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# Injury time try at Melbourne condemns Lichfield to first defeat of the season
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/injury-time-try-at-melbourne-condemns-lichfield-to-first-defeat-of-the-season/
- Published: 2024-12-16T16:20:34.000Z
- Updated: 2024-12-16T16:20:44.000Z
- Description: A Melbourne try scored by Brayton Taylor deep into injury time condemned Lichfield to a first defeat of the season.
- Author: David Lewis
- Tags: Sport, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 18:49

A MELBOURNE try scored by Brayton Taylor deep into injury time condemned Lichfield to a first defeat of the season.

It was not a classic, but any of the three results remained possible throughout.

Melbourne earned themselves five points and Lichfield one, but that may be significant,as Dronfield lost at home to 14-man Walsall and received no points, so the gap is now six points.

The visitors started well, looked confident and moved the ball around the pitch effectively – and there was soon a try for Paul Maxwell-Keys wide out.

This ascendancy did not last long though and the game became more of a midfield battle. On 15 minutes, Taylor scored the first of his three tries after he reacted quickest when Lichfield momentarily stopped, thinking there had been a knock-on. Will Cresswell converted and he and Kai Lucas-Dumolo then traded penalties either side of the 20 minute mark.

From a clever penalty move five metres out, Taylor eased his way through a gap for try number two, and Cresswell was again on the mark.

Lichfield had chances to close the gap before the break, but were not able to move their points tally on. The half finished with a mass scuffle, which certainly galvanised the Myrtle Green troops at the start of the second half.

It was not long enough before Lichfield were able to draw level and it was, rightly so, Ditch Burton, who scored. He did an immense amount of work carrying into contact and Owen Boxall, in particular, was not far behind him.

Jack Hamlet came on in the front row for his league debut in the senior side and he did not let the side down.

A Cresswell penalty put the home side back in front and this sparked off one of Lichfield’s best periods of play. After multiple phases, Melbourne ran out of defenders and Maxwell-Keys scored near the posts for Lucas-Dumolo to convert.

Play was now going more from end to end. The city side did not exit well from the kick off following the try and eventually Andy Brown escaped the stretched cover to score in the corner.

Midfield offside in their 22 afforded Lichfield another successful penalty for Lucas-Dumolo.

The kick off did not end well again for the Myrtle Greens and the home side were soon in enemy territory. Play did not seem to be going anywhere and a speculative kick into the 22 evaded everyone except Taylor for the winning try.

Somehow, there was still time for more play, but the Melbourne rearguard held firm enough for the victory.

Elsewhere, the 2nds returned from three weeks of inactivity to beat Veseyans 21-15 at Cooke Fields.

The visitors opened the scoring with a penalty, but this was more than cancelled out by two tries from Rees Scoggins and scrum half Rhys Davies, both improved by Mikey Turner.

In a rather scrappy game, Veseyans closed the gap with a forward orientated try to make it 14-8, but Lichfield’s defence generally dealt well with a bigger opposition pack.

In the second half, there was a try apiece. The home side’s was scored by Turner, with the extras added.

There were also senior debuts for Charlie Semple and Harvey Quance.