Avon Poke Hornets Nest

Trailing by 5 points in the 8th minute of added time, Avon launched one final attack, swarming into the Hornets defence as recycled ball saw Rob Fitch cut a lovely line before a sumptuous offload out of the tackle to the predatory Matt Thresher who scampered over between the posts for the decisive try. Fitch slotted the conversion to silence the buzz from the large vocal crowd, leaving Hornets stunned and Avon celebrating at the final whistle.

Although the win came late, it was well-deserved as Avon had earlier spurned 3 try scoring chances on the line – firstly after the grounding wasn’t clear from a massive line out drive and twice afterwards as the ball was dislodged in the tackle over the line.

With the two teams positioned in 3rd and 4th places in the Counties 2 Somerset league beforehand, the match was a cagey affair as both sides largely cancelled each other out with some excellent defence.

Avon had taken an early lead with a Fitch penalty before getting caught too narrow, allowing Hornets to spread the ball wide for a simple run in on the left wing. With Hornets demonstrating some crisp handling in the backs and their Polish international number 8 Eryk Luczka threatening up front, they extended their lead with their second try after a blindside break from half way.

Fitch closed the gap with a penalty to leave the score at 12-6 at half time. As Hornets aggressive line speed in defence closed down Avon’s attacking options through midfield, Fitch then produced a wonderful break back inside before releasing the supporting Kiddie Sheikh to surge over the try line. A Fitch conversion gave Avon a narrow 13-12 lead.

Sensing that their expansive game was coming unstuck against Avon’s competitive defence, Hornets elected to kick two penalties to open up an 18-13 lead as the match approached its denouement. Then came the sting in the tail as Avon recorded a momentous victory.