Westbury edge Bassett in thrilling away victory

Westburytravelled to Royal Wootton Bassett knowing they were in for a tough challenge, with the home side unbeaten in their last four games. Both teams observed a two-minute silence to honour the fallen service men and women who gave so much for our country.

RWB kicked off and quickly turned the ball over, attacking well. A penalty was awarded, and they opted for a kick at goal, but the attempt was unsuccessful. Westbury then went on the attack and after some good phase play, they were awarded a penalty. Sione Binks stepped up and successfully slotted the kick to give Westbury the first points of the game, 0–3. 

RWB responded quickly from the restart, scoring the first try of the match. The conversion was missed, making it 5–3. The visitors knew they had to be more ruthless and began to control the game. From a penalty, scrum-half Rhys Baker tapped quickly, dodged several tackles, and dived over for the try. Sione added the extras, taking the score to 5–10. 

Westbury struck again when number 8 Fraser Moore crossed the line, making it two tries in his first two games. Sione was once more successful with the conversion, extending the lead to 5–17 with 20 minutes played. 

However, the travelling side were soon guilty of switching off, and Bassett scored three unanswered tries – converting one – in what was a poor 20-minute spell for Westbury, ending the half 22–17, with the home team already securing their try bonus point. 

Westbury kicked off the second-half, but RWB quickly extended their lead with another converted try to make it 29–17. 

Scrum-half Rhys Baker was forced off with an injury, and replacement Joe Heywood was eager to make his mark. Westbury dug deep and regained control. After a flowing move and excellent interlink play, Joe crashed over for his first try for the club. Sione added the conversion to close the gap to 29–24. RWB responded with a penalty, stretching their lead to 32–24. 

Westbury began to dominate the contact area, marching up the pitch with renewed intensity. From the base of a ruck, Tom Redman powered over for another try, with Sione converting to make it 32–31. The try bonus was secured, but the visitors still trailed by one point. 

Both sides threw everything into attack. Bassett opted for the posts from a penalty, extending their lead to 35–31. 

Westbury, however, hadn’t travelled to leave empty-handed. From a scrum, number 8 Fraser Moore picked and went, crashing through defenders to score his second try of the day. The conversion was missed, but Westbury led 35–36 with seven minutes remaining. 

The home team threw everything at Westbury in the closing stages, but the visitors held firm, controlling the game well to seal a hard-fought win and a valuable five points on the road. Every player stood up and gave everything for the team. 

Man of the Match: Ryan Knight – for his outstanding defensive work. 

Report: Jack Bates

Photo: James Booth Photography