Keynsham RFC were the visitors to The Showground for this EDF Vase cup match.

Their stature and abilities as a club from a league above Ivel were apparent from the start. The score was 0-10 to the visitors within 10 minutes and, for the next twenty minutes; Ivel could not keep pace with a stronger and fitter backs division.

It was only in the last ten minutes of the half that the home side managed to stem the onslaught and force some errors from the visitors. Unfortunately this did not stop Keynsham from scoring their sixth try just before the break. Ivel had just brought on James Cook for the injured prop Neil Jackson but it didn’t help, initially.

Half-time and the score was 0-43. 

At half time Ivel replaced injured rising star Louis Jones with veteran Martin Jakes. This change led to a shuffle of the Ivel pack but without causing problems. In fact Ivel managed to unsettle and disrupt the Keynsham pack and dominate the scrums. Proof of this change in domination came in the time it took for the next score. It was twenty minutes gone before Keynsham managed to cross the whitewash again.

Two more scores followed before Ivel secured a consolation. Following a passage of ten phases of play with the Baa-Baas forwards camped on the visitor’s line, Man of the Match John Groves crossed and Sam Armitstead converted.

It was too little, too late though.  All the hard work, tackles and attacking could not be converted to points on the scoreboard.  It was a harsh lesson for the Yeovil team but one the club as a whole could learn from. The team are truly becoming stronger and with more self-confidence and luck coming their way the first win is getting so much closer.