Casuals left empty handed

Midlands 3 East (North)

Nottingham Casuals 19 Ashbourne 29

Casuals let slip a golden opportunity to strengthen their top of the table spot, when after leading briefly, they let Ashbourne in for 4 tries.
10 points up in the first 10 minutes through a Higgins penalty, and then a converted superb Brelsford try, Casuals did not reckon with Ashbourne’s determination.
First some awful tackling gave Ashbourne a run in through the centre from their own half, for the first try, then Casuals compounded their misery when Ashbourne won a ball against the head , which led to their 2nd.
Early in the 2nd half Ashbourne took further advantage of Casuals ineptitude in defence to cross for a 3rd try, somewhat fortuitously helped by a blatant obstruction .
Higgins pulled the scores level with 3 penalties, but Ashbourne turned on the gas late on and added another converted try and a penalty to pull clear, and Casuals were left in the cold without even a bonus point.
A salutory lesson for Casuals, and more so for those who took the afternoon off to follow other pursuits, leaving their colleagues to suffer the misery of defeat.
Not a game that Simon Roberts will want to remember, but for a different reason, as he suffered a dislocated ankle, and a lower leg fracture, right at the death.

Hope you make a swift recovery.