Midsomer Norton 29 Bath University 19

With no league rugby on Saturday, Norton played Bath University in a Semi-final of the Bath Combination Cup. The University has a good track record in this competition, reaching the final regularly in recent years, so the team knew they were still in for a tough fixture.

Norton started well, determined to put their recent results behind them and set about pressurising the visitors’ 22m area. Senior forwards, Gimson, Denning and Jenner put in the hard yards, keeping the University on the back foot and helped by the rest of the pack, they dominated the scrummage and lineout. This pressure soon brought the first score, with Fear driving over the line, Murphy added the conversion.

Using the obvious advantage in the pack, Norton drove the students back over their line for number eight, Denning, to score an easy pushover try, again, the conversion was added. When in possession of the ball, the university were finding it difficult to break through the strong Norton defence and eventually resulted in chipping the ball over to score their first try.

The Norton backs weren’t content with defending and set up good attacks with Holmwood, Murphy and Anderson looking dangerous on the break. Playing behind a dominant pack, allowed scrum half, Schuster, to boss the game and to celebrate his second First team game with a try as he sniped around a maul, finding a gap in the defence. Murphy missed the conversion, but collected a penalty goal to give the team a fifteen point lead at the break.

Straight after the break, the University, now playing with the slope and elements, upped their game, but were still struggling to breach the home side’s determined defence.

Repeating their first half tactic of kicking, they again found space behind the defence to score a second converted try.

The home side’s domination in the scrummage showed when, awarded a scrum a full twenty metres from the University’s line, they produced a controlled drive, allowing their Captain to score his second pushover try. With their first-choice kicker, Murphy, off the field with an injury, flanker, Button, stepped up to slot the conversion, opening the gap.

As the game came to a close, the University threw everything into attack and managed to score again, closing the deficit to 29–19, but this effort was not enough as Norton closed the game out.

This victory allows the team to contest the Combination Final against Chippenham at the Bath Recreation Ground on 19th April.