THE beleaguered Minehead Barbarians looked set to secured a deserved bonus point after a battling display on Saturday, but right at the death Weston produced the try of the match to leave them empty handed.

In damp and blustery conditions, Minehead began with the wind at their backs and used the elements to their advantage, opting to play for territory.

With the new half-back pairing of Josh Parker and Craig Sutherland working well and Ben Willes winning good lineout ball, they were able to keep the visitors on the back foot, and eventually set up an attacking lineout on the five-metre line.

The throw missed the intended jumper but Greg Richards was alert at the back of the line and plucked the long ball from the air to go through on his own for a try . Dom Westcott added an excellent conversion and with a lead of 7-0 after a quarter of an hour, hope were high.

But Weston were fielding some very experienced players in the backs and they decided to counter by keeping the ball moving with short passes into the wind.

They eventually set up an attacking position , forcing Minehead to hold and concede a penalty in front of the posts which put Weston on the board.

Minehead lost concentration and instead of sticking to the long ball they attempted to open up the game, conceding turnovers which led to a converted try to put Weston 10-7 ahead.

Minehead skipper Ryan Nunn took a heavy knock and was replaced at centre by Luke Gould, but with Ryan Dellow on for Connor Thrush and Joe Barrett replacing Richard Sanders the Minehead pack still more than held their own.

However, a promising attack was turned over and Weston were able to ship quick ball to the right winger who cut back inside and crossed for a try, an excellent conversion extending their lead to 17-7.

The hard work of Minehead’s pack finally established them in the opposition 22 and after constant pressure the ever-dependable Richard Henson forced his way over .

The kick failed to leave them 17-12 down, but although time was running out, Minehead had their tails up and looked as though they might still come good.

Then came the killer blow as Weston, having kicked their way back into the Minehead 22, executed a classic dummy scissors to put their outside half straight through the gap and in under the posts, the conversion bringing the match to a close at 24-12.

Weston were worthy winners, but Minehead were by no means outclassed, although wrong options and inexperience prevented them from capitalising on the conditions, particularly in the first half , and they produced enough to boost their confidence for the weeks to come.

Tomorrow (Saturday) they are away to Bath side Stothert and Pitt, when hopefully the injury list will not be too long and they will continue to bond and come away with something to show for their efforts.

Minehead Barbarians: K Lewis, J Langdon, R Nunn, D Westcott, F Bushell, C Sutherland, J Parker, D Swann, R Sanders, T Lamacraft, R Henson, G Richards, L Gould, R Dellow, J Barrett.