Both Minety teams are in action at Minety Fields this Saturday (5th November), looking to build upon excellent results last week, where both picked up bonus point winning wins on the road.
Andrew Hibbard leads his 1st XV into action against table topping Corsham at 2.30pm on Saturday and is under no illusions about the size of the challenge ahead of his team. Corsham sit at the top of the table having won all 6 league matches this season, only missing out on a Try Bonus point in one of them. In total they have accrued 281 points on the field whilst conceding just 32. That gives them a frightening average score of 46 points per match. Their impressive run of scores started at Devizes with a 53-7 win and was followed by wins against Supermarine (43-12), Swindon (41-5), Pewsey Vale (22-5), Frome (64-0) and Chippenham (55-3). Minety will still be smarting from the drubbing that Corsham dealt out last season in a top of the table clash at Corsham.
The Dorset and Wilts Division 1 North table still shows Minety in 6th place but the missing bonus point (see the Harry Potter story for more) gained at Devizes last week has still not been added. When it is Minety will leapfrog Pewsey Vale on points difference and move up into 5th place.
Matt Stone’s 2nd XV face up to Supermarine II at Minety Fields on Saturday, again kicking off at 2.30pm. The 2nd XV are also incorrectly represented in the league table. Last week’s comprehensive win at Melksham was incorrectly reported in as a home win, thus denying Minety the two league points for their win and an additional bonus point for scoring four of more tries. When the table is corrected the 2nds will move up to 5th place.
Their opponents, Supermarine, languish in 10th place with just one victory from their league programme but will be sure to be doughty opposition in what is traditionally a close encounter.