Calne ventured on to Malmesbury’s slopping, rolling pitch to try out a new centre partnership and to give their other new recruits some more game time. Whilst Calne adjusted their pack with the versatile Mike Palfrey moving from hooker to the flank, and the charismatic Jason Dolman making his return to hooker, Malmesbury looked to test themselves against local league opposition.

Malmesbury started the stronger with their forward dominated pick and drive game, in roads were made in to Calne’s pack but possession was kicked away once good territory was made. This gave Calne’s new centre combo of Mike Smith and Graham Neale a chance to settle with some ball to counter attack with. Malmesbury opened the scoring with a penalty after some poor chasing lead to the infringement. Malmesbury continued the pressure by disrupting the Calne scrum and attacked the fringes at every opportunity. Calne’s new guys, and the old the old guard kept, the defence tight and Malmesbury at an arms length with some fine aggressive tackling.

Calne pinned Malmesbury back to just outside their 22 where No. 8 Alan Wicks peeled off a line out to go on a charging 25 meter run down the touchline. He beat five covering tacklers on his way to flop over the line to score a try reminiscent of the sort ‘Flabber’ would have scored 2 years ago in his prime. Malmesbury hit back with a penalty, but continued to kick good possession away. In the end-to-end game Calne scored next, Mike Robinson stole a line out the resulting maul was neatly controlled by stand in scrum half Matt Arnold. The first choice tight head rolled off to create the smallest of opening for Mike Palfrey to drive over from 7 meters to score his first try for the club.

Half time 6-10.

Malmesbury, keen not to be dominated, started very strongly and continued to test Calne’s pack. A good steal in the line out by Trev Wicks was cleared by Mike Smith to relieve the pressure and give Calne the territorial advantage. Moments later Calne turned over their opposition and Mike Smith put in a delicate little grubber kick for winger Mike Benson to chase. Benson had to catch and pass two covering defenders, as the nicely weighted kick stayed in the in goal area, to get his first try in only his second start for the club. Mike Palfrey took, and scored, the difficult conversion attempt.

From a Calne line out on Malmesbury’s 22 Mike Robinson collected Pete McGarry’s quick ball to out pace the covering flanker, dummy past the fly half to leave the full back standing with a superb side step and score between the posts. This made a hat trick of first tries for the club all of which were appropriately punished later that evening. Palfrey missed the much easier conversion. Unfortunately, his team mates did not miss the opportunity to ridicule him.

Malmesbury will be a welcome and very competitive addition to the league next year and with a little extra aggression and a few more options in the backs, they will soon become a formidable foe indeed.

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