Saturday 17th January 2015
Dorset & Wilts Division 1 North
Impressive Minety see off Calne
Minety 1st XV 7pts – Calne 1st XV 0pts
Minety despatch Calne.
A cold afternoon at Minety with difficult conditions underfoot were the backdrop for the visit of Calne RFC for this mid-table clash. Calne’s dominance in the set scrum and tight play was not enough to overcome the spirited Minety defence. The home side’s attacking mindset eventually paid dividends as they registered the only score of the afternoon.
Playing with the slope and wind in the first half Calne’s dominance in the scrum was overwhelming. They exerted extreme pressure on the home side, going close with a number of set scrums. Eventually Minety were able to scramble their defence to keep the visitors out.
When they did get the ball Minety looked to move it at every opportunity. The home side regularly spurned penalty kicks at goal in favour of a quick tap and go – but to no avail. Neither side were able to turn any of their efforts in to points and the half finished with scores even at 0 – 0.
With neither side troubling the scorers in the first half it looked like the game would be settled by a single score – and so it proved.
The second half followed the same pattern as the first until 10 minutes from time. A period of sustained Minety pressure eventually created space for impressive no 8 Andrew Hibbard to carry from the visitors 22, outpace the cover defence and slide over for the decisive try. Garin Garland adding the extras for a 7 – 0 lead.
The final 10 minutes saw Calne drive series of re-set scrums almost the length of the field. Ill-discipline and “white line fever” prevented them turning their pressure into points. In the closing minutes Minety were able to clear their lines and hang on for a hard fought victory.
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