Alcester 53 Claverdon 15
Midlands Four West (South)
ALCESTER recorded their first league victory of the season on Saturday as they claimed the derby bragging rights in emphatic style at a drizzly Kings Coughton.
Skipper Jack Green led the scoring with four of his side’s nine tries as Alcester recorded their biggest win over the all-whites in recent memory.
The game was over as a contest inside half an hour, with the home side already 36-0 ahead. This contained a period of four tries in a ten-minute spell as Alcester tore their opponents apart and avenged their defeat from last month when Claverdon narrowly won the Warwickshire Shield contest between the sides.
In stark contrast to the previous meeting which was played in dry, albeit breezy conditions, this game was on a greasy outfield after the rain of the previous hours, which was topped up intermittently throughout the game.
The home side, however, belied these conditions to play some of their best running and handling rugby for a number of years in the opening half hour.
With the slope at their back in the first half, the home side went in front inside five minutes when Lewis Walker broke free on the left wing before feeding fellow teenager Jamie Harland who crossed for the first try.
In an almost carbon copy move a few minutes later Walker again found Harland to double the lead. Ben Hope converted.
If the first two tries were about pace and guile, the third was more brute force as skipper Green blasted his way through tackles on his way to the line to register the first of a four-try blitz for his side inside a ten-minute spell midway through the first half.
Wing Walker, who looked threatening every time he got the ball and who had played a big part in Alcester’s tries so far, got on the scoreboard himself with a deserved try which sealed the bonus point for his side. Hope again converted the score.
Straight from the kick-off, Phil Birks claimed the restart and took play straight back to his opponents, before offloading smartly out of the tackle and a further quick offload found its way to scrum half Robbie Parker in space.
The veteran showed he has lost little of the pace he has become renowned for over the years to register a trademark score and his side’s fifth try.
Green scored his second, his side’s sixth, and converted the try himself before the visitors shored their defence up and enjoyed their first sustained period with the ball in Alcester territory.
They were rewarded with points on the board before half time as James Williams sent over a penalty to make it 36-3 at the break.
The opening exchanges of the second half were more even, but it was Alcester who scored first in the second half as Green scored his hat-trick try and again converted it himself.
To their credit, Claverdon kept going despite already being well beaten and they crossed for their first try through Harvey Skinner which was converted by Williams before Green scored for Alcester again to register his fourth and his side’s eighth try.
James Kirby scored a second try for the Lions before Alcester flanker Hope rounded the scoring off and brought up Alcester’s half century with the final try of the game.
This was a morale-boosting victory for Alcester who were able to call on a number of players who were unavailable in the meeting of the sides last month.
In contrast, Claverdon were missing a number of regulars, but this takes nothing away from Alcester’s domination of the match.
In a fine team performance in which the home forwards laid the platform for the running rugby in the first half in particular, special credit must be given to veteran Scott Carmichael who dictated proceedings throughout in his first outing for nearly a year.
Playing at fly half, Carmichael was able to resume a half back partnership with fellow veteran and scrum half Parker which first started at senior level, approaching 20 years ago.
Alcester travel to Coventrians’ Black Pad ground on Saturday (3pm).
ALCESTER 2nds’ fourth match of the season culminated in their first victory on their first away day as they defeated Claverdon 2nds 43-29.
Once again the Kings Coughton second string were short of numbers, but slowly this resilient bunch are growing week on week and they were fortunate to call on a couple of Shottery players as well as being lent others by their hosts.
Skipper Stu Whitehead was rewarded for his hard work in getting a side out again with two tries of his own and Alcester’s other scores came from Jamie Miller, Alastair Hooper, Carl Platten, a guest player and debutant Neil Loy. Jimmy Watson kicked four conversions.
