Melksham 19-33 Bradford on Avon – Dorset & Wilts 1 North, Sat. 14th Jan

At long last Melksham were able to welcome local rivals to their new club and pitches for their first ever game at Oakfields.

With a packed clubhouse and touchline both teams engaged in a high energy battle from the off. The home team making more of the early pressure.

Fly half Callum Hurn received the ball from a maul inside the 22 to side step defenders and score the very first points at the new ground for his club. Then continued on to convert his own try.

Bradford-on-Avon rallied to put pressure back into the home 22 led by their dynamic no.8 but were repelled by the strong home defence. The home team drove back into the visitors’ territory and good handling through the backs was rewarded with Centre Phil Stone going in to score. Hurn adding the extras. The home team with a man in the bin failed to prevent the renewed pressure from the visitors who scored a converted try just before the close of the half at 14-7.

Early after the restart the home team again had a man sent to the sin bin and Bradford went ahead with a score from a pick and go off the base of the scrum. The pressure switched again with the visitors down to 13 men but despite solid pressure the home team couldn’t break their defence and came away without any points. A turning point in the game.

Buoyed up by their defence and a return to full strength, Bradford kicked on to score two more tries. Melksham responding with a score from either Nick Suter or Callum Gillard both diving on a ball fly hacked on into the in goal area. Final score 19-33.