Weston Depleted, Minehead Defeated

Weston hosted Minehead this weekend with both sides short on numbers. Minehead arrived with 12 while Weston had seen their pack depleted and no second row available. Callum Schafer was away following his success with the U14 Buccaneers Squad, while DJ Wills and Chow were unavailable for selection. A last minute re-shuffle saw captain Liam Hynes and the greatly improved Ashley Hardman move to the boiler house, whilst James Aucott moved to centre and Harry Spedding came in at full back following another let down in the backs. Weston's two remaining subs, Dan Lewis and Alex Tyler then ensured a competitive game was possible by helping out Minehead and giving us a 15 v 14 match. Much appreciation to both for doing that, but we weren't expecting you to have your best games of the season against us. Anyway, referee Hannam was happy and having been swotting Millwall fans at Wembley the day before was ready for another fierce encounter. Kick Off! Solid start from Weston, who quickly resumed where they had left off on Wednesday night, with some great rucking at the breakdown. Minehead responding with their strong running back line had the first opportunity when their olympic sprinter set off down the wing evading would be tacklers as he went. Prop Sol Ward to the rescue when he came across like a train and launched the attacker into touch in one of the hits of the season. 10 minutes gone and Weston pushed into the Minehead 22. Good rucking set the platform and as defenders arranged themselves to cover the next strong running forward, scrum half Owen Kelman was alert, saw a hole, and pounced for Weston's opener. That was easy thought the Weston pack and subsequently relaxed allowing Minehead back into the game. They battled back well and 10 minutes later worked the ball wide to score and level the match. Time for Weston to wake up and back they came. A superb break from Stefan Thompson-Rose gave Weston good territory. Once again good forward pressure told and this time it was hooker Dan Smith who was alert to the opportunity to dive over for his first try of the season. Weston leading 10-5 but once agin they hit the snooze button and Minehead were let back in almost immediately. When their try was converted Weston found themselves trailing through no fault but their own. Congratulations at this point to Rhys Langley who made it 15 games on trot with a nose bleed and a bad back. Consistency is key! Halftime Weston 10 Minehead 12. Second half underway and Weston looking to take control once again. Time for the backs to show what they could do again when the outstanding Billy Kirk made another powerful break in the midield before passing to 'hot to trot' Charley Stott who finished superbly. James Aucott took over the kicking duties and added the extras and Weston led 17-12. Time for another nap. When Weston woke up again, Minehead had scored and the scores were level at 17 all. Back to the drawing board once more. Weston rallied, continued good work in the loose and the backs were away. Good hands down the line and Aaron Norton took a pass from Liam Hynes and was in space. He showed great pace to cross in the corner and Weston once again led 22-17. Now Weston looked to cement their lead and from the kick off went on the attack again. Billy Kirk made good ground, Mike Ward was clearing out superbly and Cox, Hynes and Sugg were supporting well. Weston now camped on the Minehead line looked to have crossed when Sol Ward crashed through. Held up was the call, time to re-group. Weston crashed through again. . . . . . Held Up. Re-group......penalty. James Aucott was directed to take the easy points, which he did and Weston opened an 8 point lead. All that hard work deserves a little rest, and this time Weston slept through the alarm. Yet again Minehead wouldn't lie down and a poor kick from Weston landed in the hands of Speedy Gonzales on the wing. He set off at the speed of light, ran around the Weston defence and scored. Conversion missed and now a three point game with Weston leading 25-22. But this see-saw game wasn't finished yet. Weston pushing to finish off their opponents broke from a scrum. The ball was popped from Weston's fly half to . . . . . . . Minehead's flanker. Offside? I'm not questioning the Millwall Swotter - play on! Minehead steaked 80 yards to score under the posts. Conversion added and Minehead looked like they'd pinched it leading 25-29. Two minutes left, Weston trailing for the second time in the match, time for a show of character. Weston surged back and won good ball. Good quick hands moved the ball wide where James Aucott hit a great line at pace to slice through and score a dramatic try. He buggered up the conversion mind, but Weston had the lead back. Time for one one more play? Liam checked with the ref - time for the kick off. Jacob Cox caught it turned and kicked the ball to Minehead. Full time and a dramatic victory 30-29. This was a great show of character by Weston, who proved that they have a fantastic team spirit and are progressing well as a unit. Really good game of rugby enjoyed by all the spectators. Great displays today by James Aucott, Sol Ward and Charley Stott, but man of the match was centre Billy Kirk who was a powerhouse in the midfield.