Sat 15 Sept 1st XV 84 v Mellish 5

Saturday 15th September

Midlands Leauge 3 East North

Kesteven 84 Mellish 5



Kesteven welcomed Mellish to a sun kissed Woodnook on Saturday for the first home lague game of the season. Andrew Brown led the side in the continued absence of the injured Phil Jordan. Odams came into the front row as replacement for Robert Sheardown, injured at Melbourne last week. Whittaker returned at full back for his fist outing of the season.



The early exchanges showed Mellish putting the home scrum under pressure and it was 10 minutes before the first opportunity presented itself. Kesteven were awarded a penalty 30 mertres out in front of the posts. Dan Turner stepped up and confidently steered the ball through the posts for he opening score. What happened next was quite incredible. The Mellish restart was fielded by Turner who set off on a run which ended with him scoring at the posts without a hand being laid on him. The conversion made it 10 - 0. Mellish repeated the act with the next restart. This time Whittaker picked up a loose ball, found Hughes in support. Lines took up a great line on the outside to take the scoring pass. Again Turner added the goal points for a 17 - 0 lead. Then Woolerton won the restart and set off on a charge upfield. Turner was in support to score. Hudson was next to score - his debut try for the club when he took a pass form Goodrich to go over then Whittaker scored form the restart. The home team were getting trying to run the ball form unlikely positions. Parker took a quick tap penalty in his own 22. A messy pass to the wing was picked up by Taylor 70 metres out. The youngster showed the defence a clean pair of heels to race in behind the posts. Parker converted. Taylor got his second when he somehow got himself free on halfway to run clear to the line. Just before the break Hughes and Whittaker added tries. One was converted to make the half time score 60 -0 to thehome side.

Kesteven brought on Rupert Jordan James Cowley and Ollie Hanson for Aaron Whittaker, Will Pert and Sam Durrance and strated where they left off. CameronHudson broke clear and put Jordan in for a try with his first touch. Turner converted. Any thoughts that the second half would be as free scoring asthe first as Mellish defended more strongly and Kestevenstarted to over ellaborate. The result was a slowing down of affairs. However Jake Hughes came through on a fine angle to score his second try, converted by Parker, before Cameron Hudson somehow twisted and turned to finish an unlikely try. Taylor completed the Kesteven scoring with a classic winger's try. Kesteven made use of the new replacement rules whereby teams are allowed 8 interchanges involving their three replacements, by bringing back Pert Durrance and Whittaker for Odams, Flear and Hughes, and then were able to put Odams back on when Hanson was injured. For the rest of the match Mellish showed great resiliance by keeping Kesteven in check and were rewarded with a try of their own right at the end. This emphatic result takes Kesteven to top of the league. It is early days but the team os playing with great skill and confidence.

This they face unknown opposition in Queens (Bedford) in the RFU Senior Vase.

Kesteven team was A Whittaker, J Hughes, C Hudson, J Goodrich, R Jordan; M Parker, K Lines; S Odams, A Brown, G Purvis, W Pert, S Durrance, J Flear, D Turner, T Woolerton. Replacements J Cowley, O Hanson, R Jordan