Colts scrape through to the next round

Hornets Colts reached the last 16 of the National Under-18 Cup thanks to a last-minute try.

HORNETS Colts beat Coney Hill at home and booked their place in the last 16 of the National Under-18s Cup, but only just.

Full-back Andrew Wheller’s last-gasp try saved the young Hornets from exiting the competition. With the scores locked at 3-3 as the teams packed down for the last play, Hornets were on the way out as in the event of a draw it is the away team that progresses.

But the Hornets found a way to free up Wheller on the blindside of the scrum and his try saw Hornets win the game 8-5.

Hornets’ groundsmen had worked wonders to ensure the game went ahead, despite the heavy rain. However, the pitch was wet and muddy which meant a tight game and forward slog.

Hornets broke the deadlock in the first-half when Adam Francis kicked a penalty to put Hornets 3-0 up and it stayed that way until midway through the second period when Hill’s fly-half responded in kind to make the score 3-all.

This set up a tense finish and for the last 10 minutes Hornets battered the Coney Hill line, but admirable defence meant that nearly left empty-handed until Wheller’s intervention.

The Hornets pack were superb throughout with Dan Ogden and Alex Colborne to the fore, but it was tighthead Ben Reseigh’s all-action performance that made him the Swallo Drinks man of the match

It was not a good day for the backline although scrum-half Conor Littlewood marshalled his pack well and Wheller remains a threat in counter-attack in any weather.

Hornets will now play either Westcliff or Brighton in the next round of this testing competition.