Melton Mowbray U15 v MHRUFC U15

A squad of 19 made the journey to Melton Mowbray for a fixture which replaced the planned home game against Kettering. Harborough arrived at the ground in extremely heavy rain. A forward dominated game seemed on the cards, however the weather broke soon before kick off and Harborough went on the front foot, passing the ball wide early.
As the Autumnal sun shone through the clouds, Albert A set off on a solo run from the half way line, finishing under the posts and converting his own try. Soon after, the forwards secured the ball, and recycled possession for 2 phases before the backs were released. The ball was passed along the line and ended up in the hands of left wing Oli D who turned on the afterburners and finished under the post. Another conversion made the score 14-0 in the first 10 minutes. Melton Mowbray then showed how effectively they could recycle the ball with multiple phases put together. Harborough forwards were making the hosts work for their points, but the passage of play culminated in a pick and go from a ruck 5 metres out. Harborough thought they had held the ball up but the referee awarded the try under the posts. 14-7.
Ryan M took the ball up to the opposition line soon after the re-start, ably supported by Albert A who went on another rumbling solo run to score his second and Harborough’s third. 19-7.
Just before half time, the visitors scored the try of the day thanks to a solid scrum by the Harborough pack on the far side of the pitch, the ball passed quickly through the hands towards the away crowd, with Amael C eventually receiving the ball from Will V on an angled run. Amael charged through the covering defenders, finishing an excellent move from the visitors.
Half time 24-7

The second half was a much more attritional affair. The number of second half scrummages reflected the number of handling errors by both teams. The teams went toe to toe for much of the second half with no score, that was until winger Pietro C demonstrated his agility by cutting in from the left wing, beating several defenders and putting Harborough on the front foot. Quick hands in the centre of the pitch allowed space for Albert A to complete his hat trick, converting his own try before being substituted to deserved applause. 31-7.
Melton Mowbray showed real character to keep attacking with intent, taking advantage of several Harborough missed tackles and scoring under the posts to make the score 31-14 . There were opportunities not taken by both sides in the remaining 10 minutes with the score remained 31-14. Another excellent win on the road for the U15 Black Cats!