Midsomer Norton Rugby Club's First team travelled to North Bristol on Saturday for the first time since 1994, looking to bounce back after a narrow loss last week. Unfortunately, their performance was well below par and this saw them slump to a heavy defeat.
Norton started brightly with centres, Alex Mitchard and Jack Rowles, slicing through the host's defence at will. From one such run, it was Mitchard who was able to carve through for the opening try after six minutes.
This proved to be one of the visitors' few bright moments though, as North Bristol hit back almost immediately to draw level. After that setback, Norton seemed to lose their way and rarely threatened again as the hosts dominated the game for long spells.
Every time Norton threatened to come back into the game, basic errors or poor decision-making enabled North Bristol to relieve the pressure. The hosts added a penalty and a further try before half-time, when Norton failed to collect a box-kick to take a deserved 15–5 lead into the break.
The second half didn't see any real improvement in the Norton performance, which allowed the hosts to comfortably ease to a convincing bonus point win.
Norton did manage a final rally, which gave some indication of their abilities, when a storming catch and drive from their own half saw David Sawkins go over for an excellent try, but it was little consolation for a lacklustre performance.
Norton will need to regroup this Saturday when they host Bristol Harlequins at Norton Down, kick-off at 3 p.m.