Old Northamptonians moved into the second round of the Alliance Cup with a 19-5 victory over local rivals Casuals at Rushmills on Saturday.
They started brightly and were 12-0 up inside 20 minutes but for the following 50 minutes were unable to increase this advantage and find a way through a determined defence.
The sun shone, there was no wind and the pitch was perfect; conditions that should have suited the ONs but they failed to play with any of the pace or the precision that they showed in their last game.
Casuals kicked off but the ONs were soon ahead when Rhys Hughes managed to steal the opposition throw-in at a lineout and plough over.
Alex Rose converted but was unable to add the two points to the ONs’ second try, scored by Rory Seymour following good work from Dan Napier.
It was another 50 minutes before they managed their third as Fernely Simmonds touched down and Tom Goodman landed an excellent conversion from the touchline.
On the final whistle a Casuals try made the final score 19-5 but the ONs know that they will have to show a vast improvement if they are to take anything from their next Midlands One East fixture, at Newark on Saturday.
ONs’ B team were edged out 25-23 by Stewarts & Lloyds’ second string.
The ONs scored tries from Rick Ansell, Grant Kearns and Jason Edmunds. Phil Kentish added two penalties and a conversion.
Coalville 29 Old Scouts 19
Old Scouts produced an improved display but it couldn’t prevent them from being knockout out of the Intermediate Cup by Coalville.
The previous week Scouts squandered several try-scoring opportunities to lose 20-12 to Wellingborough.
And they returned to cup action against a strong Coalville side who are flying high at the top of their respective league.
With a much-improved attitude and a few positional changes in the forwards, Scouts produced a workmanlike performance in a 29-19 defeat.
Pick of the Scouts perormances came from Mozza, Toby Chambers, Russell Lynch and Tom Powell.
Lynch scored two of Scouts’ tries, with Powell getting the other. Adam Frost converted two of them.
Deepings 34 Mens Own 17
Mens Own paid the price for missed chances as they were beaten 34-17 by Deepings.
Own had the better of the first half and were awarded a penalty try after 10 minutes when captain Craig Wilson was stamped in the face while touching the ball down following a strong drive by the pack.
The Deepings No.8, who was not the culprit, took the sin-binning for the stamp and Wilson was binned for pushing the player who stamped on his face.
Matt Brace kicked the conversion and play restarted with a penalty to Deepings for Wilson’s retaliation on the halfway line.
The Own had four or five try-scoring opportunities in the first half with strong running from the backs but last-ditch defence by Deepings prevented any further scores and it was Deepings who scored on 42 minutes with a converted try.
The second half started with a penalty to Deepings after two minutes to make it 10-7.
Deepings went further ahead on 48 minutes with a converted try.
Adam Baker finished off a good break by the Own backs to put them back in the game with the score at 17-12 after 51 minutes.
But the Own were making a lot of mistakes and were losing the ball in the tackle, resulting in Deepings winning a lot of turnover ball. A penalty followed by an interception try then a breakaway try – both converted – made the score 34-12 after 78 minutes and Own were beaten.
Ian Evans scored the last try on 80 minutes.
Brackley 22 Milton Keynes 24
A break in the SSE Midlands league programme gave a Brackley XV, drawn from first and second team players, the chance to entertain Milton Keynes II at home on Saturday.
And what an entertaining fixture it was.
Having allowed the visitors to draw clear by 19 points at the interval, Brackley reeled them in during a pulsating second half, only failing by a whisker to overhaul the deficit.
With both teams scoring four tries, the winning margin came down to Milton Keynes’ superior strike rate of two conversions to one.
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