Casuals 36 Aylestone St James 6

Casuals overwhelm Jimmies, and complete double
A vastly improved performance saw Casuals dominate this game,and and see off a spirited Jimmies side.
The forwards improved their scrummaging and the lineout, and the tackling was far more secure than it had been for several weeks.
New No 8. Tim McNaughton opened the scoring with Higgins adding the second try.
Steve Sarno, Steve Naylor, Joe Barton and Jonny Morris all touched down in the 2nd half to give Casuals a well deserved bonus point win.

Casuals had been exerting pressure deep in Jimmies 22, and were rewarded by a couple of penalties.
Casuals opted for the scrum, and when they pushed the visitors back over the line, Tim McNaughton had the easy task of touching down. (Reward for his performance last week)

A few minutes later, more of the same. Casuals should have scored on the first attack, but instead got a penalty, from which again they opted to scrummage.
This time the ball went across field and as a ruck developed, Mark Higgins quickly grabbed the ball from the base, and shot through for the try, which he converted himself.

Just after the ½ hour mark Jimmies scored a couple of penalties, to briefly narrow the margin, and that was the end of the first half.

At this point the game was stopped for a period as Ian Slater was left prone after a scrum (poor engagement, nothing sinister) but fortunately he was up and running around after several anxious minutes. Turned out, he just needed a rest.

The game went backwards and forwards for a while, but when Casuals forced their way into Jimmies 22, Steve Sarno charged down an attempted clearance kick, and it sat up beautifully for him to romp over for the try. Higgins again converted.

Jimmies weren’t really getting much of a look in, try as they might, Casuals shutting out most attacks through their much improved defence.
Both sides managed to drop balls at crucial times, but fortunately it was the boys from Leicester who suffered most from the affliction.

Casuals got back into Jimmies territory thanks to a penalty to touch, and when Casuals easily won possession, the ball went down the line to Steve Naylor who blasted his way to the line, securing the try bonus point.

A kick into the corner from yet another penalty set up the next score, and when the ball was recycled a couple of times through ruck and maul, it was Joe Barton, in his typically robust style, who barged through the hapless defenders on his way to the line, touching down, but not before he got his nose bloodied for his troubles. Apparently he deliberately head butted a fist.

The final try went to Jonny Morris. Casuals pressure again in the 3’s led to ball being dropped by Jimmies defence, and the ball was quickly scooped up to Morris, who had the simplest of run ins . Higgins finished off with the conversion.

A most satisfying win, after a run of somewhat less than scintillating games, but should have proved that good possession will win most games. Obviously the scrummaging session had the desired effect.