This result cemented their creditable 3rd place in Counties 2 Somerset behind league winners Midsomer Norton and runners-up Clevedon.

In blustery conditions, Avon made a perfect start as a break from Ali Kingdon gave the scoring pass to winger Arnold Jarvis who sprinted in behind the posts. Rob Fitch converted and shortly afterwards also added a penalty. Intense midfield pressure then saw a dropped ball from an Imperial attack which was hacked through to allow Jarvis to win the race for the touchdown.

The abrasive Imperial side claimed a consolation try before stand-in captain Ian Burnell burst through and quickly recycled the ball where Ollie Flight exploited a blindside gap to surge over near the posts. 2 more conversions from Fitch gave a 24-5 lead at half time.

In the second half, Avon ran riot with a further 6 tries. With Fitch and Flight utilising the wind to devasting effect, Avon showed their strength in depth despite missing around 9 regular squad members. As the new combinations settled, Avon’s superiority and confidence grew in parallel with Jarvis completing his hat-trick after yet another powerful run from Dan Cousineau.

Clean line out possession from Ben May then saw Flight snipe through from the back of the resultant maul for his second try. Shortly afterwards May himself was then the beneficiary after Ed Boulton won the line out to set up a driving maul to create the position for the touchdown.

With replacements, Ben Crane, Andy Mead and Dave Rutter off the bench, the scores continued to flow. A fantastic 70 metre run from Will Bartholomew ended with an amazing individual try, then further forward pressure led by Chaz Meddick saw Flight steal across the line for his own hat-trick in a man-of-the-match performance.

Imps added a late second try before Avon had the last word as James Leeming marked his return after several years unavailability with a try in the corner from the last play of the game.

With the league matches now over, Avon’s focus turns to the Bath Combination Vase when they host Bradford on Avon on Wednesday 16th April with a 7:30pm kick off under the lights at Hicks Field.