Minety RFC 12 Cirencester RFC 48

ON a hot and sunny afternoon, Minety had their share of territory and possession in this Stroud Combination Cup semi-final.

However, although they scored first, they were often unable to make the most of their chances and turn opportunities into points.

Cirencester had no such problems. Quicker of hand and foot and fitter too, as the last quarter of an hour showed, they ran in eight tries and eventually won by a handsome margin.

Taking the field with a combined first-and-second-team holiday XV, Minety opened the scoring after ten minutes, thanks to a break from flanker Pete Roberts who ended his charge with a chip ahead past the last defender.

Skipper Martin Coe followed up and won the race to touch the ball down as it bobbled over the try-line near the left-hand corner.

Cirencester replied five minutes later, un-picking Minety's defence with ominous ease as they scored their first try.

They added another shortly afterwards, taking the ball at a three-man lineout, running it, recycling it and passing it with a speed and fluency that cruelly exposed the ineffectualness of some of Minety's tackling. A successful conversion kick made the score 5-12 to Cirencester.

Minutes later, Cirencester attacked again, breezing past opponents on the way to a try in the right-hand corner.

Minety's sensible response was to slow the game up and play to their strengths.

Kicking to the corner from a penalty, they launched a catch-and-drive move from the resulting lineout.

Steered by scrum-half Andy Brown, the pack mauled their way purposefully to and then over the try-line for a try, which winger Ryan Dowling duly converted to bring the score to 12-17.

That's the way things stayed until minutes before the interval when Cirencester's inside-centre weaved his way, at speed, through Minety's defence and landed his side's fourth try of the half.

Following an accurate goal kick, the sides turned around with Cirencester leading 24-12. Minety played reasonably well for the third quarter of the game, creating scoring chances they failed to take.

Dowling missed a penalty-goal attempt five minutes into the half. Ten minutes later, the pack drove across the try-line but failed to ground the ball.

Even more frustratingly, they threw away the subsequent five-metre scrum by conceding a free kick for engaging their opponents before the referee's instruction.

Having weathered this period of pressure, Cirencester returned to the attack. In an impressive display of pace and passing, they ran in four tries past Minety's tiring defence in the last quarter of an hour.

They converted two of these, giving them a final total of 48 points. This Saturday, Minetys two senior teams play at home in their last league games of the season.

The firsts host Bradford-on-Avon, while the seconds take on Cooper Avon Tyres' third XV.