Leaders leave it late to seal victory

Fylde ................ 31 Hartpury C ...... 57

THE Hartpury College machine rolled in at Fylde, but the visitors needed three tries in the closing minutes to ensure victory against a home side that never gave up.

The late burst of tries, including two from livewire scrum-half Ben Vellacott – taking his personal tally to four – finished off the hosts, who had closed to within one score as the game entered the final quarter.

There was no suggestion of the tension to come when the visitors stretched into a comfortable early lead.

Tries in the opening ten minutes from Mike Wilcox and Vellacott got them moving, before Luke Eves finished another attack early in the second quarter. Anthony Bingham and Sam Bedlow did both cross for Fylde, but two tries for Hartpury winger Jonas Mikalcius gave them a healthy lead at the break.

Fly-half Greg Smith’s try early in the second half was quickly cancelled out by Vellacott, whose busy day included a yellow card.

But then it was all Fylde for ten minutes, as skipper Chris Briers scored before a cross-field kick fell nicely into the arms of winger James Bailey to make it 31-38.

Then Vellacott and winger Levi Davis had the final word to seal the win for the visitors.