Matlock 2nds 7 v Belper 1st Xv 17

Belper at last found their feet showing that good disciplined rugby can pay dividends.

Belper fielded a much changed team with 2 debutants coming in, started the game brightly with the forwards bossing the opening throes with a young front row working well together Coombes and Holmes holding firm and Gratton disrupting the opposition's put-ins.

Matlock nearly caught Belper on the break on a couple of occasions with Wilson tackling back on the first occasion to stop the opposition's winger just short of the line and then Holmes tackling the opposite winger and dumping him into touch.

Despite Belper's pressures Matlock's young players held firm and at Half time the score remained 0-0

The second half saw Matlock coming out strong with some good movement in the backs and good ball retention, the scrum started to be commanded by the Matlock forwards with Belper being driven backwards on a couple of occasions almost losing their put-ins.

10 minutes into the second half Shepherd was put in the corner following some goood rucking play from the forwards, Coombes picked up in the scrum half position fed Dymond who spun the ball out to England who drew the attentions of 2 defenders to pop the ball out to Shepherd who sprinted in to score near the corner.

Belper made a couple of substitutions with Harron and Wilson being replaced by Tennick and Ryan, within seconds of the substitution Matlock put them selves ahead with Belper over committing in the ruck, Matlocks scrum half sneaked through a gap at the back of the ruck and popped the ball to the 10 who spun the ball into the center's path for him tocrash through Belper's defence like a knife through butter. Matlock converted the try to give them a 7-5 lead.

With only 15 minutes left Belper did something which they have failed to do in recent weeks, pick their heads up and fight back, and they did in some style with the hard working Sissons and Bartrum running the ball at the Matlock forwards and supporting each other well and it was Sissons whos hard work paid off when he popped up wide of Belper's centers to run in a try following 2 quick phases of play, with Tennick crashing into the Matlock centers, Belpers forwards recycled the ball quickly and Dymond switched well with England who fed Sissons to pile over to give Belper a 10-7 lead with 5 minutes on the clock.

Matlock wouldnt lie down and from the restart attacked Belper, driving deep into Belper's half, with the ball spinning out to the backs and only a last ditch tackle from Blackwell saw them fail to score. Following the tackle Belper cleared the ball down field for a line out, Lyon disrupted the line and the ball spun back to Gratton who sprinted forwards and popped out to Dymond who kicked up field, and Tennick chased the ball down knocking the defender out of his way to take the ball on and float a pass to his left over the top of the following defender to Harron who sprinted in to score next to the posts. Dymond then slotted the conversion to give Belper a well but hard fought victory.