South West 1 West
Coney Hill 14, North Petherton 80

NORTH Petherton warmed up for this Thursday’s Somerset Senior Cup final with a 12-try victory over Coney Hill on Saturday.

The result ensures that Pethy finish the season in fourth place in the South West 1 West standings, just three points behind Bridgwater & Albion.

Coney Hill placed bottom, with -12 points, and Pethy showed them no mercy in this encounter.

Arron Gibbs barged over for the visitors’ first try of the day, before Damian Griffin intercepted a pass to sprint from the halfway line and score.

Mike Stevens went over in the corner, and then powerhouse Gibbs showed great strength to claim his second.

Aiden Cotton danced his way to the line after receiving the ball from Mac Taylor, after which Mitchell Needham sprinted through the home defence to score the first try in his hat-trick.

Griffin and Needham then showed their pace to claim their second tries of the afternoon, before Jack Rees also showed he was too hot to handle for the beleaguered hosts, as he won a footrace to the line.

Needham brought up his hat-trick and Pethy’s 10th score, followed by Nic Sesterat powering over and Jack Coles sprinting clear to finish the job with try number 12.

Things could have been even uglier for Coney Hill, but the game was stopped early, due to too many injuries to the home players.

This emphatic win, the latest in a series of impressive performances from Pethy in 2019, should give the team confidence going into this Thursday’s cup final.

Taunton Warriors will no doubt be dangerous opponents in an intriguing-looking match-up.

The match starts at 7.30pm at Bridgwater & Albion’s College Way ground.