BRACKNELL RFC boosted their South West Premier survival bid with a superb 43-18 bonus-point victory against Ivybridge.
With the game switched to Maidenhead due to a waterlogged pitch at Lily Hill park, Bracknell started strongly and opened the scoring after just three minutes when Dan Spencer-Tonks showed terrific pace to cut through the visitors' defence.
The hosts moved further in front on the quarter-of-an-hour mark when a clever show-and-go from Lewis Franklin allowed him to dart over, George Owen adding the extras to make it 12-0.
Ivybridge hit back and opened their account with a try from a catch-and-drive from a line-out on the Bracknell five-metre line. Prop Wes Vermigle was the beneficiary with fly-half Matt Greiveson converting, but Bracknell responded with a try of their own.
In what was almost a carbon-copy of Ivybridge’s score four minutes early, Spencer-Tonks came up with the try, Owen again on target with the conversion.
Grieveson knocked over a penalty to trim the arrears for Ivybridge, but Bracknell then recorded their bonus-point try when Chris Laidler set up David Barron with a beautiful delayed pass.
Owen's conversion pushed the lead to 26-10, but Ivybridge had the final word of the opening 40 minutes when Grieveson added another penalty after Spencer-Tonks was sin-binned for a high tackle.
Ivybridge started the second half strongly, but some gutsy Bracknell defence kept them at bay before the Lily Hill men added a further try against the run of play when Michael Clarke went over at the back of a rolling maul.
Owen landed an excellent conversion to make it 33-13, but the visitors were next to score when skipper Jay Geraty crossed the whitewash while Tom Scott was in the sin-bin.
Spencer-Tonks wrapped up his hat-trick as the game entered its final 10 minutes, the inside centre benefitting from a fine run from Ian Burch before crossing in the corner.
And it was Bracknell who completed the scoring, a long pass from Laidler setting-up Ben Yates to cross from wide out on the wing.
Bracknell remain bottom of the table despite the win, but they have cut the gap to safety to just four points ahead of Saturday's visit to Launceston.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here