Saturday 26 September 2009
Southern Counties South
Minety pay for slow start
Wimborne 1st XV 41pts – Minety 1st XV 13pts
Although they competed well in the second half, Minety made a slow start away against Wimborne and were duly punished by the well-drilled home side.
On an unseasonably warm afternoon, the Minety pack initially struggled in the set pieces. For the first 40 minutes, the Wimborne forwards outscrummaged them and dominated the lineouts.
Three penalty goals from the boot of Jack Ward kept the visitors in the game but they never looked like scoring a try. In contrast, the home threequarters ran and passed fluidly, tackling their opponents solidly and putting them down every time. This last feat seemed to elude the Minety defence, however, and Wimborne soon established a healthy lead.
Although it was a different story after the break, with the Minety pack getting back into contention and their threequarters running and tackling more effectively, the damage had already been done.
Minety’s try was set up by a break from centre Dave Church, who had an excellent game. Brought down, he made the ball available, and his supporting forwards quickly rucked it back. Winger Will Howse latched onto the subsequent pass, crashing over in the corner for Minety’s first try of the season.
Commenting on his team’s performance, Minety skipper Craig Smith commented afterwards, “We still look a bit rusty, but that was a big improvement over last week.”
This Saturday, Minety play at home against North Dorset.