Rugby Union: Mids gallant in loss to Wimbledon

After a demoralising defeat last week, the Mids showed excellent character to rebound with a performance that merited a win.

The match was gifted to WImbledon by a woeful display of refereeing which handed them 12 points in dubious circumstances. Wimbledon, hovering just below the league leaders, got off to the better start but it took almost a quarter of an hour before Steve Barton scored a penalty.

This provoked a virile Mids response and when Mark Macaskill drove into the heart of the defence, he was able to unload in contact to Aidan Murphy, who nimbly avoided the Wimbledon defence to score under the posts.

The visitors regained the lead when a dubious wheeled scrum let Bob Bishop pick up and score.

Barton converted and added another penalty just before half-time for a 13-7 lead. Mids' Tim Brittan closed the gap early in the second half with a penalty before Barton slotted a three-pointer to restore the margin.

The Mids put together a spell of sustained pressure but a further Brittan penalty was all they managed.

With five minutes remaining, the referee penalised the Mids for feeding at the scrum. Wimbledon ran it quickly and Scott Pickin went over near the corner for an eight-point lead.

The home team renewed their effort and when Neil Bell chased a shrewd kick, it sowed sufficient seeds of chaos for him to recover the ball and put Brittan in for a try.

Time expired before another opportunity could be carved out.

November 21, 2001 15:00