Hornets 16 pts Drybrook 18 pts - IN an inept and error-strewn performance, Hornets surrendered their unbeaten home record to their visitors from the Forest of Dean.

Hornets 16 pts

Drybrook 18 pts

IN an inept and error-strewn performance, Hornets surrendered their unbeaten home record to their visitors from the Forest of Dean.

Missing influential hooker Dave Bird, the home side started positively and good pressure brought the reward of two early penalty chances for Sam Lloyd-Jones, the first from in front of the posts was missed, a costly miss as the three points would have made a difference to the final score.

However, the second chance was taken and an early lead was increased when Jake Fereday went over in the corner, courtesy of an excellent cut-out pass by James Dibble.

Hornets were looking in complete charge at this stage, but poor options and indifferent work saw the visitors level the scores with a penalty and an unconverted try.

Approaching half time, Hornets regained the lead when skipper Lloyd-Jones took advantage of a Dibble break and scored an unconverted try for 13-8.

Drybrook equalised with an unconverted try, taking advantage of a strike against the head and now believing they could gain a surprise victory, starting to control in areas of the game that were previously dominated by Hornets.

Hornets scrum was being pressured and wrong options were being taken, particularly penalty kicks failing to find touch.

However, Hornets retook the lead through a Lloyd-Jones penalty after a Drybrook player was yellow carded for foul play. At no time did Hornets look as if they were capable of closing out the game and it came as no surprise when Drybrook crossed for their third try and took the lead for the first time with only minutes remaining.

Massive disappointment for a good-sized crowd who turned up expecting a comfortable home victory, but elementary schoolboy errors contributed to a game that is best forgotten.

Nine games into the league season, a pattern is starting to emerge where Hornets build up a lead and look in control for three-quarters of the game, but then allow the opposition to dominate the final 20 minutes.

It appears that fitness among some of the players is a concern and a lack of a cool head to control the latter stages of a game is also a matter that needs to be addressed.

On Saturday, Hornets have a tricky away fixture at Gordon League and the Seconds entertain Midsomer Norton.

Winscombe 3rds 7 pts

Hornets 3rds 44 pts

HORNETS 3rds started slowly and let Winscombe score the opening try after 10 minutes, but this got Hornets going and they did not concede any more tries to the home side for the rest of the game.

Hornets found their rhythm and Rob Owen saw an opportunity to chip over the Winscombe defence and regather the ball to touch down for his first try which he also converted.

Due to a shortage of forwards, captain Damian Hewlett moved to play flanker, which let James Lawrence in at outside-centre where the ball was moved through the hands of the backs to score his first try. A good battle unfolded between the sides until a Hornet player was sin binned, but the pressure did not let up with one man down as the Hornets pushed the opposition back into the 22 and from a scrum, Kelcey Venn ran in for the final try of the half.

In the second half the intensity was kept up with good ball carrying from Roy Hawkes and Dan Whitford in the forwards. A penalty was awarded in front of the opposition posts and Rob Owen kicked for goal for the extra points. Hornets collected from the restart and Mark Millman ran down the touch line to score in the corner.

Wiunscombe tried to get in to the game with some good attacking play but they tried to kick over Hornets defence where Ash Poole was waiting and caught the ball to run it straight back and score.

As the game went on Winscombe looked like they might be tiring as Hornets scrum pushed them back and won a lot of their ball. The ball was moved frequently through the backs where James Lawrence and Rob Owen scored their second tries of the game to seal the victory and the first real win for Hornets 3rd team this season.

Men of the match went to James Lawrence and Howard Evans for his excellent scrummaging.