Struggling Hornets are stung by below par Avon
Avon picked up a 40-20 bonus point win against struggling Weston Hornets 2nd, despite putting in a spluttering display. The 4G pitch encouraged a fast and furious style of play with ten tries. However, with the blustery wind, it also resulted in a disjointed performance with little discernible control at times. An early Avon attack saw livewire scrum-half Alex Gapper score the opening try from a blindside scrum break, Jonny Batchelor missed the tricky conversion, his only miss of the match as he slotted five subsequent kicks from all angles and also put in a couple of tremendous last-ditch tackles. Hornets immediately levelled after a mesmerising run from the dangerous centre on the left. Undeterred, Avon struck back as Matt Thresher chipped ahead after another Gapper break and followed it up to touch down his first try for the first team. In a game that ebbed and flowed, Hornets responded with their second try after a powerful lineout drive from their bulky pack. Will Hayward had to leave the field and Avon introduced Xander Davis, his powerful running started to suck defenders in and create more space. Man of the match Lucas Pratt made a couple of bursts through the midfield to set up enterprising attacks and soft hands from Kane Book put brother Sam through on a great line to score under the posts. Chaz Meddick then got a try either side of half-time with a pushover try before the interval, followed up with huge power to squirm over the line just after the break. Again Hornets hit back with another try, taking advantage of some slipshod tackling. With yellow cards for second row combination Davis and Ian Monachinoayres, Avon were forced to show their defensive prowess to hold out. Returning to 15 players and bringing on replacements Connor and Will Ayres, Avon again made good ground with a multi-phased attack which eventually saw Chris Mutlow touch down in the corner. With the result beyond doubt, Avon tried an adventurous move from deep inside their 22, but a dropped pass was seized upon and Hornets gained a deserved bonus point. Avon face local rivals Oldfield on Saturday, who will be looking to gani revenge following their defeat last week by Avon in the Bath Combination Cup. ■ BATH Saracens returned to winning ways at the weekend, scoring ten tries in their latest Dorset & Wilts outing at Melksham, dishing out a 60-20 thrashing. The first half saw the visitors playing with a strong breeze behind and they ran in five tries to secure the bonus point. The hosts were restricted to a solitary touchdown. The second half saw Saracens playing against the elements, but through strong running with ball in hand from both forwards and backs, they added five further tries. With some intelligent kicking from Melksham’s fly-half, they were able to regular pressure on Saracens and score two tries as well as a long-range penalty. Saracens’ scorers were Pete Baldwin (2), Ellis Jenkins (2), Matt Tomes-smith, Rob Langan, Owen Swabey, Ben Johns, Mike Fordham and Tome Burke. Ed Bell added five conversions. The win moves Saracens into third ahead of their game at home to Minety at the Sulis Club.