A DERBY victory over Bradford on Avon was not the only reason Melksham RFC had to cheer last Saturday.

While the likes of Aaron Brailey, Dave Dyke and Rob Bailey were helping the side clinched a 15-14 victory in Dorset & Wilts One North, one of their former teammates was helping England do likewise against the old enemy Australia.

Harlequins full-back Mike Brown’s man of the match performance at Twickenham contributed to a 20-13 success over the Wallabies and raised a cheer 100 miles away at the club where he enjoyed a three-year spell during his teenage years.

Brown, 28, joined Melksham as an U13 in the 1990s after the age group team he was playing for in Salisbury folded.

He went on to play up to the end of the U16s, a team run at Melksham by Martin Sloan and eventually joined Harlequins’ academy in 2001.

Melksham coaching co-ordinator Mark Simmons said: “Mike was a Salisbury boy, but when his age group folded over there, he joined our team because it was perceived to be one of the strongest around.

“It was quite ironic because that team was the first minis side at Melksham and Chris Brooker, who went on to play for Bath and Harlequins and is now playing professionally at Worcester, left us just before Mike joined.

“Mike’s dad (also called Mike) brought him and two other boys over and he played alongside about five or six of the lads who are now in our first team.

“We lost touch with him a bit when he left us and then suddenly he popped up at Harlequins and it’s a proud thing for the Melksham club to see him doing so well for England.’’ Brailey, one of Brown’s former teammates, said: “Mike was always a good and very aggressive player.

“He always played fly-half for us, even though the coach was always telling him his best position was full-back.

“We’ve kept in touch a bit over the years and we’re very proud he’s doing so well.

“I know the club would like to get him back down at some point, maybe to present our awards, so hopefully we can do that soon.’’