WELLS thoroughly deserved their double against a Minehead side that simply did not perform on the day.

Right from the start they looked the sharper and more committed team, taking the lead after five minutes when Minehead gave away a penalty, in front of the posts for coming in from the side at the ruck.

Wells continued to press strongly, an attack on the top touch line saw the winger almost forced into touch before unloading to give his centre a clear run in from 15 metres out , only to be held up on the line by a superb last ditch tackle from Richard Henson . Minehead produced a strong 5 metre scrummage but then knocked on for Wells to regain the upper hand and switch play across field and back , eventually finding a gap in the defence to score a converted try under the posts.

A Jarred Nyssen penalty pulled things back to 10 – 3 just before half time although Wells missed a simple kick when Minehead were all at sea from the restart and were penalized for not releasing.

Despite another Nyssen penalty reducing the arrears to 6pts-10, Wells continued to hold the upper hand and their own defence was spot on when on one of the few occasions that Minehead put a man clear, Dan Richardson was clattered by a double hit into touch.

Another promising Minehead attack was stopped by a deliberate knock on which earned Wells a yellow card.

Minehead brought on Michael Bohun on the wing and he caught the eye - looking keen and eager to run play out of defence to provide one of the few plus points of the afternoon.

Minehead backs were then caught offside in front of the posts and Wells made no mistake with the kick.

Worse was to come. Wells opted for a lineout penalty but instead of the anticipated catch and drive. They used good hands to switch play at pace across field and cross in the corner. The kick failed but the result was now beyond doubt but to rub it in they quickly went 23pts-6 up from an interception.

The last play of the match saw Minehead finally create the space to give Jack Claydon the chance to show off his undoubted talent – wrong-footing the whole Wells defence to score from the halfway line and reduce the deficit to 11pts-23.

To add to coach Andy Stevens’ problems the young Kiwi number 10 and prolific goal kicker, Jarred Nyssen, has opted for an early return.

He has played with a maturity beyond his years and will be missed in the weeks to come as Minehead try to find a new three-quarter combination.

Team: T Bishop, D Richardson, J Claydon. A Ford, J Harris (Capt) J Nyssen, M Cook, J Baker, K Straker, K Roberts , R Cox, D Webber, R Webber, R Henson, D Harris. Reps: R Lewis, L Parker M Bohun.

Scorers: Try J Claydon; Penalties J Nyssen 2.