A dogged and determined defensive effort from Calne was enough to see off title contenders Minety, after centre Guthrie Holliday broke the home team’s defence to score in the 3rd minute.

The early try shook Minety who were looking to make a good account of themselves on their hospitality day. Winger Johnny Hope-Smith set the try up following Minety’s rather telegraphed and laboured backline move. Hope-Smith read the play and collected the interception. The winger nearly scored himself save for a last ditch tap tackle. Fortunately, support was at hand and Holliday’s instincts were sharp as he made the Minety defence look cumbersome on his way around four players.

Calne were unlucky not to extend their lead to 14 following an off the ball penalty try claim, as Holliday was taken down short of the line without the ball, following a cleaver kick and chase from new signing Stuart Boswell.

As the first half found its feet, so did the Minety pack. Out weighing their Calne counterparts by at least a stone per man, Minety’s big guys started to impose some control on the game. With some well executed driving and rolling mauls Minety at times looked unstoppable. Only sheer grit and determination, on Calne’s part, managed to stem what physics says shouldn’t be stoppable.

The heroic efforts of Calne’s veteran front row earned Mark Edward, Mick Dyer and Mat Arnold a combined man of the match award. The front row was hard pushed for the award after inspiring performances from captain and scrum half Andrew Donegan and No. 8 Alan Wicks. Who found a way of not only dealing with a fast retreating scrum, but somehow managed to turn their symbiotic relationship an the rear of the scrum in to an advantage. They caught the opposition backrow out on numerous occasions with their quickly shipped ball.

Young wingers Mike Robinson and Johnny Hope-Smith put in their best performances to date. Their stand out defensive contributions aided the team’s rear guard action. Robinson tamed a much larger opponent, whilst Hope-Smith went looking for work in rucks and mauls and humbled Minety’s giant 2nd row with an awesome dump tackle.

The two teams contrasting styles failed to produce a spectacle for the healthy crowd. Minety managed to stifle Calne’s exciting backs through their powerful forward play. Calne found themselves in a full rear guard action as the first half came to an end, but managing to hang on.

The 2nd half became a long and drawn out affair. Minety suffered a plethora of injuries with the official adding on time in each instance. The 60 minute half was a scoreless stalemate, which took its physical toll on players and a mental toll on supporters. Despite Minety’s best efforts, Calne held on for a memorable win which sets up a top of the table encounter next Saturday against the league’s pace setters, Supermarine.

Final Score. Minety 0 Calne 7

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