Stourbridge stuck at bottom after loss to strugglers
Stourbridge remain rooted to the foot of National League Two West following a 31-15 defeat at home to fellow strugglers Barnstaple.
The hosts went into the match just three points behind the visitors but the gap is now eight following their 11th loss in 12 matches this season.
With the match one of the few in the region to survive the freezing conditions, Stour made the ideal start when Mark George went over to give them a seventh minute lead.
But Barnstaple then hit back with two tries in three minutes from Nathaniel Bayet and Thomas Clark to establish an advantage they would not relinquish for the rest of the afternoon.
A try for Matt Moseley and a second for George saw Stour cut the deficit to just four points at the break, with Brandon Moore scoring for their visitors in between.
Yet any hopes the home side might carry that momentum into the second period proved unfounded as Barnstaple restored their two-score cushion with a try on the hour mark from Ashlee Crouch, before Bayet crossed for his second of the afternoon to kill off any hope of a comeback.
Stour, who travel to Loughborough Students this Saturday for their final match of 2022, were unable to find the consolation try which would at least have delivered a bonus point.
Elsewhere, there was a similarly damaging defeat for Stourbridge Lions, who lost 31-12 at Old Saltleians to remain bottom of the Counties One Midlands West (North) table.
