Western Counties North

North Bristol 19 Old Bristolians 12

WITH only a few fixtures remaining, the significance of the outcome in the battle to avoid relegation was not lost on anyone.

North Bristol started off well enough, scoring five minutes in, after a 35-metre driving maul set up a blindside break from scrum-half Phil Sterry, who stole in from 20 metres almost unnoticed by the visitors. Dan Snow's excellent conversion made it 7-0.

Bristolians missed with a penalty and that miss was further punished by North again breaking out of their defensive shackles to create several dangerous drives on the Old Boys’ line and finally breaching it when No 8 Max Sheppard crashed through by the posts, giving Snow an easy conversion.

The urgency of the situation inspired the OBs’ pack into action and they scored a good converted pushover try to give them hope.

This turned again into despair when two of North’s best players John Wood and Ross Wilson combined and the latter drove his huge frame over for a try which sent North into the interval 19-7 ahead.

Old Bristolians did benefit from a good pushover try while North were reduced to 14 men, but North Bristol gladly took the honours.

North Bristol scorers: Tries – Max Sheppard, Phil Sterry, Ross Wilson; Conversions – Dan Snow (2).