Seven Tries See Off Stourbridge

Tamworth finally travelled to Stourbridge Lions on Saturday after Storm Eunice forced the eleventh hour cancellation seven days earlier.
Tamworth lost the toss and were forced to play into a very strong wind for the first period.
But it only took three minutes for the visitors to get the scoreboard moving as they made early inroads into the Stourbridge defence with some big carries from the forward pack the ball was worked wide where it was two of those forwards who appeared in the widest channels Connor McEntee offloading superbly to Second row partner Liam McGreevy who was not going to be stopped from that far out despite Stourbridge’s best efforts. Danny Norton’s conversion attempt fell just short in what would prove to be a testing first forty from the tee with the gale force wind directly in his face.
Stourbridge stayed in touch kicking a penalty the same wind conditions obviously much more in their favour (3-5)
Tamworth’s second try came on fifteen minutes Centre Leighton Norton crossing after jinking through some half tackles to make it to the line. (3-10)
Again though Tamworth’s poor discipline at the breakdown would benefit the hosts as they added three more penalty kicks to briefly take the lead (12-10)
Their lead would only last a few minutes as Tamworth laid siege to their try line as the half drew to a close Conor Banham finally breaching the good scramble defence to give Tamworth a slender lead at the break (12-15)
Tamworth now had the wind in their favour for the second period and Norton was starting to get them some good field position with the boot including a 50:22 kick that would have graced any premiership field and this soon showed on the scoreboard as Tamworth pressure forced a Knock on five meters from the line and the pack showed their dominance at scrum time driving Stourbridge back over their own line Number eight Martin Dearne getting the final touch for the bonus point score. Norton added the conversion and Tamworth led (12-22)
Tamworth twice thought they had really put this tie to bed only to see two seemingly good try’s chalked off with Sid Wood crossing only to be adjudged to have put a foot in touch. The second was a carbon copy of Dearne’s try the scrum again overpowering Stourbridge but this time the Referee deemed Dearne had knocked the ball forward in the process of scoring.
It was those two players though that would get the next two try’s that did put the tie beyond Stourbridge’s reach. Wood continuing his rich vein of form finishing a nice passage of play. And Dearne grabbing his second of the day as he smashed his way over Norton and Wood kicked a conversion each to take Tamworth into an unassailable 12-36 lead with only minutes left on the clock.
Still time enough though for one more try and probably the most bizarre of the day as Stourbridge looked for a consolation a stray pass fell straight to McGreevy on the twenty two metre line with no one between him and the posts he sprinted over for his second and to round off Tamworth’s seven try haul Wood slotted the extra’s to make the final score Stourbridge Lions 12 Tamworth 43.
After the game Coach Nigel Hall said “ The conditions were testing to say the least but we kept them in the game in the first half by not learning what the ref was looking for at the breakdown.
We did that much better in the second half and we controlled the game from there on in. We went into this run of three games looking for fifteen points and that is exactly what we’ve got so I’m happy with where we are at the moment.

Match Report by Lea McGreevy