The Thirds ended the season with a hard-fought victory in sweltering conditions over near rivals Wells on Saturday. This bonus-point-victory saw them end the season in a creditable third-place in Somerset Division Three South.
Norton’s blend of youth and experience have developed over the year, and it was great to see the growing crop of Colts players begin to make the transition from junior to senior rugby. Both sides had large squads, and both were rotated to good effect to ensure everyone played their full part in the afternoon’s proceedings.
Norton dominated the first half, and camped in the Wells half of the pitch. The forwards competed well and the backs looked dangerous when they went wide. This allowed winger, Greg Morgan, to repeatedly break the line, and he was eventually rewarded when he danced over for an excellent try.
His opposite winger, Liam Shakespeare, has really come on this year, and he was soon on the scoresheet too, gaining his first senior try after a strong run to the corner.
It was a day of firsts, as hard-tackling centre, Marcus Tuttle, also claimed his first try for the club, when he raced over before half-time to give Norton a 15-0 lead.
The second half was a more evenly-contested affair, as Wells used the slope to their advantage. Three tries threatened to pull them right back into the game, but Norton held firm and scored a try of their own to clinch the game. Some good work down the blind-side by fly-half, Swift, allowed winger, Liam Shaw, to race down the touchline for a well-deserved match-winning try.
Captain, Ian Tiley, would like to thank everyone for their efforts this year, and hopes to see them all back raring to go next season.