More away-day woe for battling Boston

Midlands Four
Nigel Lane. ENGEMN00120121119181732Nigel Lane. ENGEMN00120121119181732
Nigel Lane. ENGEMN00120121119181732

East (North)

Mellish First XV 33

Boston First XV 14

Tries from Kyle Turley and Jaron Cowern were not enough to prevent Boston slipping to defeat on yet another tough Midlands away day.

Mellish opened the scoring inside 10 minutes against a depleted visiting outfit, a crash-ball charge breaching the Boston line, but the Blue and Whites picked up their heads and displayed some ferocious defensive work, led by veteran Nigel Lane in the forwards and Michael Baldwin and Tom Hobbs in the back line.

Things took a turn for the worse midway through the half when, after a surging 30-yard run from the base of a scrum, Boston number eight Ben Woollaston suffered a dislocated knee and had to be replaced.

Another score for Mellish put the visitors 12-0 up at the half, Boston having suffered game-ending injuries to hooker Adam Carr and loose forward George Sharp.

Caught napping after the re-start, Boston fell 19-0 behind before a searing backs move saw full back Turley run a supporting line to winger Cowern to take a return pass and race over beneathe posts. Matt Bray’s conversion took the score to 19-7.

Mellish pulled out to a 26-7 lead with another converted try, only for Boston to hit back as Cowern set off on a trademark weaving, powerful run to reduce the deficit, Bray adding the extra points for 26-14.

Boston were defending bravely and attacking well, despite having seen Matt Coley and Dean Harmston join their injury list, but any lingering hopes of reward were dashed when the Mellish loosehead prop intercepted a pass in the Boston half and ran unopposed to the line.

Another brave, whole-hearted but ultimately fruitless performance by the Blue and Whites, who must now look to their next two league games – against Ollerton and Skegness – if they are to stave off the looming threat of relegation.

Boston: Turley, Cowern, Baldwin, Kippax, Hobbs, Bray, Gray; Felicio, Carr, Harmston, Coley, Lane, Sharp, Fowler, Woollaston. Replacements: Reeson, Moody, Pinheiro, Bell, Pearson.

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