Saturday 8 December 2012
Dorset & Wilts Division 1 North
Pewsey finish the stronger
Minety 1st XV 22pts – Pewsey Vale 1st XV 31pts
Minety established a lead with a sterling first half performance but couldn’t hold the line as Pewsey Vale came back strongly in the second half.
Pewsey Vale had the larger pack and frequently rocked the home team back at set pieces, but Minety kept their shape and secured sufficient quick heels to feed their hungry threequarters. Tackling and spoiling well, Minety thwarted the visitors’ attacking and efforts and, after 25 minutes, were camped inside their opponents’ 22. Held up the first time they crossed the line, Minety maintained pressure and when inside centre Dave Church took ball 15 metres from the line, he wriggled out of two tackles and barged over for a try.
Skipper Tom Fitzcharles kicked the conversion and was soon in action again as flyhalf Dale Langdown made a storming run down the left touchline. Tackled 10 metres short, he slipped the ball to Fiztcharles, who sprinted over the line before running infield to make his own kick easier with a try under the posts.
Pewsey responded with an attacking period of play that eventually saw them awarded a penalty close to the Minety line. Quick ruck ball soon allowed scrumhalf Tom Haynes to get on the score sheet, dodging through tackles for a try.
Undaunted, the hosts got back into Pewsey’s 22. When Fitzcharles was tackled after breaking from the back of a scrum, for a moment the ball went loose. Langdown was onto it like a shot, hacking on and beating all comers in the follow-up race. His try made it 19-5 at the break.
Pewsey nearly scored immediately after the restart but the ball carrier knocked on as he crossed the line.
Coming down the slope, the visitors continued to attack. Minety mounted a well organised defence and for a long time held them out. Even when the home team had a player yellow carded for handling in the ruck, they continued to defend, but eventually the pressure and the man advantage told and flyhalf Joe Tavaga motored through for a try.
James Haynes kicked the goal to make it 19-12, but the home side dug in and looked as if they would prevent further scores until an injudicious kick ahead gifted the visitors with vital possession in broken play. Setting up an overlap, Pewsey streamed back down the slope and outside centre Tyson Lewis ran in the try.
At 19-17, Minety were still ahead, but another clearance kick returned possession to the visitors and once more Ty Lewis was on hand to finish the job. Haynes added the conversion, and although Fitzcharles kicked a penalty for Minety to close the gap, Pewsey finished the stronger of the two sides, emphasising their advantage with a final try from flanker Chris Spence which Haynes converted.