Men in black win thanks to brown (From Gazette Series)

Men in black win thanks to brown

Gloucester Division Three South Wotton-under-Edge 22 St Brendan's 0

WOTTON got their league campaign off the ground with a fine win over St Brendan's at Rose Hill School.

The home side, boosted by the return of several players, particularly in the back line, scored early on with a classic catch-and-drive lineout.

Weston found Needs with a good throw and skipper Tim Brown drove over for a try.

The home side continued to dominate and scrum-half Rob Marlow exploited a blind-side gap to score.

It was a deserved score for Marlow after a series of heroic performances over the last few weeks.

The visitors then controversially claimed a front row injury and the scrums had to become uncontested despite the player remaining on the field. This took a great deal of aggression and momentum out of the Wotton game and they had to wait until just before half-time to score again.

Brown notched his second try, again from a lineout, but this time from a front peel, tapped down by Needs just inside the 22, leaving a clear run in bar the obliterated full-back.

In the second half, Wotton had to defend for some periods and Graves, Thorogood and Jones all looked solid.

Holcombe and Brown continued to punch holes in the second half and the only further score was from Kelvin Smith to seal the vital 22-0 league win for the Men in Black.

l As a reward for several hard games recently, the team has a rest week from matches this weekend and are holding an open training session at KLB School with a view to attracting new players (2pm). Anyone interested should contact Tim Brown on 01453 519781 or 07976652508.

Wotton return to action on November 12 against Bristol Telephones.