Avonvale 3-27 Salisbury
6th. November 2021 - Salisbury travelled to Avonvale, Bath's oldest Rugby club, for the first time and maintained their recent winning run with a bonus point victory. The game also marked prop Gareth Blackborow’s 300th 1st XV appearance, an amazing achievement in the current era, and is a testimony to his loyalty and intensive training regime.
Salisbury, showing a number of changes took time to gel before a Tom Tully penalty gave them the lead before Dan Hammond was finished off a sequence of attacks by the backs. Tully added the conversion.
The visitors were dominating possession and territory but handling errors and a series of offsides, one of which gave Avonvale the chance to get on the scoreboard. Salisbury's responsed immediately with speedy winger Henry Wilson showed a turn of pace to finish off a move down the right and 15-3 at the interval.
Playing into the strong breeze Salisbury showed a sense of adventure, running the ball from their own goal-line, and setting up an attacking position deep in the opposition half. From a five metre line-out, the Salisbury forwards displayed excellent organisation and drove over the line with Mike Dauwalder touching down.
The visitors were now firmly in control and, slick passing by the backs lead to another Wilson try, converted by Tully, to give Salisbury a bonus point win 27-3. Combe Down are next up at home in a fortnight but Salisbury are showing no little promise and should approach the forthcoming games with confidence.
Report: Neil Tonge