REDDITCH RFC surrendered a half-time lead as they were beaten 26-17 at home by Keresley to suffer a third consecutive defeat in the league.
Richie Beddard and Leo Fanthome crossed for first-half tries with Mikey Adams restoring Redditch’s lead in the second half only for Keresley to snatch the points with two late scores.
The result leaves Redditch in fifth place in the Midlands 5 West (South) table, having won just one game since the turn of the year.
Dealing with a crippling injury list, Redditch handed debuts to several players and took the lead when Beddard barged over for the game’s opening try after good work from full back Ollie Stokes.
And Redditch soon had their second try when Fanthome ran in an easy score from John Beale’s pass following another Stokes break with James Mills converting.
However, the visitors hit back with a converted try from a driving maul to reduce Redditch’s lead to 12-7 at the interval.
And Keresley completed the turnaround after the break when a move from the base of the scrum caught Redditch flat-footed and put the away side into a two-point lead.
The Kingfishers responded when Adams squeezed over in the corner to restore Redditch’s lead despite further injuries resulting in more positional switches.
However, Keresley snatched the win with two late scores as the visitors exploited gaps in the depleted Redditch defence.
Redditch are next in action at home to Stourport on Saturday, February 19 with kick-off at 2.15pm at Redditch Cricket, Hockey and Rugby Club.
