Melbourne come good on Derby Uni 3G pitch

With the Cockshut lane pitches still unplayable, the fixture was arranged at Derby Universitys 3G pitch. Melbourne started strongly with Joe Stuart crossing for a Try in the 1st 2 minutes. With a strong wind and rain falling, handling was difficult on the greasy surface. Mansfield never really looked like scoring a Try but missed a couple of penalties. Euan extended the lead with a penalty for a 8-0 half time lead. Melbourne lost Tommy Howard to a suspected broken jaw. Playing the second half with the elements was not much easier. Another penalty saw an 11-0 lead before John Marchbank received a yellow card, Dan Walker returning to the fray after his shoulder injury. 2 late Trys from Will Judge and Devon Iliffe, both converted, saw Melbourne extend the lead to 25-0 but they could not find the bonus point Try. MOTM John Marchbank