TROWBRIDGE 47 WESTON SUPER MARE 36

Trowbridge had to appoint their third captain in as many matches after injuries to Ethan Hutt and Rory Murchison, so Tom Weaver led the team for this first visit of Weston super Mare to Doric Park. They have always played at a higher level than Trowbridge since the leagues were formed in the 1980s, but they were relegated from the level 5 last season.

Trowbridge were in good spirits, while sat at the top of the league following their two bonus point wins in their opening matches. They burst out of the blocks by overwhelming the Seasiders in the first twenty minutes and gained a bonus point by scoring four tries during this period. They dominated in the forwards with the visitors suffering at the first two scrums and this resulted in tries from wingers Alex Christopher and two from Joe Martindale before hooker Rhys Redman crossed the whitewash. Weaver’s kicking and distribution helped open the defence and he converted all four tries.

It seemed that Weston were in for a heavy defeat but at that point they responded and were back in the game by the interval. They scored three tries from wing Dom Marshall, scrum half Rowan Bird and centre Chris Young, with fly half George Nuttycombe making one conversion, and the teams turned round at 28-17. Trowbridge were down to 14 men at this stage as prop Lee Fairclough was sin binned for an infringement at a lineout.

The last of these tries signalled the break and Trowbridge were facing the slight breeze in the second half. Weston threatened to take over but Trowbridge had the knack of scoring each time Weston got within range. Alex Murchison scored the next try, but Weston refused to give up and were soon on the attack. Weston’s man of the match and captain Jay Davis and No 8 increasingly exerted his influence, but further tries from Christopher and Murchison after he had moved to No 8, and scored an individual try from the base of the scrum after running in unopposed from the 10 metre line. Weaver completed the scoring with kicks and Trowbridge kept the Somerset side at bay during the rest of the match.

The Plumbase Player of the Match was awarded to flanker Ben Mallett who made a number of telling contributions in both attack and defence through the game.

This result sets up a massive match next week at Drybrook who lie second in the league after a heavy defeat of Swindon, who sit in bottom place. In the other matches, Keynsham travelled to Thornbury and edged out the Gloucestershire outfit, whilst Chippenham beat visitors Gordano. Old Centralians beat Stow on the Wold, who have moved over to the Severn League and newcomers Longlevens, moved up to third after a 40-35 win at Witney.

Head Coach Ali Lund said "That match was a bit of a roller coaster. We were over the moon with how the lads started the match scoring 4 tries in 20 minutes but defensive lapses cost us and Weston were quick to capitalise which kept them in the game. There is a fantastic atmosphere in the squad which was helped with the 3rd teams convincing victory as well. We will be striving to become more consistent with our performances in the coming weeks".