OLD BRISTOLIANS 27 MIDSOMER NORTON 31

Midsomer Norton started brightly, and used the elements, low sun and slope, to put pressure on the home side. In a very short period, the first points were scored. Fear crossed the line, after several strong forward drives, and Taylor added the extra points.

Old Bristolians bounced back and moved Norton’s defence from one side to the other, before scoring in the right-hand corner, closing the gap to 5-7. Norton’s bad luck continued when, a few minutes later, while attacking in the opposition’s 22, scrum-half, Knight, received a red card trying to win the ball from a breakdown.

With the game only twelve minutes old, Norton were forced to have a reshuffle. Sinden stepped up off the bench to play scrum-half, and the pack was reduced to seven men, with J. Rose having to leave the field to allow the change. Old Bristolians immediately used their extra man advantage to score from a catch and drive at a line-out.

Norton went straight back on the attack, and from one forward drive thought they had scored, only for the referee to deny them the points, adjudging them to have obstructed in the act of scoring. At the other end, Harper saved a certain try with great chase back to put in a tackle, stopping a score out wide.

Strong drives from the Norton forwards Jenner, Edgell, Denning and Clark kept the home side on the back-foot, but it was fly-half, Abbott, who crossed the line, and Taylor added the conversion, 10-14. Old Bristolians bounced back quickly, scoring to take a slim one-point, 15-14 lead into the half-time break. Shortly after the break, Old Bristolians kicked down the slope to the corner, and with the extra forward, scored a second try from a catch and drive.

Norton went on the attack, and strong runs from Mitchard, Taylor, Schuster and Holmewood gave Button the opportunity to dive over, bringing the score line back to a one-point game, 20-19. Old Bristolians scored a third try from the same catch and drive move; this time they added the extra points. Taylor ran around under the posts to score, and then converted his own try to bring it back to a one-point deficit.

Holmewood, Palmer and Mitchard carried the ball deep into the home side’s half, while M. Rose produced a long run up wing to touch down in the corner.

The Norton pack was finishing the stronger of the two, and were in Old Bristolians’ territory, when the game was winding down. Norton won the ball, and just walked it into touch to end the game and take the win, 27-31.

The game was won by a mixture of character and fitness, with the team playing for the whole eighty minutes, with the points from Taylor’s conversions making the difference.

Steve Blackmore