Dorset & Wilts Division 3 North
Minety 2nd XV 22pts - Sutton Benger 2nd XV 33pts
Poor tackling and a lapse of concentration cost Minety dear as Sutton Benger staged an impressive second-half comeback.
Playing with the wind and down the slope, Minety had the better of the first half. Despite Sutton Benger’s excellent tackling (Pack leader Matt Rae leading by example) , their first score came after 20 minutes when loosehead prop Matt Hooper thrust his way over for a try. Jack Ward kicked a penalty and flyhalf Ryan Dowling extended the home team’s lead with a breakaway score from half way. His conversion of his own try made it 15-0 to Minety at the break.
After a substitution and tactical positional change Sutton Benger came back strongly after the interval. While some Minety players missed crucial tackles and others were injured while trying to tackle the rampaging wildebeest that is Dave Burrows, Benger soon got on the scoreboard with a try in the right-hand corner by James Whitehead. Three more converted tries by Chris Crome, Mark Otridge and Tim Denning followed in steady succession as Sutton Benger took the lead and then extended it.
Another try-scoring break from half way by Dowling brought Minety back into the game. His goal kick made it 22-26, which meant that a try for either team would win the game. In the end, it was Sutton Benger who took control and a final seven-pointer scored by Burrows and converted by Crome sealed the game in their favour.
See http://www.minetyrfc.com/0708/b020208/ for more pictures
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