Alcester made to work hard for bonus point victory - The Redditch Standard

Alcester made to work hard for bonus point victory

Redditch Editorial 14th Mar, 2017   0

Alcester 31 Kings Norton 5

Midlands Four West (South)

ALCESTER preserved their unbeaten home record on Saturday as they kept their title challenge alive with a bonus point victory against a Kings Norton side who were much better than their league position suggests and who really made Alcester work for their win.

The Second City visitors arrived with two former Alcester players in their ranks. George Elsby operated at hooker whilst Alcester coach Keith Beech’s son Adam, who lives and works in Birmingham, started at outside centre.




Following a scrappy opening ten minutes, Alcester were awarded their first scoring opportunity of the game but fly half Josh O’Connor dragged his penalty kick wide, which was the first of a number of missed scoring chances for his side in the opening quarter of the game.

On the 25-minute mark the home side did open the scoring. Man of the match back rower George Green ran straight at the visitors’ defence to put his side on the front foot and full back Oscar Holland put pace into the attack, which was rounded off by Jamie Harland for the opening try. O’Connor converted to give his side a 7-0 lead.


Alcester seemed to be affected by the changes they had been forced into before the game, particularly in the pack where three of the players that have been central to the side’s excellent season so far were missing.

Prop Jack Horton, second row Matt Johnson and No 8 Phil Birks were all absent and, whilst their deputies all performed well, the side did lack the cohesion of previous weeks.

That said, with the slope at their back in the first half and despite being far from their best, they still just about enjoyed the upper hand and flanker Ben Hope added a second try for his side, although 18-year-old fly half O’Connor did not have his best kicking boots on as he dragged the conversion and a subsequent second penalty attempt wide of the posts.

Coach Beech made changes before the break to bolster his pack in particular, with back-rower Lee Avery-Sherwood making a welcome return to action after several injury-enforced weeks away.

He added pace, aggression and direction to the home forwards which played a park in scrum half Robbie Parker’s try shortly after half time, which was converted by O’Connor for a 19-0 lead for his side.

The home side were better in the second half and skipper Jack Green and wing Lewis Walker added further tries, with O’Connor converting one of them to round off his team’s scoring.

With Alcester replacement prop Sam Lear in the sin-bin for an infringement, the visitors took full advantage to enjoy the better of the end of the game and they crossed for a deserved consolation score in the closing stages.

Second placed Alcester, a point behind leaders Bromyard, visit the former mining village of Keresley on the outskirts of Coventry in their next league encounter on Saturday.

Second bottom Kings resume league action a week on Saturday at home to Bromyard.

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