PLAYING their best rugby of the season, Minety ran in eight tries as they comprehensively outplayed their old rivals in this Dorset and Wilts Division One game.
Frustrated in recent league games by successive encounters with bad luck, poor form, and inflexible fixture scheduling, Minety came to this game with both a full side and a full head of steam. Determined to show what they could really do, they took control of the game from the start and never relaxed their grip until the final whistle sounded.
Inside centre Tim Vaughan opened the scoring in the first minute and added the conversion.
When the visitors failed to find touch with a clearance kick, Minety full back launched an attack and after a series of rapid rucks and mauls had sucked in the defence Vaughan powered past the remaining cover to go over for a try in the top right-hand corner.
A strike against the head by hooker Dave Peirce allowed Minety to feed the ball to their threequarters and outside centre Simon Barrett scored, taking the ball on half-way and dodging the initial tackles before beating all comers for pace as he raced up the hill for the try.
Soon after the restart flanker Dave Miller made it 22-0 after winger Ian Northcott and full back Luke Huckin had made a great run up the field, trading passes in a slick one-two. Bridport conceded a five metre scrum, and once Minety had again secured possession, Miller was able to wriggle over for the score after an initial sniping run by number eight James Smith had drawn the cover.
After Vaughan had kicked the conversion, Minety brought on their two substitutes, replacing hard-working prop Dave Coughlan with promising youngster Richard Trevascus and swapping Adrian Taylor for Gareth Dyer at fly half.
Scrum half Andy Brown was in commanding form, steering and goading his pack into ever greater efforts, and he was the next to score after James Smith had once more taken on the ball from the back of a five metre scrum.
A concerted rush by the forwards, running and passing in open play, then set up a try for fly half Taylor, who showed great pace and determination in finishing off the move from 22 metres out.
Vaughan again added the conversion, and then, following the restart, put in a devastating tackle on the visiting fly half, who was caught in possession. The home side promptly snaffled the ball, and a marvellous jinking run from Northcott took play back down into Bridport's 22, where Brown was on hand to take the ball over the line. Prevented from grounding the ball, Minety were awarded a five metre scrum, from which Brown was able to set Northcott off on a blind side dart for the line. Having drawn the defence, Northcott then slipped the neatest of passes back inside for Brown to take before piling over for his second try of the afternoon.
The last word was left to Vaughan. Benefiting from yet another strike against the head by his pack, he beat his opponents for pace and ran in an elegant try which he then converted.
Minety are away to bottom-of-the-table Martock on Saturday 8 December.
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