A chilly but sunny Sunday morning saw Panthers U15s once again welcome Belper's combined U15/16s to Dunston Road.
Having met on numerous occasions previously in recent seasons the two sides know each other well and the fixture is usually a very close affair, with the spoils being pretty much equally shared overall.

Unfortunately that was not to be the case on this occasion.

Panthers made a bright start and were 5 points up within the first 10 minutes thanks to a fine blind side pick and go from the scrum by Number 8, Jake Wright. Good timing and vision saw him make it over the line from some ten metres out giving Panthers an early lead which they were then unable to add to any further.

An increasingly lacklustre performance from Panthers then allowed Belper back into the game, who crossed the whitewash for two unconverted tries making the score at half time 5 -10.

The second half saw more of the same with Belper's superior on-field organisation allowing them to add a further 3 tries, two of which were converted. The pick of the tries was a very simple but effective loop run from Belper's fly half which left Panthers outnumbered out wide and allowed a simple run in for their left wing.

Highlights from Panthers were a Man of the Match performance from centre Ben Carley demonstrating his usual tenacity, blistering pace and ferocious tackling throughout the entire 60 minutes. Fullback, Max Woolgar-Norton, also made several line breaks and important tackles while Jake Wright continued his physical performance for three quarters of the game before coming off with a dead leg.
And a special mention goes to Connor Rimington on his debut for Panthers. Having only started playing rugby at the start of this season he acquitted himself very well, playing scrum half for most of the second half of the game.

Our thanks to Belper for arranging this fixture at short notice, and our congratulations on a thoroughly well deserved win.

Final score: Chesterfield Panthers 5, Belper 29

Chesterfield Panthers RUFC

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