Droitwich 17
KIDDERMINSTER Carolians scraped past local rivals Droitwich to book their place in the North Midlands Shield.
The Marlpool Lane outfit started brightly, with Alex Thompson, Josh Winfield and Rhys Pritchard looking threatening.
Josh Winfield pounced on a kind bounce and raced over the try line to open the scoring.
The hosts were piling on the pressure and Chris Pinner put away a simple penalty chance.
The fleet-footed Winfield then punished a Droitwich knock-on by winning the race to chase down his own kick but was unable to ground the ball as Droitwich enjoyed a lucky escape.
KCs’ opponents had been under the cosh but they managed to take a 10-8 lead.
Nick Godfrey bagged a try for Spa, while Bobby Scott-Walker converted his kick and then put away a penalty.
It needed a last-ditch tackle by Mike Protheroe to prevent another Droitwich try at the start of the second half.
But the away side took a 17-8 lead when Steve Poke touched down and Scott-Walker added the extras.
The game’s momentum changed again when Spa centre Mark Strutt was sin-binned and KCs pressed home their extra man.
Pinner scored another penalty, before good play by George Morgan and Josh Winfield lead to Chris Baldwin scoring under the posts.
Pinner scored the conversion and Scott-Walked missed a penalty chance, much to the relief of KCs, who held on for the win.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here