RUGBY: Combe Down 7 Pewsey Vale 38 (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

RUGBY: Combe Down 7 Pewsey Vale 38

3:00pm Tuesday 19th March 2013 in Rugby

PEWSEY produced a stylish second-half performance to earn a bonus point in Bath and consolidate second place in Dorset & Wilts One North.

Strong in defence Pewsey held out the heavier home sideon a mudbath of a pitch and used their dynamic back division to attack from deep.

With ten minutes gone Vale drove a maul out of their 22m and with turnover ball launched the backs with centre Vatimosi Rokowai finishing the move with a try, fellow centre James Haynes adding the extras.

Most of the first half was a midfield tussle with Down’s occasional forays into Pewsey territory snuffed out by the visitors’ iron defence.

At the end of the first quarter Vale’s mobile hooker Jeremy Horton joined the back division to finish off an attacking move with an unconverted try out wide.

Pewsey received the second-half kick-off and driving forward play broke the home team’s defensive line.

A power play maul, saw lock Darren Draper touching down, Haynes adding the two points.

Vale were in control for the remainder of the game, taking field position and producing fine defence.

Scrum half Lucas Hill was next to score with a fine run, dummying the cover defence twice before crossing the line, a score converted by Haynes.

Pewsey’s Nasim Alam’s trip to the sin-bin at the start of the final quarter for obstruction did nothing to blunt Vale’s ambition.

In the final ten minutes Vale scored two tries.

Rokowai was in for his second, darting through the home team’s flailing defence from his own half, followed by full-back Frank Poulson five minutes later in similar fashion. Both were converted by Haynes.

Down scored a converted consolation try in the final minute as Vale’s second team players, Alam, Lucas, Ryan Smith and Ashley Dean stepping up well.

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