Tasty Cheeseman inspires Bath

Tom Cheeseman notched a superb hat-trick as Bath beat Worcester 23-20 in an enthralling encounter at Sixways.

The Bath centre inspired his team-mates to a victory which sees Stephen Meehan's men take a significant stride towards the Guinness Premiership play-offs.

Cheeseman out-shone Worcester wing Miles Benjamin, who crashed over the line twice in 80 minutes as the home side refused to lie down.

Mike Ruddock's men matched their opponents for the majority of the game, and fought back bravely from 16-8 down before Cheeseman sealed the game late on.

Worcester welcomed back several of the players who missed last weekend's 49-12 defeat against in-form Wasps, including Greg Rawlinson and their New Zealand centre combination of Sam Tuitupou and Rico Gear.

Bath, midweek conquerors of Leicester, switched prop Matt Stevens to loosehead as replacement for the injured David Flatman, while Duncan Bell wore the No.3 jersey and there were also call-ups for Barkley and his midfield partner Cheeseman.

Early dominance

Tuitupou proved his defensive qualities just six minutes into the game. Bath hooker Lee Mears powered his way forward but the All Black stood firm and held up his opponent inches from the line.

Bath's stout defence was rewarded just two minutes later. A swift attacking move saw full-back Joe Maddock feed Cheesman who had the simple task of crossing over for his first score of the afternoon.

Bath continued to boss the early stages, and although Shane Drahm opened Worcester's account through a long-range penalty, the visitors continued to dominate possession.

However, there was nothing Meehan's men could do about Worcester's response as they conjured a contender for try of the season.

Bath were camped in the Warriors' 22, yet wing Marcel Garvey broke out of defence and cut inside to the halfway line where Rico Gear took his pass.

The Worcester centre bounced off two tackles and sent Benjamin sprinting 40 metres into the corner.

It was a stunning score, but Worcester's lead lasted just six minutes, as England forwards Mears and Michael Lipman worked in tandem to set up Cheesman's second score of the day.

Forward power

Mears' pass sent Lipman blasting into midfield space, and quickly recycled possession by the Bath pack saw Cheeseman cross the line out wide.

Olly Barkley, who later slotted two penalties and a conversion, could not add the extras but Bath held the advantage at 13-8.

Worcester suffered another setback just before half-time when captain Sanderson limped off after taking a heavy blow to the upper area of his left leg - Rawlinson taking over the responsibilities.

Barkley quickly extended Bath's lead to eight points after the break when he drilled over a 50-metre penalty, but his strike merely sparked Worcester ace Benjamin back into life as he showcased more of his blistering finishing power.

Warriors fightback

The 19-year-old received possession 25 metres out and burst forward with blistering pace, shrugging off a host of challenges in his wake to power over the line.

It provided Bath with a timely reminder that Worcester had no intention of surrendering, and the hosts maintained their revival shortly after as they sprung into a 61st minute lead.

Scrum-half Michael Claassens and replacement full-back Michael Stephenson hesitated just outside their own 22, watching a bouncing ball land between them, and Drahm gratefully collected the gift to sprint over unopposed.

Drahm kicked the simple conversion, and Bath trailed 20-16, finding themselves under mounting pressure.

However, Cheeseman came to the visitors rescue when it mattered, finishing off a slick move 11 minutes from time.

Barkley's superb touchline conversion proved a hammer blow for Worcester, and the visitors held on amid intense late Warriors pressure to cement second place in the Premiership table.