BRISTOL BATTER inEXPERIENCED ESHER

Bristol scored nine tries against an Esher team fielding a number of debutants.  However, you can only beat the team in front of you and that Bristol did.  In any event, Bristol has put out some pretty young sides this season, so there!  Coming off the back of a losing streak we'll take the win.  As Mrs Thatcher once almost said: "Just Rejoice at that news... Rejoice".

Bristol got off to a great start with forwards finishing off clinical catch and drive moves within the first ten minutes.  The first was from a long way out and emphasised the dominance of the Bristol pack over an inexperienced and youthful Esher side with Mark Irish crossing the line beneath the posts and Ross Johnson crossing for the second.   The ascendancy of the Bristol forwards allowed the Bristol backs to show their skills, with Watkins going close before vigorous rucking won good possession for Junior Fatialofa to power over. 

Bristol continued to press and it was inevitable that another try would come and, midway through the second quarter, Anthony Elliott went over for the bonus point try.  With the half drawing to a close George Watkins demonstrated his pace and try-scoring instinct as he left the defence trailing in his wake to cruise over and help Bristol to a commanding and deserved 0 - 33 lead at half time. 

Unusually, Bristol continued in similar vein in the second half.  The disappointing sight of uncontested scrums when Esher lost two front row forwards and went down to fourteen men may, or may not, have helped; given Bristol's upper-hand in the set-piece.  Jamie Miller showed good awareness as he reached for the line from a ruck, captain Iain Grieve got in on the backrow act when another catch and drive hammered its way to the line, and Robbie Shaw showed slippery skills and a degree of theatricality with a well taken try.  Adrian Jarvis' conversion, one of five on the night, took Bristol to a rare half-century of points, with the hosts still to score. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given this first quarter blitz, Bristol took their collective foot off the accelerator with replacements coming on with the side holding an insurmountable lead.  Esher took full advantage of  this lapse in concentration to score an unconverted consolation try when Brown crossed the line.  Proving that this was just an brief aberration, Bristol's backline combined to set Watkins sprinting clear on the wing to touchdown for his second, and Bristol's, ninth try of the evening.