Hartpury RFC vs Nottingham (H) - 52-19

Bazalgette hits the bullseye as Hartpury hammer the Archers

By Luke Jarmyn & James Orpin, at Hartpury 4ED Stadium

FLY-half Harry Bazalgette put in a scintillating man of the match performance, orchestrating the game perfectly and getting a full house from the tee as Hartpury RFC hammered Nottingham on Saturday afternoon. 

Alongside Bazalgette not missing any of his eight kicks from the tee – seven conversions and one penalty kick - despite a horrendously strong Gloucestershire wind, Mark Cornwell’s side scored seven tries to move themselves back into the Champ’s play-off places. 

No.8 Tom Worts, fullback Brad Denty, outside-centre Robbie Smith, co-captain Will Crane, winger Charlie Powell, as well as replacements Max Knight and Cai Gealy, all scored a try apiece as Hartpury’s senior side made it back-to-back home wins for the first time since January. 

Going into the clash, the formbook was in Nottingham’s favour as the east Midlanders had defeated Coventry 33-26 the previous week to move up to eighth in the table onto the same points as Hartpury, while the university’s side had narrowly lost to Caldy and slid down to seventh in the standings. 

Despite that, Bazalgette kicked the game off towards the car park end of the Hartpury 4ED Stadium with the wind behind them while the pressure was immediately on Nottingham.

A dominant scrum from the hosts led to an Archers infringement, resulting in a lineout 10 metres out on the left, and from there a strong Hartpury maul put them just metres from the try line before a quick release of the ball allowed Bellamy to power over and open the scoring on the fifth minute. Bazalgette made his conversion from 10 metres outside the left upright look easy. 

The visitors fired back and within 60 seconds produced a brilliant score. Archers lock Osian Thomas hit a smart running line, breaking through Hartpury’s red wall and keeping play alive with an offload which then led to winger Jack Stapley receiving the ball in acres of space before dashing over the try-line in the far-right corner. 

Eight minute later, and another line break down the right wing by the sky-blue shirted visitors once again led to trouble for the all-red kitted hosts as blindside flanker Harry Taylor was sin-binned for slowing the ball down illegally at a ruck after the line break. 

Things went from bad to worse for Hartpury’s fans as the visitors then took the lead a minute later. Notts fly-half Gwyn Parks kicked to touch and from the resulting lineout outside centre Charlie Myall slipped between two Hartpury defenders to dot down untouched between the posts on the posts on the 16th minute. 

The end-to-end nature of the early encounters continued, and immediately from the restart Hartpury fullback Brad Denty decided that enough mucking about from his side as he scored a wonder try from Nottingham’s exit kick. Catching the ball a few metres in from halfway before breaking through Archers defensive line, he produced some electrifying pace and footwork to beat all the covering defenders and score under the posts to put Hartpury’s noses immediately back in front. 

The Gloucestershire boys dealt with the yellow card period well, not conceding a point, and once back up to a full complement a third try came on the cusp of the half-hour mark through a well worked series of phases with Smith hitting a short line off the shoulder of his centre partner Victor Worsnip from 15 metres out of the try-line to dot down by the posts. 

Hartpury’s bonus point was secured just before half-time with Gibson muscling over from the back of a driving maul in the right corner by the main stand after a tidy line-out. 

Despite playing against the crosswind, the second half belonged entirely to Hartpury who controlled the pressure and dominated the territory. 

Nottingham went down to 14 men with a few minutes of the re-start when openside flanker Michael Green was sent to the bin for keeping his hands in at the ruck following a running break by Hartpury winger Ollie Holliday down the near-side wing.

The extra man was capitalised on as Hartpury got their fifth try just two minutes later; Powell glided through Nottingham’s defence to score under the posts untouched from thirty metres out. 

Hartpury’s try number six came via what appeared to be a very lucky bounce of the fall which landed sweetly into the hands of replacement inside-centre Max Knight, but it was actually a beautifully executed chip with enough backspin from playmaker Harry Bazalgette so that it could bounce back into his teammate’s hand. This try just after the hour-mark and Bazalgette’s subsequent conversion took the scoreline to 42-12. 

Hartpury got slightly fortunate eight minute later as scrum-half Cai Gealy crossed the whitewash with his first touch of the ball, pouncing on a loose ball five metres after a line-out before dinking and diving his way between the uprights. 

Bazalgette capped off his superb ball kicking performance with a penalty kick that sailed on target from 40 metres out with just a few minutes remaining, taking Hartpury’s points tally to over a half century. 

Nottingham grabbed a late consolation with replacement inside-centre Shane O’Leary crossing the whitewash after a 20-metre run-in during the dying moments of the game. Gwyn Parks converted successfully, making it two out of three attempts from the tee for the visitors’ pivot. 

Hartpury’s seven try victory lifts them back to sixth in the standings, with Cornish Pirates falling between the reds and Nottingham in the middle of the table.

Stats:

HARTPURY RFC: Brad Denty, Charlie Powell (Alex Forrester 74), Robbie Smith, Victor Worsnip (Max Knight 47), Ollie Holliday, Harry Bazalgette, Rhys Price (Cai Gealy 67); Harrison Bellamy (Louis Trevette 59), Will Crane (cc) (Etahn Hunt 67), Alex Gibson (Jono Benz-Salomon 49), Dale Lemon (Peter Paramore 52), Jack Davies (cc), Harry Taylor, Harry Short, Tom Worts (Cameron Cobbett 36)

Tries: Harrison Bellamy 5, Brad Denty 18, Robbie Smith 29, Alex Gibson 40, Charlie Powell 49, Max Knight 61, Cai Gealy 69

Conversions: Harry Bazalgette 6, 19, 30, 40, 50, 62, 70

Penalties: Harry Bazalgette 76

Sin-bins: Harry Taylor 15’

NOTTINGHAM RFC: Evan Mitchell, Alex Garrett, Charlie Myall, Kegan Christian-Goss (Shane O’Leary 51), Jack Stapley (Wilf McCarthy 54), Gywn Parks, Josh Goodwin (Will Yarnell 51); Oscar Stott (Timur Gecer 61), Jack Dickinson (c) (Arthur Allen 61), Aniseko Sio, Osian Thomas (Jay Ecclesfield 49), Will Ramply (Kody Vereti 58), Sam Green (Sam Graham 57), Michael Green, James Cherry

Tries: Jack Stapley 7, Charlie Myall 16, Shane O’Leary 79

Conversions: Gywn Parks 17, 79

Sin-bins: Michael Green 47

Referee: Henry Pearson (RFU)

Attendance: 1,200

Half-time score: 28-12

Star Player: Harry Bazalgette

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Seven try victory boosts Hartpury’s play-off hopes

By James Orpin & Luke Jarmyn, at Hartpury 4ED Stadium

AFTER a period of inconsistency recently and a defeat last time out, Hartpury RFC director of rugby Mark Cornwell was happy his side righted their wrongs and managed a second consecutive home victory. 

Speaking after the final whistle, a smiling Cornwell said: “I asked a lot of the boys today. I asked for a lot of work rate, and I asked them to be really physical with Nottingham, and they did. This result is of the back of that.”

After Hartpury’s good start to open the scoring in the early minutes, and Nottingham replying to take the lead after a yellow card, there were worrying signs for the home side, however fullback Brad Denty’s solo effort try on the 18^th minute seemed pivotal. 

“It was a turning point because we were trailing at the time, and we talked about Brad catching the ball and just running hard, and he broke the first tackle to run the ball over for a great try. Nottingham won't be happy with their kick chase off the back of that, I'm pretty sure, but I'm happy for Brad. He's done really well to score under the posts there,” Cornwell said. 

The win means Hartpury move up to 6^th in the table with just two fixtures left of the season, after an inconsistent 2026 they will be hoping to continue the good form to secure a top six playoff spot. 

On the playoff charge, Cornwell said: “All I can say is if we play with the intent and the ambition and the accuracy we have today, we're a hard side to beat.”

“But if we play like we have been with certain performances this year, you know, it's like watching two different teams at times. So, look, we'll prepare, as we always do for the next game, Cambridge away and hopefully we'll go and get the result we need to try and climb the table a little bit more with gaining points there. But it's not easy, no away game is easy in the champ.”

One man who will be pivotal for Hartpury’s hopes is talisman Harry Bazalgette. The fly-half was the man of the match after impressively going 8/8 from the tee in windy conditions.

On his goal kicking, Bazalgette said: “It's one of the main ways I can contribute to this team, so I always try and be accurate, reward the lads for getting us over the line, with an extra couple of points.

Bazalgette understands the challenge his side faces to secure their playoff place, adding: “We’re under no illusions, we have put ourselves in a tricky position now. We had to win today, and certainly have to in two weeks’ time against Cambridge and then in three weeks’ time when we’re back here against Cornish Pirates.”

“So, you know, first one down. Two big ones to go.” 

From the other dugout, Nottingham try-scorer Charlie Myall said: “Second half momentum swung Hartpury’s way and individual errors like knocking the ball on by our own try line cost us and it just isn’t on at this level.”