Caldy ended their nine game losing streak by doing the double over Nottingham as a hat-trick of tries by Will Robinson led them to a 34-29 victory at The Bay. After a first half that lacked any fluency by either side, that saw the visitors take a five point lead into the break, the Archers rallied in the second period to tie the score but couldn’t capitalise further on their momentum. Caldy re-established a lead that proved unassailable and bonus points for the home side were only salvaged late on with a James Cherry try.
After an opening ten minutes largely contested in the middle of the park, Tom Threlfall put Nottingham ahead with a penalty 20 metres out. The lead didn’t last long, however, as Robinson got the first of his three tries after finding space wide on the left.
With Nottingham reduced to 14 men, after Finn Carnduff was penalised for collapsing the maul in sight of the goal line, flanker Jos Gilmore extended the Ravers’ lead. But, on the half hour mark, Tom Manz reduced the arrears out of nowhere, as he flattened his tackler before running over the last man to score.
With the clock ticking down, Lewis Barker notched a penalty right in front of the posts to make it Nottingham 10-15 Caldy at the interval.
Not long after the restart Archers’ hooker Harry Clayton received a card on his 25th birthday, unfortunately it was a yellow one from referee Andy Wigley. Just as Nottingham were about to be back to a full complement, Robinson once again crossed for Caldy and Barker converted.
The Archers then had their best period of the match and by midway through the half were on level terms. After a number of penalties deep in Caldy territory, Jack Dickinson, on as a replacement for Clayton, benefitted from the driving maul to score his 11th try of the season. Shortly afterwards Jack Stapley set Ryan Olowofela free on halfway and the flying winger did the rest to join Dickinson as the club’s top try scorer during this campaign.
Although Nottingham were dominant at this point they couldn’t find a way to edge ahead. The pendulum swung back towards Caldy when they turned the ball over inside their own 22 and Dom Hanson, the England under 20 scrum half, raced away to score. Robinson then completed his hat-trick so Cherry’s try with time running out was a mere consolation but it ensured that the Archers didn’t finish completely empty-handed.