Chesterfield Panthers Colts put in big performance in first game of new rugby season
After a heavily-disrupted pre-season, Chesterfield Panthers Colts put in a big performance in their first game of the new campaign as they travelled to Ashfield and came away with a 10-29 victory.
Hit by by injury, illness and a host of players moving on, the visitors arrived short of a full complement and it is great credit to Ashfield that they were happy to loan out a couple of players to ensure both sides fully benefited from the run out.
The Panthers hit first, with good hands across the backline leading to a try from full-back Archie Dean before the industrious Matthew Thorp, starting at centre for the first time, added another. Captain Charlie Bramley secured the conversion.
The powerful Ashfield pack threw themselves at the visitors time and time again, but the Panthers showed huge heart and hard work to hold them out.
There were massive defensive shifts put in right across the park, with Charlie Whitmore, Dan Maund, Isaac Harwood and Alex Watson leading the way; winger Jack Gould making an important tackle into touch under enormous pressure.
Having weathered the storm, prop Gabe Bradbury then finished off a barn-storming burst with an emphatic try to give the visitors a 0-17 lead at half time
Ashfield refused to back down though and put their dominant maul to good use, hitting back with two well-deserved tries in the second half.
But the referee awarded a penalty try to the Panthers after a last-ditch tackle at the line was deemed to be high and then athletic back-rower Will Lambert raced away for Chesterfield's fifth try.
Very special mention goes to scrum half Blaine Pyatt and number eight Jayden Strydom, stepping up from the U16s to play for the Colts for the first time and looking right at home on impressive debuts.
This was a true team performance with every single Panther playing his part - a great way to kick off the new season.