Harlow dominated this cup-tie but it was Norwich who claimed their place in the final thanks to a late burst of scoring.
Despite the disappointment of the result, Harlow put on one of their best displays of the season, attacking strongly from the kick-off and opening the scoring with a penalty from Guthrie.
Their tackling in the first half was strong and they neutralised the Norwich attack.
Harlow extended their lead when Keith Handscombe intercepted a Norwich pass and sprinted 70 yards to score under the posts. Guthrie again converted and added a penalty to make it 13-0 at the break.
Norwich weathered more Harlow pressure early in the second half, but gradually fought their way back into the game.
Two converted tries gave them a one-point advantage before Harlow retook the lead with an individual effort from Handscombe, who picked up a loose ball on the halfway line, fly hacked up field and again out-sprinted the defence for his second try.
This wasnt enough to outscore Norwich though, who clinched their win with a converted try and a penalty. Harlow attempted another comeback but in the end had nothing to show for a battling performance.
The Rams now visit neighbours Cheshunt on Saturday to play their postponed league match, before their final game of the season against Ruislip on May 2.
Harlows junior section were also in action over the weekend. The Colts went out in the semi-finals of the Essex sevens on Sunday, losing 24-7 to local rivals Woodford after beating Barking B 29-5 in the quarter finals.
Harlow U16 lost 7-25 to Chelmsford, The U17 side went down to Southend 42-14, and the U14 lost 10-24 to Dunstablians. There was also defeat for the U13 side, who were defeated 32-7 by Sudbury. Six young Harlow players featured in an Essex U16 Development Squad game against a Swedish team on Wednesday.
The Essex team was victorious by 27-25, and included Harlow U16 skipper Scott Padbury, flanker Stuart Ford, hooker Matt Parsons, prop Adam Davis, winger Darren Dunn and centre Shaun Howarth.
All the boys have been invited to attend the Eastern Counties Festival on May 2. Essex will play against teams from Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, and an Eastern Counties Development Squad will be selected from the participating teams.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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