Stour can win title roars boss

Stourbridge can go up as champions – that’s the defiant message from boss Neil Mitchell.

The Stourton Park side are just two points off the top of National Two – following Saturday’s stunning 41-23 victory over leaders Otley – and Mitchell is sure that his team now have the edge in the race for promotion.

Stourbridge will lock horns with Manchester a week on Saturday at Grove Park, and Mitchell believes a win there could pave the way to the National Two championship.

“We expect Manchester to dispatch bottom side Halifax this weekend, so when we go there next Saturday there will be two points between the top three sides,” said Stourbridge’s director of rugby Mitchell.

“So, it’s there for us now. We believe we can go up as champions of this division.”

Stourbridge, playing utility back Rod Petty at fly-half following season-ending injuries to Sam Robinson and Dan Lavery, never let Otley into the game on Saturday.

“We said we would attack them, and apart from one period in the game, there was a barrage of pressure,” added Mitchell.

Ally Bressington (2), Jon Hall and Adrian Olver scored the tries as, amazingly, Stourbridge bagged all five points against their title rivals.

The victory set up one of the most exciting races for the National Two title in its history and Mitchell is determined to finish off the job.

“We’ve said to the boys that we can’t now sit back and think we are there,” he said.

“Looking at the rest of the fixtures for Otley and Manchester, there are some tough games in there for both of them so we’ve nothing to fear. And we believe we can win the title.”

Remaining fixtures

Stourbridge: Manchester (A), Henley (H), Nuneaton (A), Southend (H).

Otley: Redruth (H), Cambridge (A), Blackheath (H), Waterloo (A).

Manchester: Halifax (H), Stourbridge (H), Redruth (A), Cambridge (H), Blackheath (A).