Hornets Colts 40 Bath Colts 13 - HORNETS bought their successful season to a close by beating Bath in the Somerset Cup final, scoring six tries in the process.

Hornets Colts 40

Bath Colts 13

HORNETS bought their successful season to a close by beating Bath in the Somerset Cup final, scoring six tries in the process. This is the first win in the Colts Cup since 1989. .

Having just won the Combination play-off final, Bath entered with a great deal of confidence. As Hornets had withdrawn from that competition due to the National Final fixture clash, this match would determine the bragging rights for the best side in the county title.

Hornets went into the match with four changes from the team that started last week, two players being unavailable through injury and one being a positional change.

Bath opened the scoring with a penalty after just three minutes after Hornets were adjudged to have handled in a ruck. Hornets replied after six minutes when following a line-out, Bath infringed and Jamie McGrory went in under the posts following a quick penalty. Reece Watson added the conversion to make it 7-3.

Hornets followed up with a second score in the 18th minute when following one of many rolling mauls led to a Hornets scrum. The ball was fed out to Sean Disney who stepped inside his opposite number to score under the posts. Reece Watson added the extras to make it 14-3. The third try came after 29 minutes as Hornets forwards again made great territory with another driving maul and a catch and drive from the line-out that followed a penalty allowed Rhys Matson to pop the ball to Disney who again stepped inside for a second try. Watson again added the extra two points.

On 32 minutes, Bath managed to get a score back after they turned over a Hornets line-out on the right before moving the ball across the backs to score out wide to make it 21-8.

Any hopes of a Bath fightback was thwarted when one minute later Matt Cornish read the Bath pass to intercept and run in under the posts from half way. Watson made the score 28-8 at half time.

Hornets scored a fifth try within seven minutes of the restart when Chris Francis took a quick penalty and used his pace to get outside the defence and with a clever backhanded offload set Alex Hawkins off on a charge. From the ruck, the ball was moved inside where Disney created enough space for Tom Bradley to go in under the posts. Watson's conversion made it 35 -8.

Five minutes later Hornets scored the try of the game. Disney fed Cornish who made a half break before executing a perfect over the shoulder pass to Bradley, who repeated the pass for Nick Somers to outpace the Bath defence and score. Watson hit the post to ruin an otherwise perfect kicking day.

By now Hornets had their entire bench on and as often happens some of the shape went out of their game, however they did come close to scoring on a couple of further occasions.

The game finished with a consolation try for Bath when with the last play called by the referee. The AGM Services man of the match went to Ollie Sheppard.