ASHBOURNE defied a mounting injury list and the enforced absence of team manager Martin Farr to progress in the RFU Intermediate Cup.
They saw off visitors Shrewsbury 25-7 at a saturated Recreation Ground, pulling away in the second half after edging to a 10-7 lead in an even first period.
It is another result which will put the team in good heart for Saturday's eagerly-awaited first-ever League visit to Midlands Two East (North) leaders Matlock.
After Farr had been called away to referee the club's third team match, Shrewsbury started the brighter of the two sides.
But Ashbourne took the lead when Jonny Riley reacted first to a dropped ball by the opposition, initially hacking the ball into Shrewsbury's 22 then outpacing the defence and showing excellent footballing skills to guide the ball over the try line and drop on it.
It was his first try for the first team, although it went unconverted.
Stung, Shrewsbury hit back and some poor tackling allowed them to score a converted try to go 7-5 ahead.
The visitors appeared to have the upper hand but a series of driving runs from the Ashbourne forwards, with number eight Chris Rose picking up well from the base of the scrum began to give them a territorial advantage.
A driving maul almost breached the Shrewsbury line before a move down the back line was passed back to Rose, who muscled his way over for an unconverted try.
Soon after half-time, Tom Clayton, usually a prop, but who had filled in well at second row, was replaced by 19-year-old Mikey Allen, with Alistair Eastwood replacing Riley on the wing.
They made an immediate impact, exchanging passes at the end of dazzling back move for Allen to score.
Mark Maznenko, giving a commanding performance at scrum half in the slippery conditions, then broke through and passed to centre Adam Curley, who sliced through the opposition to extend his lead as Ashbourne's top try scorer this season.
Both these tries were also unconverted but, at 20-7, Shrewsbury heads were dropping and Allen and Eastwood again combined well on the right, Eastwood dancing over to score his first Ashbourne try.
Kurt Smith was judged man of the match.
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