Gloucester Div Two

Ashley Down Old Boys 25 Minchinhampton 11

MINCHINHAMPTON were unlucky not to take any points in the match at joint league leaders Ashley Down Old Boys after their best performance of the season.

Right from the kick-off it was obvious the home side’s tactics were to kick to the corners and pressurise the line-out, an area in which they were particularly strong.

The first score came from a line-out steal, with Ashley Down crashing over out wide.

Minch’s response was excellent; a turnover following the restart put the home side back inside their 22 and their aggressive defence resulted in a penalty for going over the top at a ruck.

An awkward angle was made to look easy by full back Will Goodwin's kick.

Minch started to dominate at scrum time and with the big home pack starting to blow a bit the visitors began to run the ball more, making regular visits to the Ashley Down 22, only to be kept out by the odd knock-on or solid home defence.

A dubious bit of play on 30 minutes and a resulting yellow card gave Minch the chance to go 6-5 ahead.

But both sides were feeling the effects of a brutal opening half-hour and the last ten minutes of the half saw no additions to the score.

The second half started as the first ended, with Minch on the attack and the home defence holding firm.

Minch were penalised for going off their feet two yards out.

This tough call led to a five-minute lapse in concentration, with Ashley Down scoring two quick tries and showing why they are at the top of the league.

Again the Minch response was excellent as they played the home side at their own game. A catch and drive led to Minch's top try scorer Niall Kimber scoring out wide, the unconverted score making it 15-11 to Ashley Down on 61 minutes.

Home side pressure at the kick-off forced a knock-on inside the Minch 22. A debatable decision then penalised the dominant Minch scrum and a quick tap penalty saw the host’s number 12 go in under the posts.

Another good kick-chase from Ashley Down forced a poor clearance and Minch faced an attacking line-out inside their own 22. Solid possession and a good driving maul got the home side their fifth try to make it 25-11 on 70 minutes.

The final ten minutes saw Minch camped inside Ashley Down's half, only for outstanding defence to keep them out.