The Seconds returned with a win after a week off with a comfortable bonus point victory at a very muddy Norton Down.
The home side threatened from the off and took the lead early on when Mitch Rose, already once denied by the full-back, ran a crash-ball from a ruck and found a huge gap to run in under the posts. Murphy calmly slotted the extras. However, Norton’s lead was cut to two almost immediately after a hesitation in defence allowed Hornets to kick through and score.
As the pitch deteriorated, a gutsy Norton side continued to put pressure on in attack, with Rideout superb in the lineout, and were strong in defence, making a number of big tackles. Norton deservedly extended their lead to seven just before half-time, when a strong, driving maul went over in the corner, with Rose’s hands again last on the ball.
The Seconds knew there was a lot of work to be done in the second half, as Hornets had ten sets of fresh legs on the bench. However, the home side started the second half aggressively, and managed to pull away on the scoreboard. After a strong scrum and some good work at the breakdown, substitute, Jamie Rose, picked up from the back of the ruck and finished from close range.
With the game increasingly scrappy, Norton secured the double over Hornets late on, when Andrew Davis fell on to the ball after another period of pressure from the home side. Murphy added his second kick of the afternoon to extend their lead to nineteen.
Next week the Seconds face a trip to Weston-super-Mare.