Tue 1 Mar 2016, 19:30
Weston-super-Mare 23 Old Redcliffians 20
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Somerset Cup 2015/16 Semi-Final at Gordano RFC
report from Chris Heath
Weston reached the final of the Somerset Cup after this fantastic victory over higher league opposition at a very blustery Gordano.
Winning the toss Weston elected to play into the breeze and were up for the fight from the off. Centre Huw Morgan made several line breaks and the pack was more than a match for Reds in the scrum.
However the wind was definitely an advantage and Old Reds took the lead through two penalties by ex Weston full back Jack Skelton.
This did not dampen Weston’s enthusiasm and they hit back after inside centre Glenn Dickson made a clean break and was stopped just short of the line Reds infringed. Dickson calmly slotted the penalty and he did so ten minutes later with an identical effort.
Weston then had to defend and were adrift by seven points when right wing Henry Bird cut a fine line to score the first try of the evening. Skelton converted to put Reds thirteen points to six up at half time.
Weston hit back straight from the restart through another Dickson penalty but in the fifty second minute Reds increased their lead through a somewhat hurriedly given penalty try which was again converted by Skelton.
With Reds eleven points to the good the game could have been lost but what followed showed that Weston are made of sterner stuff these days. Weston’s pack began to dominate and after several collapsed scrums the referee had no alternative but to award them a penalty try converted by Dickson and two minutes from normal time replacement wing Troy Hannam scored magnificently in the corner to put Weston one point in the lead.
Dickson converted from the touch line and Weston thought that was it. However a further twelve minutes was played and it was heroic backs to the wall defending for all of it. Weston’s line held firm to cue wild celebrations.
This was again a tremendous fifteen-man performance with the replacements also playing their part. The scrum was dominant and in the backs Morgan had a tremendous game along with Dickson. The forwards were led superbly by captain and prop Sam Coles and with number eight Paul Morrissey a thorn in Reds side all match.
Weston-super-Mare: Ross Bennett; Mitch Salisbury, Huw Morgan, Glenn Dickso, Matt Watkins; Dan Lomax, Hayden Tuttiett; Darren Crompton, Mike Hocking, Sam Coles, Andy Glen, Ash Russell, Bryan Webb, Rich Bignell, Paul Morrissey.
Reps: Will Hunt, Rich Ford, David Bird, George Sparks, Mattt Burns, George Chapman, Troy Hannam.
Weston-super-Mare scorers – tries: Troy Hannam, pen try; cons: Gleen Dickson (2); pens: Glenn Dickson (3); yellow cards: Bryan Webb 48 min), George Sparks (79 min)
