Three tries for Kieran Broomsgrove in Weston’s bonus point victory

Regional 1 South West
Weston-super-Mare 40 Ivybridge 25

Weston-super-Mare took maximum points from their penultimate league game of the season as they outscored visitors Ivybridge six tries to three after Bridgers secured their Regional 1 South West status last weekend with a win over Exmouth.

Ivybridge kicked off and straight away earned a penalty which scrum-half Giles Clarke slotted between the uprights. Weston hit back and after several players pounded forward, flanker Kieran Broomsgrove dived majestically over the line.

Fly-half George Nuttycombe added the extras, but the home side quickly conceded a penalty, in the same position as the previous one, but this time the kick from Clarke drifted left of the uprights.

However, Ivybridge didn't stay behind for long and carved their way through sloppy defence to retake the lead with a try from loosehead prop Henry Trudgill which was converted by Clarke.

Weston had the chance to hit back but after a break by centre Huw Morgan, they squandered an opportunity when full-back Chris Young’s pass to right-wing Dom Marshall was judged by referee Oli Carey to have been forward.

However, from the scrum that followed, scrum-half Dan Lomax pounced on the ball shooting out the back of the visitors’ side to dive over for Weston’s second try to give Nuttycombe a straightforward conversion.

Weston got close to the opposing line soon after when a kick and chase by left-wing Hayden Main went into touch just short, but Weston were not to be denied and after great hands in the difficult conditions Marshall dived over out wide.

Ivybridge hit back with a well-taken try by outside centre Hayden Coles, Clarke added the conversion and a penalty, five minutes later, to give the visitors a 20-19 lead with 25 minutes on the clock.

Straight from the restart Nuttycombe cut through to put Broomsgrove in under the posts with an inside pass and Young added the conversion. A hectic first half came to an end with Weston six points to the good and a bonus point secured.

Weston started well in the second half and from a charged down clearance kick Broomsgrove crashed over the whitewash to complete his hat-trick with Young adding the extras.

Ivybridge countered but the home line held and then the hosts regained control of the game. After a series of penalty scrums close to the Ivybridge line, No.8 Jay Davis burrowed through to dabbed down for Young to convert.

Ivybridge hit back when a quickly taken penalty and long pass saw James Pullan score in the corner, but fellow replacement Matt Grieveson was unable to convert. This proved to be the last score of a highly entertaining afternoon.

Weston welcomed the return of prop Martin Hakunavanhu who replaced Oliver Streeter halfway through the first half and it made no discernible difference to the dominant Weston scrum.

Also good to see replacement flanker Adam Fisher putting in a shift towards the end. A well-deserved victory in a troubled season for Weston who host second-placed Barnstaple, 31-17 home winners over St Austell, on April 6 in the season’s final game, kick-off at 3 pm.