Sting of Hornets proves too great

By MO SHER

Barnstaple……. 12

Hornets…………. 24

Hornets took a huge step towards retaining their National Two status by beating fellow survival rivals Barnstaple in a bruising encounter.

Of the myriad of stats born out from the tie, the tackle counts – on both sides – were top of the standings, with the appetite for defence making for a high-octane contest.

Dylan Gosling’s opener was swiftly cancelled out by Matthew Parker, who has so often been a source of inspiration when the Hornets have needed it.

The in-form Henry Gliddon then touched down in a corner after finding room to manoeuvre in his channel but for the next 25 minutes, the visitors were pinned in their own third.

Tellingly, that period of Barnstaple bombardment yielded just one try, and Jon Kelly’s try from close quarters wasn’t going to be enough.

In their resilience in front of their own line, Hornets found another gear to take the game by l the scruff of the next and away from opponents who’ll be left to rue a purple patch they could not take advantage of.

Gliddon raced over for his second as the pendulum swung back in Hornets’ favour and then, right at the death, Jamie Elswood was on the end of a move which involved most of his team-mates.

That fourth try gave Jon Richardson’s group an additional point to take home to Weston-super-Mare, and move them 11 points clear of the bottom two – vital, given forthcoming engagements with top-five outfits Clifton and Hinckley.