Rugby: In a compellingly close fixture, Minety and Bradford on Avon battled it out for a 10-all draw on Saturday.

Minety led for much of the match but undermined their efforts with handling errors and indiscipline. Bradford hung on and eventually got back on terms but couldn't land a late goal to win the match.

Bradford on Avon started well and when Minety went offside after two minutes, they slotted a goal from the resulting penalty to gain an early lead.

Minety did better from the restart as their back row harried the visitors on their own ball. Penned back in their 22, Bradford were caught using hands in the ruck and Minety's Ryan Dowling levelled the scores with a penalty goal.

Slippery conditions made handling difficult but Minety compounded their problems with poor passing and technical infringements. They enjoyed long periods of territorial advantage but Bradford defended stoutly and they were unable to score. Both sides had a player yellow carded before the break and they turned round with the scores still level.

Minety broke the deadlock in the second half thanks to a brilliant interception try by Dowling, who snapped up a loose pass and glided 40 metres upfield to score. His conversion made it 10-3 and Minety appeared to be in the box seat.

But although the home team disrupted their opponents scrums, set up driving mauls and had a number of promising moves, they failed to score again. And when Minety went offside, Bradford kicked for territory and seized their opportunity, driving over for a try from a five metre lineout.

The conversion levelled the scores and when Minety's forwards subsequently went offside, Bradford had the opportunity to snatch victory. The penalty kick sailed wide, however, and the game ended as a draw.

Minety remain undefeated in the league and top of the table by one point. They will hope to put on a more clinical performance this Saturday as they play host to Supermarine.