Another Saturday, another titanic contest, another huge stride forward for the Junior Colts A XV! In a classic 'game of two halves', Sherborne clung on to the interval, before utterly dominating the second period, only to be denied victory with the final play of the day.

Despite Sherborne's fast start, it was our guests who made the most of playing with wind and sun at their backs in the first half. The home side had its moments but Marlborough were canny at the breakdown, too often isolating the ball carrier, and dominating possession, territory and scoreboard as a result. A 0-10 deficit at the break, and some forceful words in the half time huddle, pointed to the need for an immediate response as battle recommenced.

Within moments of the restart, the home side had its wish, as Harry B produced another brilliant long range finish to narrow the gap. Having nailed the conversion, Hector H then slotted a long-range penalty and, in the blink of an eye, the scores were level at 10 points apiece. Suddenly, it was all Sherborne, and Marlborough were definitely wilting - both from the heat, and from the increased intensity and sharpness of the light blue backs in particular. Now it was the home side's turn to dominate the breakdown and the penalty count, with Fin G proving particularly effective, whilst a scintillating break from Christian P, some excellent handling from Ptolemy G and a raking touch finder from JP T ensured that we continued to play on the front foot. A second try from Harry B followed - again demonstrating how hard it is to defend against sharp footwork and genuine pace - and Sherborne led with fifteen minutes left on the clock.

They still led with one minute remaining, albeit only through some desperate goal-line defence, but finally the light blue wall cracked as Marlborough attacked again and again to go over from close range. A difficult conversion remained but the nervelessly-taken kick tied the scores at 17-17 as the final whistle sounded. Either side might have won, but a draw was, on balance, the right result - one which was fully appreciated by a capacity crowd, as well as representing a considerable improvement on last year's scoreline.

With the exeat approaching, the boys are next in action on Thursday afternoon, away at King's Taunton. Do join us if you can...

Tries:      Harry B (2)

Cons:      Hector H (2)

Pen:       Hector H