Minety 1st XV v Cricklade

Dorset & Wilts Division 1 North

Minety let loose

Minety 1st XV 41 pts – Cricklade 5 pts

Cricklade competed well up front but had no answer to the pace of Minety’s threequarters.

The visitors started well. Scrummaging powerfully and looking determined in the loose, they won more than their fair share of possession and ran positively whenever they had the chance.

A suspicion that Cricklade lacked pace was belied by their immediate response to this setback. In no time at all, they were back on Minety’s 22, whisking the ball down their threequarter line. Pete Clements got his hands on it, beat his tackler and sped in for a try which put the sides back on equal terms.

But that was it. For the rest of the game, although their pack won a fair share of the ball, Cricklade were not able to do anything with it. Tackling with firm intent, the outstanding Minety back row of David Hazell, Kuldeep Singh and Olivier Brassatt mopped up all their opponents’ efforts close to the scrum while, out wide, the Minety threequarters held a firm line that Cricklade could not breach.

Dowling soon added a second try in the corner, and then flyhalf Tom Fitzcharles put in an impressive 70 metre dash to score a spectacular try up the slope, Dowling’s successful goal kick making it 17-5 at the break.

It was Dowling who got the scoreboard going in the second half too, running in a try to complete his hat-trick after Minety fullback Reuben Saunders had burst into the threequarter line to make the extra man.

Saunders himself ran in the next try, scooting 60 metres downhill to score.

Barstow’s conversion of his own try made it a convincing 41-5 to Minety at the final whistle.

This Saturday, Minety host Avonvale.