Old Yardleians 12 Alcester 14
Midlands Three West (South)
ALCESTER showed tremendous guts and determination to see off their Shirley hosts despite playing the majority of Saturday’s game with 14 men.
It was an evenly matched contest which remained scoreless for 25 minutes and then Alcester’s George Green was sent off for foul play.
Phil Birks crossed the line for Alcester during the red-card fiasco which distracted the referee and this meant the try did not stand. After the incident though, Alcester upped their pressure but the one-man advantage always allowed Old Yardleians to diminish Alcester’s advances.
However, the visitors managed to get a try before half-time, unsurprisingly through top-scorer Jack Green after a good set of hands and offloading.
The home side scored a try of their own but a late first half penalty kick by Max Biltcliffe put the Red & Blacks in front at the break.
Biltcliffe was successful with two penalty kicks in the opening stages of the second half to stretch the visitors’ lead to 14-7 before Old Yardleians were awarded a penalty try for infringement at a scrum, but this was not enough to give them a winning advantage.
In the closing stages of the game, Alcester were awarded another two penalty kicks. One was charged down and, despite this being against rugby laws, the referee allowed play to continue and the other was miskicked.
Although things did not quite go Alcester’s way in the latter stages of the second half, they managed to hold on for a much-needed win which ended a run of three successive league defeats.
Eighth-placed Alcester host second-placed Pinley on Saturday.
Alcester 2nds 15 Evesham 17
ALCESTER 2NDS’ winning run came to an end after they narrowly lost to an Evesham side they had been soundly beaten by in recent seasons.
With the slope at their back in the first half, Alcester took the lead on 25 minutes when substitute Glyn Smith opened the scoring just a few minutes after entering the fray.
Evesham scored a try of their own shortly afterwards which was converted, before Smith restored Alcester’s lead at 8-7 before the break with a well-struck penalty kick.
With the elements at their back in the second half, Evesham claimed the ascendancy and two tries in quick succession to put them in charge of the game.
The home side continued to try and get back into the game and they were eventually rewarded with a second try through Luke Spencer. Unfortunately for Alcester, time ran out and the visitors claimed the win.
In a determined performance, back row Elliott Evans led the Alcester charge with a number of good carries and a sound defensive effort, whilst skipper Sam Fell stood in at scrum-half and performed well in this position.
