Old Northamptonians secured their first double of the season as they scored 28 unanswered second-half points in a 35-20 win Kettering.
ONs trailed 20-7 at the break, their only points coming from a Jack Bradbury try, converted by Alex Rose.
Whatever was said during the ONs half-time team talk produced the desired result and they began to dominate the match.
Rose landed a penalty and followed it minutes later with another successful kick after the ONs pack had driven the opposition back 25 metres and also produced a yellow card for Kettering prop Josh Cox.
With their numerical advantage it was now all ONs.
The forwards again drove the ball on and when it was released and moved across field Rory Seymour slid a kick behind the defence and touched down his own kick and Rose converted to level the scores.
The restart went straight out and from the ensuing scrum Mills picked up and made ground before the ONs pack took control, forcing a penalty which Rose put between the posts.
The ONs’ third try again followed a series of forward drives and when the ball was released Rose’s pass gave Jake Spencer the opportunity to power over for a well-taken score.
Rose converted, missed a relatively easy penalty before Kettering lifted the siege, kicking long for their first visit to the ONs’ half in the second period apart from restarts.
The danger was cleared and after the ONs eight had rumbled forward with Joe Hawksworth prominent, Ash Fullthorpe broke and made 20 metres,the ball was recycled and precise passing put Rose over for the bonus point try and a 35-20 lead.
There was still time for Kettering to attempt a catch-and-drive near to the opposition line but they were stopped, while at the other end a series of scrums and penalties took the ONs close but they were unable to force their way over.
Gould treble inspires Mens Own to vital victory
Chris Gould scored a hat-trick of tries as Mens Own secured a vital 19-13 victory over fellow Midlands Three East (South) strugglers Old Newtonians.
In heavy conditions it was Newts who had the better start and an early penalty on four minutes saw them take a 3-0 lead.
Newts’ strong pick-and-drive forwards game saw them camped near the Own line which after 17 minutes resulted in the first try of the day with the conversion making the score 10-0.
A penalty two minutes later made it 13-0 in Newts’ favour.
Own fought back into the game with the forwards playing better and the backs making breaks, particularly by James Reynolds and Stuart Brown.
This led to Newts being held on their own line and with Own now dominating in the scrum they were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty try when Newts’ scrum-half appeared to dive in the back of the scrum to prevent the try.
Penalties were awarded to Own, who opted for scrums, eventually resulting in the ever-busy Chris Gould picking up at No. 8 and driving over in the corner for a try to make matters look better at 13-5.
Ben Briddon had to leave the field injured with a broken arm, replaced by Nick Brown who gave a very good account of himself.
Half time came with the score at 13-5 but Own were playing much better and now looked like they wanted to win.
In the second half, Mens Own had the advantage of the wind which for once they used well and with the pack continuing to dominate particularly in the scrum.
After 44 minutes, Chris Gould powered over for his second try with the Matt Brace conversion making it 13-12.
The backs played their part with breaks to keep Newts in their own half and strong tackling in defence.
Own continued to wear Newts down and on 53 minutes following a lot of pressure by Own a quick ball was passed out and Gould popped up in the centre to go over for his third try again converted by Brace to make it 19-13.
An Own error when attacking in Newts’ 22 saw Newts get the ball cleared to near the Own line with a kick and chase, it was Stuart Brown who got back to save the day by going down on the ball and gathering it.
He got to his feet and was strong enough to hold on to it until the support arrived.
Mens Own IIs suffered a rare defeat, losing 10-0 at Brackley IIs.
Powell at double as Scouts beat Vipers
Old Scouts saw off Vipers 22-13 in a game that was not a classic by any stretch of the imagination. Scouts’ tries came from Tom Powell (2) and Matt Brown.
Tows well beaten by Ilkeston
Tows’ difficult run of matches against the top-three sides continued on Saturday as they travelled to Ilkeston and suffered a 34-15 defeat.
The home team’s first-half performance really brought Tows back down to earth as their tackling, which had been so strong in the past two matches, let them down against the strong running Ilks backs.
Tows’ second string thrashed Milton Keynes IIs 130-0, while the IIIs beat Dunstablians 55-5. Tows’ colts team lost 27-17 at Buckingham.
Heathens celebrate much-needed win
Heathens celebrated a long-awaited merit table win when they overcame a spirited Wellingborough IIIs 31-17 in the Courage Best League of the Wells Bombardier merit tables at the Racecourse.
Heathens’ tries came from Mark Allison, Daryl Richards, Dan Stonehouse, Pete Evans and Ash Brown. Gavin Cottrell converted three of them.
Brackley go further clear at the top
Brackley edged a further point clear at the top of Midlands Four East (South) with an emphatic 53-0 win at Thorney – their third clean sheet in a row.
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