MIDSOMER NORTON 38 OLD RICHIANS 15

The visitors shook the journey out of their legs, put early pressure on the home team and kicked to the corner to set up an attacking maul.

Norton’s strong defence weathered the storm and forced a handling mistake from Old Richians. A great scrum allowed Norton to win possession and they cleared their lines with some strong runs from Jenner, Button and Abbott.

A powerful thirty-metre driving maul put Old Richians on the back foot. Taylor carried the ball forward and Mitchard went close, before Fear picked up the ball to dive over the line, collecting the first points of the day. Taylor then added the extra points.

Norton kept the pressure on the visitors, forcing a mistake which resulted in a penalty goal for Taylor. Clark, Schuster, Gimson and Jeffery all carried the ball at the Richians’ defence, but it was Mitchard who caused the visitors the most problems with strong runs through the middle of the park. One sweeping attack allowed Mitchard to score near the posts, and as ever, Taylor added the extra two points.

On the thirty-minute mark, Schuster found some space on his wing and ran around the defence to score under the posts. Just before the half ended, there was a scuffle between the two teams, which resulted in a player from either side being yellow carded, Denning being the miscreant for Norton. At the half-time break Norton had a substantial lead of 24-10.

Norton continued the second half as they finished the first, attacking at every opportunity. Abbott and Gimson combined support by Palmer to cause Old Richians problems, before Mitch Rose crashed over for the first points of the half, with Taylor adding the two points. Norton were reduced to fourteen again when flanker, Clark, received a yellow card for a high-tackle.

Norton’s back players, Jeffery and Schuster, ran the ball back strongly, before Taylor crashed over under the posts, only for the referee to adjudge him to have had the ball held up. Button drove over to score from the resulting scrum, and Taylor again added the extra two points. Old Richians rallied towards the end of the game and scored their third try of the game, closing the gap to 38-15.

Though probably not as clinical as they had been in previous games, Norton’s power in the scrummage gave them good supply of the ball, and this result keeps Norton at the top of the table.

Steve Blackmore