Old Coventrians 5 Kidderminster 32
Midlands 2 West(South)

Well thought out and organised pre-match preparation by Rhys Pritchard and Chris Pinner allowed KCRFC to get off to a fast start against their first Midlands Two West (South) opponents. Slick handling set up Arthur Morgan to score a try under the posts in the first minute which was converted by Pinner.

The newly-promoted Old Coventrians then rallied and put Kidderminster under pressure, and despite an excellent defence, they eventually scored an unconverted try following a series of driving mauls. As Kidderminster’s improved level of fitness told, quick handling and excellent support play saw Carolians camped in the OC’S half and a superb drop goal by Freddie Morgan extended their lead. The strong defence and willingness to attack resulted in OC’s giving penalties away at regular intervals and Pinner extended the lead with a penalty kick near to the posts.

Top scrummaging and line out work by the forwards provided the backs with regular opportunities to show just what an attacking threat they are, and KC laid the foundation for the half time lead of 20-5 after Freddie Morgan scored to extend the visitors’ lead. The strong team spirit following a good pre-season, allowed Kidderminster to play at a pace and tempo their opponents found difficult to cope with despite their greater size and weight.

James Rigsby was outstanding in the front row and supported by the excellent Dave Kane and Joe Nicklin put their well-regarded opposite numbers under intense pressure. The score stayed the same for 30 minutes of the second half until Kidderminster crossed for a try from a scrum on the left scored by Pinner. Another followed five minutes later by winger Alex Royall who had a tremendous game, despite playing out of position to complete the scoring at 32-5 to Kidderminster. The bonus point victory puts KC at the top of the table, and they will hope to stay there when they host Old Laurentians on Saturday (3pm kick-off).

The coaching team praised OC's for providing great hospitality to all of our members both before and after the match. The game was played in the true spirit of rugby with a fiercely contested match. Before the match OC's were working hard to raise awareness to help a Coventry legend Julian Horobin and his 6 year old grandson Marley who has been diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia and needs a bone marrow donor to be found.

In order to help the family have asked as many people as possible to sign up to the Stem Cell Register to see if a bone marrow match can be found. You could be a potential life saver to Marley and many more still searching for a compatible match.

To register please use the following link - www.dkms.org.uk