Southwell made it 12 games unbeaten after a commanding win away against Belper.

The red men travelled into the depths of Derbyshire at the start of Feb looking to push on from an impressive performance against Mellish. The backline was much changed after two of our 3 musketeers at the back were away. In addition, Prop Cureton opted for free nutrition at a local baby shower (how American), meaning he missed out. A big miss but luckily our versatility came to the fore to cope. The big and ugly combination of Hughes and Barker dropped in at 10 and 12 whilst Wilson shifted to the full back position. Sam “Snakehips” Hill the other addition on the wing. The back three certainly weren’t short of some handy footwork.

The Well got off to a good start with some good possession before the dancer Broughton managed to weave his way through early doors to add yet another try to his Season tally. The “Barrell with Legs” Sam Garratt added another shortly after to make it 10-0 in no time. Wilson clearly left his kicking boots at Southwell, as he failed to convert either. Belper dug in for a period, but Southwell’s discipline and accuracy at the breakdown meant they never gained much momentum. Southwell’s kamikaze twins of Stevo and Machin well on top at the breakdown. Southwell’s dominance continued as the new 10 Hughes snuffled an interception on the half way line which eventually saw the Human Barrel literarily Barrel over.

Belper came back strong in a period before half time with a try of their own. A breach to Southwell’s defence has been a unique occurrence this season so credit to the home side. This put the game on a knife edge at half time. A familiar situation Southwell have faced frequently throughout the season. A team talk asking for accuracy and work rate off the ball seemed to be replicated on the field in the first 5 minutes in the second half.

A strong scrum in Belper’s 22 gave Hughes the opportunity to put Captain Barker through a whole on his inside. Barker, who is more accustomed to running at men rather than around them, managed to carve out a nice line to put himself over the line. Frettingham added the extras to get the well desired bonus point. The game dwindled from this point on with Southwell having the bulk of the possession but unable to convert. Game finished 24-7 to the away side.

A good result in a testing away fixture. Focus now shifts to facing Belper again next week at “Home”. Unfortunately matrimonial affairs dominate Southwell’s grounds so the rugby affair against Belper will be held at Newark. Much to work on in the week, particularly finding that clinical edge to our game. The show goes on.

Final score - Belper 7-24 Southwell