Scott hammers the nail into Cryptians coffin (From Gazette Series)

Scott hammers the nail into Cryptians coffin

Rugby Union Gloucester Division Two Dursley 13 Old Cryptians 8

DURSLEY fought back from a first half deficit to take a fine victory over league leaders Old Cryptians.

In pouring rain, the visitors made the better start and ran at the home back line repeatedly.

However, they were unable to make a breakthrough and instead fell 3-0 behind when Trevor Scott kicked a penalty after the Cryptians infringed at a ruck.

From the restart, Cryptians scored a soft try out wide to take a 5-3 lead, although the conversion failed.

Both sides then had a man sin-binned after a scuffle and it was the visitors who reacted better, kicking a penalty shortly afterwards for an 8-3 lead.

However, Dursley fought their way back into their opponents' half and were awarded a five-metre scum.

A tremendous effort by the depleted Dursley pack saw the visitors shoved back. Quick ball followed and Simon Lane jinked his way past a would-be tackler before offloading the ball to Trevor Scott, who scored under the posts.

Scott also added the conversion to give Dursley a 10-8 lead at half-time.

The second half saw Dursley change the tempo and with the conditions not easing they opted to keep it tight.

Niblett and Woodward were dominant in the lineout as Dursley applied the catch and drive technique to good effect, driving the opposition some 50 yards down the pitch on several occasions.

But for the final phase of play going awry, more tries would have followed and in the end they had to settle for just one penalty.

However, the 13-8 margin was still enough for an excellent victory.

Dursley RFC fielded four senior men's teams last Saturday for the first time since the late 1990s - a remarkable achievement. With the first, second and third teams all winning, it was also successful in terms of results. The fourth team captain Phil Case reported an excellent team spirit and performance from his side despite their loss in their first outing. This weekend sees four teams out again.