Stourbridge bounce back to rise to third
Stourbridge recovered from a nightmare start to see off Loughborough Students and climb to third in National Two North.
The promotion-chasers were given a rude awakening at Stourton Park when Fergus Dick scored for the visitors inside the opening two minutes of Saturday’s match.
But Stour powered back to run in six first-half tries on their way to a comfortable if not entirely convincing 46-24 win.
After being stung early, the hosts hit back with two scores in the space of three minutes, Tomas Bacon first collecting a pass from Mark George and diving over before Dan Rundle ran 40 metres to score after Stour won the ball at a lineout.
The bonus point was then secured inside the first 20 minutes thanks to tries from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Michael Penn. When Bacon touched down his second of the afternoon soon after, the score was 31-5 and a drubbing looked on the cards.
Yet the visitors, to their credit, did not lose composure and reduced the deficit thanks to Sam Kildunne’s converted try.
Feyi-Waboso got his second to give Stour a 24-point half-time lead but it was the Students who enjoyed the better of the second period, Thomas Smith and Alex Wainwright both going over before Rundle grabbed his second of the match in the closing stages.
Victory saw Stour climb two places in the table thanks to Fylde’s win at Rotherham and the postponement of Sedgley Park’s clash with Bournville.
In the Midlands Premier Division, Dudley Kingswinford came close to turning the form book on its head as they were edged out 29-27 at home by promotion-chasing Bridgnorth.
The visitors got off to a quick start and a 14-0 lead thanks to converted tries from Zac Xiorouppa and Ben Rochelle.
But DK refused to give up the fight and scored 13 unanswered points before the break, James Jefferson scoring a converted try before Sam Vaughan kicked two penalties.
Bridgnorth looked to be easing away again the second period but the hosts again responded with tries from Callum Nicholls and Scott Lovell to set up a nail-biting finish.
Wolverhampton’s resurgence in Midlands One West was checked as they were beaten 27-7 away at Newbold-on-Avon. Old Halesonians also had a day to forget as they were beaten 27-15 at home by Whitchurch.
Walsall remain right on the heels of Midlands Two West (North) leaders Leek after a thumping 87-0 win at struggling Stourbridge Lions.
Skipper George Perkins scored a hat-trick inside the opening 20 minutes to set the tone for an afternoon when his team attacked relentlessly.
Walsall had seven tries before the break as Ben Pitt, Will Hennessey and Adam Tamillo all crossed before Perkins grabbed his fourth of the afternoon.
And the visitors refused to ease off the pace in the second period with Hennessey getting his second try of the afternoon and Max Brown and Jack Crowhurst both scoring two apiece.
The win means Walsall remain one point behind Leek in the table ahead of the top-two meeting at Delves Road a week on Saturday.
Stafford continued their impressive start to 2022 with a 36-17 win at Old Saltleians, their third win on the spin.
The hosts sit rock bottom of the table but made life difficult for the visitors before Nick Oxley burst through for the first try of the game. Tom Dunn then went over twice before the break to give Stafford a 19-5 advantage.
Dan Smith then grabbed the bonus point score early in the second period and though the hosts kept them honest with two tries of their own, Dunn and Oxley both scored again to ensure the visitors always had sufficient breathing space.
Burntwood remain third in Midlands Three West (North) after a 24-12 win at Clee Hill, while Aldridge gave their survival hopes a shot in the arm thanks to a thrilling 23-20 victory at Cleobury Mortimer.
Wednesbury remain rooted in trouble in Midlands Four West (North) following a 44-7 defeat at Market Drayton but their problems pale in comparison to that of Warley, who gave Rugeley a walkover after being unable to raise a team. Willenhall were beaten 24-17 at Oswestry.
The biggest scoring game of the day came in Midlands Five West (North) where Cannock and Stone combined for 100 points. Hosts Cannock won a try-fest 62-38, while Bloxwich also had plenty to celebrate after winning 50-10 at Atherstone.
