Melton RFC secure vital win over Stewarts in basement battle

In atrocious conditions, Mike Holford’s side prevailed over bottom side Stewarts and Lloyds by two tries to one, leapfrogging above St Ives and out of the bottom two.

The fact the two teams played was testament to their desire to play rugby, with this the only fixture to withstand Storm Dennis in Midlands Two East (North).

Coach Mike Halford drew plenty of praise from spectators for his organisation and development of a very young side, most of whom will never played in a game of this magnitude in such destructive conditions.

The coach must have been thankful for the return to full fitness of back row talisman Leon Gormley who fired on all cylinders in a monumental shift throughout the match.

Jack Forfar and Phil Kerr followed his example from the back row, while Sam Dennison and Jake Dixon, both out of position in the engine room, had commendable games.

The lineout functioned particularly well in gusting, swirling conditions, while the front row of Jordan and Luke Pawley, with Christian Jeremiah in as auxiliary hooker, looked comfortable in dominating the set-piece and battling in the loose.

It wasn’t a great day for backs, with the blustery conditions a lottery when it came to moving the ball with any certainty, and kicking, too, was tricky, especially in the second half into and across the wind.

Harry Wood was excellent in the centre with ball in hand, well-supported by Aiden Smith, and half-backs Archie Hutchinson and Chris Rose dealt with the conditions well.

The back three of Harvey Green, Will Garnett and Henry Kaczmarczyk all looked for work to good effect, despite lacking decent ball.

After pressuring the S and L 22 for 10 minutes, Melton went ahead when Phil Kerr touched down after a great forward effort from the dominant Melton scrum.

Their second score came 15 minutes later as the game deteriorated and while the visitors had two players in the bin for foul play.

A well-worked forward drive was rewarded with quick ball and Wood rounded two tackles to score out wide.

Neither tries were converted as the gale blew across the pitch.

The hosts failed to keep the pressure on and a third try would have finished the contest, but the visitors held out to half-time with Melton leading 10-0.

The second half was much the same as the first and a tale of Melton’s season.

Stronger all-round than their opponents, Melton then let them in for a soft try, following needless penalties caused by not clearing their lines.

With the conversion added at 10-7, S and L were back in the match.

Wood’s break and a series of drives from the forwards were denied a try by the unsighted official who awarded a penalty.

Rather than take the scrum penalty, and exploiting their dominance, they ran it, with the ball ending up 20 metres from the try line as the wind blew.

Poor decision-making has cost Melton matches this season, but they hung on for the last 10 minutes to deservedly claim the spoils from a decisive day.

The young squad will look to carry this momentum through the remainder of the season, starting with a tough fixture at local rivals Belgrave on Saturday (ko 2.15pm).

All support is very welcome.