MIDSOMER NORTON 41 WESTON HORNETS 58

With rain pouring on Saturday morning, you’d be forgiven for thinking this Somerset Cup fixture between Midsomer Norton and Weston Hornets was destined to be a war of attrition in difficult conditions.

As it turned out, nothing could be further from the truth. The skies cleared and the tries flowed, with the large crowd being treated to thirteen touchdowns, 99 points and some quality rugby from both sides.

The junior section welcomed the teams on to the pitch with a guard of honour, followed by two minutes of silence that was impeccably observed by all.

The pattern of the game was established early, with both sides showing excellent continuity in possession and commitment in contact and the breakdown. Norton showed some superiority in the set-piece against the higher-league opposition, and were direct with ball-in-hand.

Hornets were exceptional with ball in-hand in the wider channels, especially from a set-piece where they turned scrappy balls into try scoring opportunities, running excellent lines, making great decisions and scoring clinical and entertaining tries.

The Norton try scorers were Joe Button (2 – of course!), Denning, Murphy, and Taylor, who also had another flawless kicking performance from the tee. This weekend, Norton welcome Avonmouth RFC to Norton Down on Saturday, 17th November, where the supporters will be expecting another full-blooded encounter.

Steve Blackmore