Royal Wootton Bassett, the league leaders, visited Norton Down last Saturday for the top-of-the-table clash.

Winning the toss, Norton’s Captain, Denning, decided to start the game playing up the hill into a very strong wind. The elements made it virtually impossible for fly half, Abbott, to gain any ground with the boot, but he ensured the ball went into touch. This gave the forwards a chance to regain the ball, as the line outs were a lottery. The pack put in an incredible amount of work dominating the scrummage and the breakdown allowing the team to play the game in the Bassett half and defend the half-way line as if it was the try line.

When Wootton Bassett tried to kick for territory, they totally underestimated the power of the wind and repeatedly kicked the ball out on the full. Bassett did manage to cross Norton’s try line once, but the last ditch tackle by Denning and Moon allowed Moon to get under the ball and convince the referee the ball wasn’t grounded. The only points they managed to score were from a penalty kick.

Norton’s powerful scrummage allowed their number eight to feed scrum half, Moon, who switched with winger, Jason Holmwood, running a great line. He beat a number of defenders with footwork before offloading to flanker, Sawkins, to score. The home side finished the half with a hard won 5–3 lead.

The team now had the elements in their favour, but the conditions were worsening as the game continued, making it harder to control the ball. Norton spent most of the next forty minutes in the Wootton Bassett half, but the visitors defended resolutely, keeping them at bay.

Winning the ball in a breakdown, the referee played advantage as Wootton Bassett had infringed, but strangely, as Norton crossed the try line to score, he pulled them back and awarded the penalty. Norton had one other chance as a ball was fly hacked through, as centre, Murphy, tried to pick up, but knocked on with the line at his mercy.

Although the half was scoreless, it was very tense and the game finished 5–3 in Norton’s favour.

This win keeps Norton’s promotion hopes alive, closing in on the leaders – but there is still a lot of work to do.