1st XV 24 - 23 Nuneaton

Imagine, if you will, learning that your favourite team was going to feature in Rugby World! News, views, interviews and full colour photographs. A four page spread with all your best players included. So, you order your copy and have a seven day wait, during which time the excitement and sense of anticipation builds to a crescendo. Then you hear the postman coming down the path, the letter box flap opens and you rush to the hall.

Now imagine your disappointment when you see a copy of Fish Keeper's Monthly staring up at you! This is rather like being at Liberty Way when a long awaited local derby failed to match up to the Stourton Park "faithfuls" expectations.

Nuns lost the toss and kicked off with a strong wind advantage and their performance belied the relegation position in which they rest at the end of this long season. Playing with great spirit, determination and as a "team", the home side dominated territory for much of the first half. It was only thanks to great clearance kick by Dan Pointon, did Stour get away from their own line, after some 10 minutes of pressure. Some good inter play between the backs, involving Lachlan Porteous and Martin Freeman, in particular, led to a penalty chance but the kick went wide and the feeling of a dry afternoon, ahead, started to grow. Stour needed to ensure a four try bonus point and decided on lineout moves for the remainder of the game. Their opportunities came at frequent intervals and after 29 minutes the Nuns number 7 was given a yellow card for persistent infringements. Twice, in quick succession, Stour were deemed to be held up, over the line and failed to trouble the scorer even against 14 men. Nuns then spent the last 10 minutes in the visitor's half and were rewarded by taking a scrum, against the head. They attacked the blind side but a clever switch by fly half Ricky Aley, gave him the chance of a super drop goal attempt and with the last play of the half gave a well deserved three point lead.

Players returned to the pitch with Adam Sturdy replacing Adrian Olver and six minutes later the aegis of Neil Mitchell lead to Rod Petty coming on. Dan Pointon moving to scrum half and Tom Richardson travelling out to the right wing meant that Jon Hall got a well deserved rest. Nun's number 7 was lucky not to get his second card of the day when a (possibly a touch late) tackle put Pointon into the hands of the medical team. Some reversal of pressure gave Stour a scrummage and the ball was worked to Petty who cut through and scored out left. At 3-5 this gave a little more impetus to Stourbridge players and some Nuneaton territory was thwarted by a great lineout steal, by Ally Muldowney and Petty cleared. Yet another Stour penalty gave them a lineout on the left and a salmon type leap (straight out of the pages of Fish Keepers Monthly) Muldowney secured the ball and set up a maul. This lead to a well taken try claimed by Adam Sturdy but the missed kick meant that the visitors were only 3-10 up with some 20 minutes remaining. In some chess mastery, "Mitch" made some more changes and White/Knight and Rowlands/Tideswell moves were made.

However, Nuns restarted the game and found possession for Number 10, Will Cave to score in the right corner and at 8-10 realised that there was all to play for. That was until another yellow card, this time for full back Cook, took them down to 14 players after a superb rolling maul by the Stourbridge pack. One scrum later saw Martin Freeman at his best and with three signature "shimmies" and a lot of ground to cover he touched down in the right hand corner to make the score 8-15. Knowing that time was ticking on and needing to score one more try, the management team indicated a sense of urgency for Rod Petty to convert. The drop kick method was suggested but he chose the more conventional approach and signalled, in a manner antipodeans, when proved right and the score moved to 8-17. However, Nuns would not lie down and despite some good work by Tom Jarvis they managed to obtain the ball and send it out left where number 11 Takarangi was waiting. He shrugged off three tackles and scored, Aley converted and all of a sudden they were within 2 points at 15-17.

A penalty after 36 minutes gave Aley the chance to lead and now, 1 point ahead, the home side were determined to prove a point. The resulting kick off returned possession to Nuns but they were penalised for "holding on" and a collision by Ben Hughes saw him leaving the field with an aggravated arm injury and Stour were down to 14 men with no replacements left. At the end of normal time, Nuns took the lead for only the second time when Cave scored out right. The conversion attempt failed and Stour's kick off went too long and players were recalled to the half way line for a scrum. The atmosphere at Liberty Way changed dramatically. Old men were seen dancing up and down the touch line and talking as if the World Cup, itself, had been secured. That is until Stour regained possession and the ball ended up in the hands of Tom Jarvis. He does not need a lot of space to weave his magic but with a small window of opportunity and 60 metres ahead of him, Tom raced for the corner and beat three men, in the process.

From a similar position, but unlike the previous occasion, Rod Petty was urged to take his time and the kicking tee was carefully placed. The rest is history and Stourbridge held on for the remaining seconds having won this game 23-24.

With both Otley and Manchester securing five points, the league table remains unaltered and we go into week 26 still with a chance of promotion. Our last game is against Southend, at home and we should all look forward to ending this campaign on a winning note. Let us all hope that Stourton Park will be packed out and we can celebrate a "Rugby World" and not that other notable publication that has been known to land on our door mat.