SUCCESSIVE meetings in cup and league have failed to separate local rivals Corsham and Melksham, who earned their first Southern Counties South points of the season.

After the previous week’s 20-20 Dorset & Wilts 1st XV Vase draw, a tight opening 20 minutes saw neither team able to break though.

Melksham seized the lead just before half time as a good take in the lineout from Will Paviour started a well-controlled driving Maul and John Cox was spotted a gap and gallop over.

Corsham started the second half strongly and were rewarded with a penalty from fly-half Dan Goldsworthy, but opposite number Andy Stone took an opportunistic drop kick from 30 metres to restore Melksham's five-point lead.

The lead increased further when Stone sidestepped two defenders and fed Tom Calshaw who used his pace to crash over near the posts.

The missed conversion proved costly however as Corsham came back with a kick through and a scramble on the line, No 8 John Murzyn winning the race for the touch down.

Goldsworthy converted to leave his side three points behind and he had the final say as Melksham were penalised in front of their posts and he kept his nerve to tie the scores with the last kick of the game.

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