Gainsborough Maoris christen their new Roses home with sweet victory

ROSES RETURN -- Gainsborough Maoris in action at their new ground on Saturday when they entertained North Hykeham.

Maoris’ fixture at home to North Hykeham in the Lincolnshire Merit League was the first time they had played at the venue since the 1990s.

But they made it worthwhile with a fine, battling performance that earned them a 21-19 win.

In a dramatic finale, Maoris were behind until much pressure and possession led to a try by scrum-half Tom Mell that was converted by man-of-the-match Dave Carter to clinch the success.

The day also coincided with the return from a lengthy absence through injury of Daniel Chadwick, while a few first-team regulars were available for a run-out and captain’s duties fell to Paul Hooton.

Maoris didn’t start too well, however, with Hykeham awarded a penalty try that was converted to break the deadlock. It took two tries of their own to change the pattern of the game as Ash Slawson went over and then Ben Watson charged through the visitors’ defence to score.

Carter converted both, enabling the Gainsborough side to breathe more easily as they went in at half-time with a healthy 14-7 lead.

The match swung the other way again in the second half, though, with Hykeham hitting back strongly. Two tries and a conversion put them back in front, leaving Maoris with plenty of work to do to retrieve the game.

Thankfully, they produced some terrific tackling, while Chadwick entertained the crowd with some dynamic runs and challenges that underlined what the Maoris had been missing while he was away.

Eventually, the home side’s efforts paid off and they got their rewards at the end of a hard-fought contest between two committed teams.

This coming Saturday, Maoris travel to Horncastle for another Merit League match, while Gainsborough All Blacks return to action with an attractive fixture at home to unbeaten tabletoppers Ollerton in the Midlands 5 East (North) division of the National League. The mid-table All Blacks will be desperate to erase the memory of their 63-0 mauling at the hands of second-placed Meden Vale two weeks ago.