Gloucester Div Three

Tredworth 41

Minchinhampton 7

TREDWORTH claimed a bonus-point victory against Minchinhampton on Saturday to all but secure promotion from Gloucester 3.

Refreshed by a decent win the previous week, Minch arrived in Gloucester to find Tredworth laying out a surprisingly wide pitch, on which the Minch squad were left to warm up alone.

A quiet away changing room perhaps reflected a misplaced complacency before the game, with Tredworth’s last players only taking the field as the game kicked off.

From the start Minch conceded possession through simple errors, allowing Tredworth to create a try from nothing within minutes; simple missed tackles were primarily to blame.

Before Minch could respond, Tredworth were over again, this time picking up from only a yard out, and Minch continued to concede possession throughout the first quarter. Following Tredworth’s third try Minch finally rallied and put together some phases, with Chris Guest hitting an excellent line through midfield to score under the posts.

This proved to be Minch’s only moment in the game, Tredworth taking charge again immediately after half-time.

Their offload game worked well, their determined runners broke tackles, and their high kicks to the wings took full advantage of the space their groundsman had created, leaving Minch’s back three exposed.

Minch’s injury count will affect their final few games with two players possibly sitting the remainder of the season, while others struggled to complete this match.

There is also a feeling within the Minch ranks that some attitudes need to improve, both before and during games, as performances fluctuate wildly from one week to the next.