Minety 1st XV v Pewsey Vale 1st XV

Dorset & Wilts Division 1 North

Minety’s New Year “nearly”

Minety 1st XV 24 pts – Pewsey Vale 1st XV 29 pts

Pewsey Vale came from behind with a late try to steal victory from Minety in a closely fought encounter.

After several weeks’ layoff, both sides looked a little rusty but Pewsey Vale’s passing and support play were better than Minety’s. For their part, the home team looked more composed than in their last few games, but were repeatedly let down by poor tackling and some bad decision making. Frustratingly, they also lost three more players to injury during the game. Robin Greenway left the field with a groin strain, Ben Parfitt dislocated his shoulder and Ben Scott needed attention after he was knocked out.

Playing down the hill, Minety took the lead early in the second half thanks to a storming try from lock Matt Hooper.

For a long while after that, Pewsey hogged possession, and though their hosts on occasion tried to clear their lines with long kicks downfield, the visitors kept on running the ball back. Passing well despite the chilly conditions, Pewsey worked a gap and Haynes burst through for a try just to the left of the posts, regaining the lead for his side and then extending it with a well struck conversion.

That tied the game, but Edwards’ confident conversion gave the hosts a narrow two-point lead. With the clock ticking down, Minety seemed to have done enough, but Pewsey stuck to what they were best at, running and passing the ball. Beating a series of soft tackles, Williams scampered over for his third try of the game before Haynes capped the victory with a final conversion.

Minety had to be content with two bonus points, one for scoring four tries and another for losing by seven points or fewer. Next Saturday, they play away against Fairford.