South West Division Two
Berry Hill 35, Weston Hornets 10
THE deeper the mud the more they like it at Berry Hill. Many a rugby giant has been laid to rest in a Lakers Road quagmire, so the odds were very much on home advantage. Hornets stood no chance.
Oddly enough Berry Hill player coach Lee Osborne was worried ahead of the game.
"I thought we might be a little lightweight. We haven't got the biggest pack in the world and weight advantage can really count in the mud," he said.
But collectively it was a splendid afternoon for the Berry Hill eight.
"It was a joint effort. All the forwards played well and the second half performance was excellent. Full marks to the forwards - they really paved the way for a convincing win," he said.
It was a five try bonanza for Berry Hill, and Osborne played his part by converting the lot - a considerable achievement on a miserable afteroon which brought about the cancellation of almost all Forest sport.
The try scorers were Ben Lewis(2), Dave Cole, Tony Bean and Dave Emery.
Osborne was reluctant to select names but said lock Rob Rawlings and number eight Sean McRoberts had played outstandingly.
He was also impressed by the performance of Ashley Stephens at scrum-half.
"He is a young player and he did well in very difficult conditions. There was a lot of responsibility on his shoulders and he always took the right options," he said.
Osborne says automatic promotion is not impossible but accepts that Berry Hill would not have to lose another game and runaway favourites Truro would have to slip up and then be beaten when they visit Lakers Road in April.
There is also stiff competition for the runners-up position. Second spot would result in a play-off for promotion spot with the runners-up in South East Division Two. Brixham and Cleve are both in the running.
"There is a lot to play for but I'm confident we will give a good account of ourselves," he said.