The Frome RFC U16's welcomed Bristol side, Ashley Down to The Lane on Sunday 5th November. 

It didn't take long for the fireworks to be set off. With one minute on the clock, Frome attacked at speed, Toby Cassidy carried well and fellow centre Jonas Mills darted to the wing, narrowly tackled into touch. 

The crowd had to wait until the eighth minute for a try. Fly-half Alfie Newbery dummied then fed Cassidy, who swerved through three defenders and scored under the posts. Harry Greenwood kicked the extra's for an early 7-0 lead. 

Minutes later, prop Harry Millard (playing on his sixteenth birthday!) set off on an individual barnstorming run, which Jack Hayden continued. From the next breakdown Newbery fed Greenwood on the inside, who was tackled just short of the line. 

With twenty minutes on the clock, Kieran Stacey turned the ball over for the second time. Rufus Phelps and Freddie Corp both carried hard, towards the Ashley Down try line. The away team gathered the ball and kicked deep. Winger Dillion Harding caught well and set up a ruck. Newbery and Cassidy switched the ball in midfield and fed Liam Backhurst. The full-back sprinted into space, before being being tackled well. 

The half finished with the Bristol side, catching Frome on the break and scoring, for a 7-5 half-time score. 

Minutes into the second half, winger Josh Clark gathered a high ball and gazelled toward the try line. He beat four defenders and was just short of scoring a wonderful try. In the next minute, the try came. After a clean line out - which was excellent all day - Oscar Stickely carried. He fed Archie Pearn, who put Harrie Webster into space. Webster sprinted twenty meters diagonal line, to score brilliantly out wide. 

With the score finely balanced at 12-5, Laurie White passed to Pearn who spotted space and accelerated through two defenders to score a fantastic individual try. He converted his own try for a 19-5 lead. 

Ashley Down attacked and kept the ball for the next few minutes. But Aelfric Bidder and Stickely fought back with dominant tackles. The game ended, with Bidder turning the ball over, giving the ball to Stuart Carpenter - who ran well. The ball eventually was moved wide again to Clark who ran well, before being tackled into touch. 

A good home win for Frome, 19-5. Players of the match were Toby Cassidy and Josh Clark.

Photos by Larraine Greenwood-Lawrence