Wymondham hang on in a mud-fest

Wymondham 17, Newmarket 15: The weekend rain may have been welcomed by Wymondham supporters engaged in agriculture, but it did nothing to improve the spectacle at Tuttles Lane, where a morass of a pitch was totally unsuited to the home side's preferred style of fast, running rugby.

The first half was marked by a series of handling errors as both teams struggled to hold on to the slippery ball. The treacherous underfoot conditions militated against accurate place kicking so both teams used the tactical kick to touch from penalties.

Nothing happened until the last moments of the first half when, after Newmarket kicked a penalty to the five metre line, they drove over for an unconverted try.

Wymondham started the second half with a carbon copy try, Josh Wright taking the credit for the score. But Newmarket restored their lead from another catch and drive from a lineout before Wymondham gave a glimpse of what they are capable of as Alex Brugger went under the posts for a converted try.

Josh Stuart slid over to increase the lead before the visitors ended the game laying siege to the home line, eventually forcing their way over for a try close to the posts. A successful conversion would have tied the game but the kicker again fell foul of the conditions.