CINDERFORD United manager Paul Morris praised his young side's commitment despite a hard-fought 31-17 defeat away to Midsomer Norton in Counties 1 Western North.

United fielded three 18-year-olds and three 20-year-olds, including a teenager making his first appearance at scrum-half, and remained competitive against an experienced home team.

Midsomer Norton opened the scoring with an unconverted try after ten minutes, but Cinderford responded through Sean Gardner, who crossed late in the opening half to level the scores.

The hosts regained the initiative during first-half injury time, scoring from a driving maul and adding the conversion to establish a 12-5 interval advantage.

Another converted try extended the margin to 19-5 early in the second half before Charlie Stallard intercepted a pass and raced away to score for United. He converted his own try, reducing the deficit to seven points and offering the visitors renewed hope.

However, Midsomer Norton's powerful forward play proved decisive. Another driving-maul try and a further converted score moved the hosts 31-12 ahead, leaving United with too much ground to recover.

Gardner claimed his second try late on, narrowing the final score to 31-17, but the home side completed a deserved victory.

Morris said: “Whilst disappointed to lose, my feelings are mainly ones of pride in a valiant and passionate United performance.”

He highlighted the contribution of the younger players and acknowledged that Midsomer Norton's defence and driving maul had made a significant difference.

“There was plenty of skill, guts and spirit, and all the youngsters are making progress,” he added.

Morris said the step up in league standard meant individual ability alone was not enough, but believed United were continuing to improve as a team.

Despite suffering their third league defeat, Cinderford will take encouragement from their willingness to compete and the opportunities given to emerging players.