Good Start to the New Year!

Royal Wootton Bassett 17pts
Drybrook R.F.C 23pts

Drybrook travelled to the impressive Wootton Bassett ground and in gloomy conditions came away with a valuable four points to lift them off the bottom of the table and keep them in touch with the pack of clubs just above them.
Wootton started the game kicking left to right and a knock on gave the home team the early advantage to launch an assault on the Drybrook line. Good defence and a fine break by big Will Greenway eased the pressure and from there Drybrook set about a siege like barrage against the Wootton XV.
From a line-out on the home twenty-two Drybrook surged forward and took the ball over the try line only for the ref to disallow the score for an indiscretion on the floor.
Undeterred Drybrook came straight back and a fine break by Tom Treherne earned the visitors their first shot at goal, which Treherne duly converted, to give the visitors a three – nil lead on eleven minutes.
Drybrook continued to press and were unfortunate not to increase their lead when another Treherne penalty faded right of the posts.
Wootton did their best to rally, but a typical big hit from Mitch Hale led to a turn-over ball which should have given the away team a bigger advantage, they were again held up and the Wooton defenders were able to clear with a goal line drop out.
On the half-hour mark Drybrook again went close but a fine last-ditch tackle saw the Drybrook winger forced into touch.

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The defensive lineout was turned over and this time there was no denying the visitors as the ball was moved across the backs for Ryan Chapel to fly in at the corner. Treherne made amends for his earlier miss with a fine touch-line conversion to give the Foresters a deserved ten-point lead.
Drybrook continued to apply all the pressure and were again held up over the line. The Wootton defence was under increasing pressure and they picked up their first yellow card following a spate of penalties in their own twenty-two. The kick from the penalty failed to hit the mark and Drybrooks ten – nil lead at the break was very scant reward for the amount of pressure they had applied.
The start of the second half was like a replay of the first with Drybrook attacking and Wootton hanging on. After two minutes of play the Wootton outside-half stopped a Drybrook score by deliberately knocking on and received a yellow for his misdemeanour.
Drybrook took full advantage of the Wootton lack of numbers with man of the match Mitch Bourne picking up at the back of an advancing scrum to score. Treherne converted and the away team took their advantage to seventeen points with forty-six minutes played.
Wootton were at last afforded some possession and a penalty award saw them gain a lineout five yards from the Drybrook line. A well worked catch and drive took them over the line for a converted score.
Drybrook increased their lead on twenty-five

minutes when Wootton failed to roll away in the tackle.
Any confidence the large visiting support held of this being an easy victory was put to the test in the final ten minutes when Wootton first scored from another catch and drive following a yellow card for replacement Mitch Renton.
The visitors did kick a significant penalty through the boot of Treherne to increase the margin to twenty-three points to twelve, but Wootton came back and were able to press the visitors following some bewildering decisions from the official.
Firstly he penalised Bailey Watts for not releasing the ball in the tackle, despite there being no defenders in sight and then he yellow carded Danny Price, for what looked from the touchline, a text-book stripping of the ball from the attacking player.
It was Wootton who now held the numerical advantage and they made the most of it with another try on the seventy-nine-minute mark.
Drybrook, though, were in no mood to let this one slip from their grasp and controlled the last minutes to record a well-deserved twenty-three – seventeen victory. Wootton for their part will have been pleased to have picked up a bonus point in a game which should have been well out of their sight.
Drybrook will look to be more clinical, but can be happy in their performance and a good away victory, giving them confidence for next weeks home game against Bournemouth.

Drive on Dry!