A LAST-GASP converted try saw Minety beaten 15-13 at home by Melksham in Dorset & Wilts One North at the weekend.

Kicking down the slope and with a fierce wind behind them, Minety took the lead in the fifth minute when Garin Garland stroked home a penalty.

Tempers flared shortly afterwards following a high tackle and Garland kicked the resulting penalty to push Minety 6-0 to the good.

The hosts then got the first try of the game when Garland reacted first when Minety won a scrum against the head. Picking up the loose ball, he sped through a gap and crossed the line before converting himself to put his side 13-0 up.

Minety finished the half with 14 men when Gareth Peirce was yellow carded, and Melksham transferred territorial advantage into points just two minutes into the second period with a penalty.

Despite heroic defending, Minety were powerless to prevent Melksham scoring their first try on the hour as a fine move ended when the visitors touched down near the posts.

As both teams chased the next score, which would almost certainly decide the outcome, play became frantic and loose.

Just when it looked as if the home side might hold on, a clearance kicked stalled in the wind and the ball broke loose from a scrum near the Minety line.

The visitors pounced and moved possession wide where a good interchange of passes saw them run in a try to level the scores before they snatched the win with the conversion.

Sutton Benger also had to settle for a losing bonus point after a 20-14 defeat at home to second-placed Avonvale.

Benger were against the wet and windy conditions in the first half and Avonvale put the first points on the board through a penalty.

The hosts did not let this dampen their spirits and were rewarded with a penalty of their own from Callum Harford.

Avonvale soon started to put the pressure on and despite valiant defending by Benger, the visitors were able to drive a scrum over the tryline to take an 8-3 lead into half time.

The away side were again first to strike in the second half. Winning a penalty, they found touch 10m from the Benger line and pushed over the whitewash from the resulting lineout.

Benger took advantage of an Avonvale yellow card to trim the gap with a penalty, although another three-pointer soon afterwards was their only reward for a good spell of pressure.

With Avonvale back to 15 men, momentum swung back in their favour and they pounced on a dropped pass near the line to score a converted try and move 20-9 up with only a few minutes remaining.

In the last play of the game, Benger eventually got the try they were looking for as Tom Mather broke through the Avonvale defence to earn his side a bonus point in defeat.

Calne had better fortunes as they battled to a slender 24-22 success away at Supermarine.

However, Pewsey Vale were unable to fulfil their fixture at Trowbridge 2nd to hand the home side a walkover.