Melbourne secure bonus point win beating Bakewell 25-7

Trys - Rob Foster, Tommy Howard, Ash Corden and Theo De Vies. 5 points from Euan Holden

Ian Masters MOTM - Olly Page

MELBOURNE RETURN TO COCKSHUT LANE WITH A BONUS POINT WIN

Score 25-7

For once the sun was out and the pitch was playable for the first time at home since December. Melbourne kicked off the game and applied early pressure towards Bakewell. When Melbourne played away to Bakewell we never got out the blocks early and ended up conceding many points early on, however the contrast in the home fixture was huge. Hard work from the forwards and some good build up phases eventually paid off as Theo went over in the corner. A few minutes later, after more pressure was applied, Melbourne were able to walk away with a further 3 points from Euans boot, in front of the posts.
Bakewell began to play wiser rugby and kept possession for a short while, eventually scoring off a well worked, pre planned move. Melbourne had managed to iron out a lot of faults and handling errors from the previous week, and looked a lot more in control of the play throughout. A great break from Jacob Watts was stopped just short of the Bakewell line with ball being held up. Good tracking from Rob Foster allowed him to latch onto a maul and sneak his way over the line (which I’m not too sure he knew exactly where it was!)
Half time 15-7.
A less of a telling off this week from Ian Masters at the half time talk, a couple of changes, and then the game was restarted. Bakewell kept coming at Melbourne, however a strong defence which has been highly improved over the last few games managed to keep them out. There were a few minutes of play where both teams were sloppy and gifted each other possession, giving offloads and passes in situations that we didn’t need to.
Melbourne stuck to their game plan, keeping the ball tight for a few phases trying to break down the Bakewell side. A nicely contested ruck meant Alec Judge walked off with a finger which was at 90 degrees and can only be described as a gruesome break. Melbourne managed to sneak over the line again with a try, followed by a great conversion from Euan Holden. In the last play of the game, Melbourne were able to get the much needed bonus point try from Ashley Corden after some lovely interchanges of passes through the hands. Final score, 25-7.
Melbourne showed much improvement from the previous weeks match, and played with a lot more control. A solid win for the green army!