Much of the first half was fairly even but Avon proved their own worst enemies as two interceptions allowed Saints to score two converted tries. They also did not make enough use of the swirling wind to force their opponents into the clubhouse corner.

Yet Avon always kept in touch and also scored two well-taken tries themselves. 2nd row forward Ed Higgins achieved several notable firsts – he made his 1st team debut at the age of 46, scored their opening try with an excellent line off a short pass and collected the man-of-the-match award for an all-action performance. Matt Thresher added their second try after a Will Bartholomew burst and a simple miss ball in the backs created an inviting overlap.

Rob Fitch slotted a conversion but another converted try saw Saints with a 21 – 12 lead at half time. For the next 15 minutes, the match remained scoreless but there were worrying signs as Bernadettes used the wind to create promising field positions and started to find gaps to exploit the sometimes disjointed defence. Eventually Avon’s resistance crumbled as they conceded another try from a short penalty.

This filled Saints with confidence as they started to play on the front foot, moving the ball wide with freedom to a surplus of supporting players. Avon were forced into desperate defence but as their injuries mounted, the continual pressure took its toll as the home side ran in another 4 tries to put the result well beyond doubt.

To their credit, Avon never gave up and responded with a final attack at the other end which resulted in Zak Harwood crashing over for a consolation try, again converted by Fitch. With time running out, they desperately hoped for a 4th try bonus point but to no avail as St Bernadettes triumphed by 50 points to 19.

With only 3 matches remaining, Avon play their final home match on Saturday as they face Keynsham II at Hicks Field.