Gloucester Three

Fairford 29

Norton 13

HAVING trounced Gloucester All Blues on their return to league rugby last weekend, Fairford maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a resounding win over Norton.

Despite clear dominance in the early stages, Fairford couldn't quite click and were punished with two Norton penalties to give the visitors a 6-0 lead.

Unfazed, the home side showed great character to bounce back with two tries before the break. Charlie Bailey continued his good form, crossing the line for an excellent team try, and skipper Ben Goodey then claimed a score after fly half Ben Cohoon found him with a creative offload.

After a clear half-time team talk from coach Kurt Eyre, Fairford continued to have territorial advantage in the second period, getting the upper hand in the lineouts with good work from Pete Mason, Laurence Lynch and the gargantuan Olly Jenkins.

Midway through the half Fairford scored another try, Cohoon again setting up the chance for Goodey to saunter through the Norton defence.

Fairford's next two scores were vintage in every sense. Jenkins set up an excellent maul in midfield which allowed the evergreen Chris Tanner to apply the finishing touches and secure the bonus point for the hosts.

The final try was scored by Mike Bowman who capped a mature performance and rolled back the years to drive over from five metres out which put the result beyond doubt.

Norton did score a consolation try late on after a mismatch on the blindside.