Both teams, conscious of their respective positions, began the game cautiously. Each team used tactical kicking to gain a territorial advantage, with neither side able to release their fleet footed backs. However, with the wind in their faces, it was Norwich's scrambling defence that was most successful during the first 10 minutes. Stalemate The stalemate was broken in the 14th minute when Darren Messenger put Letchworth ahead with a simple penalty, but as the stalemate continued Norwich's Niall Hayton-Williams equalised after 21 minutes with a similar opportunity. Having spent the first 20 minutes on the defensive, Norwich started to open up and take the game into the Letchworth half, with young John Carpenter featuring prominently in the Norwich attack. But the respite was brief as Letchworth swept back into the visitors' half. This spelt disaster for the City side when the team went to sleep and failed to defend a home penalty allowing the league's top try scorer, Chris Bajak, to crash over in the corner to give the home side an advantage. This single act seemed to awaken the City side and they tore into the home half putting Letchworth under pressure. First, in a scintillating move, Tom Richards was home and dry only to be recalled for a forward pass. Secondly, in the next move, Richard Woolam's cheeky chip over the top put Richards in with a straight race for the line that he won with ease to bring Norwich level. Hayton-Williams' fine conversion from out wide then gave Norwich a slender two-point lead coming up to the half-time break. First yellow card Immediately from the restart, Norwich suffered a severe setback as Jon Bugg received a yellow card for what appeared to be an innocuous offence and the visitors were on the back foot for the remainder of the half. Indeed their plight may have been worse but for the endeavour of Woolam whose superb ankle tap on Bajak prevented a certain try. As the half-time whistle went, the difference was Messenger's penalty taken late in the half to give the home side a one-point lead. The second half was a complete reversal of the first as Norwich put Letchworth under pressure, but the match remained locked at 11-10. Second yellow card That was until Alan Turner received Norwich's second yellow card and 17-year-old James Tyrrell came on for Letchworth with a marked effect on the outcome. His foraging around the base of the scrum and clever distribution put the visitors on the back foot and for the first time in the game Norwich looked vulnerable. With minutes to go, Tyrrell scored a brilliant solo try when he chipped over the City defence to collect and score. Messenger's conversion put Norwich two scores behind and there was no way back for the City side. However, the team are happy to settle for fifth place in the league ahead of Sunday’s cup final. | 
