Nottingham Casuals 19   Melton Mowbray  14

Saturday 28th November 2015
RFU Midlands Division Intermediate Cup

Nottingham Casuals 19   Melton Mowbray  14

Casuals win the tie in a spirited 2nd half comeback 

Casuals welcomed their old foe, Midlands East South Division 2 league leaders, Melton Mowbray to Canalside in the RFU cup, and after a terse first half, Casuals rallied and dumped Melton out of the cup. After mixed results in the league against Melton in previous seasons, Casuals knew the threat that Melton posed, and they soon realised the task they were going to face.
Casuals had a couple of players returning to bolster the forwards, but the backs were reshuffled, with Paul Greensmith coming in at scrum half, and Gareth Davies-Jones moving to stand off, a combination that jelled well, Greensmith supplying the backs with steady ball.
Melton's forwards were a handful at the scrums, and Casuals were forced to retreat on their put-ins.

Melton, playing with a strong wind in their favour, missed a penalty kick at goal after only one minute, but they soon made amends when they crossed out wide, to take a 7 point lead.
Casuals came back strongly and threatened Melton's line for at least 10 minutes, but with no joy, and when Casuals gave away a penalty, Melton put the kick deep downfield to Casuals' 22, and shortly after they increase their lead with another converted try.
The only real action after that came from the referee when he yellow carded a player from each side after a handbagging incident, a simple case of shirt tugging which was perceived as sufficient for both to have a rest for 10 minutes.

The 14 point lead at half time, did not seem sufficient, considering the influence of the wind, and so it proved. With the rain making handling very difficult, and the pitch becoming very slippy, it became a bit of a lottery. 
Casuals then lost a second player to the sin bin when their tight head Hawkins was deemed to have caused a collapse at a scrum. 
Fortunately Melton were not able to capitalise on their advantage, as Casuals kept up the pressure   Every time Melton got anywhere near Casuals line they lost possession as Casuals determined defence kept them at bay, and they had to thank Gareth Davies-Jones for his howitzer like kicks to keep Melton pinned back.
Casuals posted their first try when centre James Wood capitalised after stealing the ball from a Melton player’s hands, and broke through the cover to go in. 
Davies-Jones added the conversion. 
Substitute winger Alex Walkden then further increased Casuals' lead when he picked up a pass, and showed the defence a clean pair of heels to race in for try, with Davies-Jones converting superbly, to draw the scores level.
Casuals began to cause Melton problems, and their defence became ragged in the face of the pressure.
Melton then completely messed up after a speculative kick from D-J, and Ben Hallam chased after the ball as it was hacked on, and he outstripped the defenders to joyfully drop on the ball for the winning try. The kick from wide out hit the upright, emphasising the winds influence on the game.

Casuals saw out the rest of the game comfortably to progress to the next round, rewarding them for their display in the second half, and halting their run of defeats.
It was nice to see their smiling faces, that despite the dreadful conditions, they had the spirit and will to see off some very spirited opponents.