Bournville came away from this tough trip with a hard-fought victory against a strong, hard working Nuneaton Old Edwardians but it could have been a different story.

In the lead up to the game, Bournville’s Director of Rugby, Rob Sigley, was forced into a number of changes. Gareth Clouston and Ian Coles returned to the pack in place of the unavailable Nick Southern and Dean Bick whilst Iestyn Pratt made only his second start of the season on the wing.

Bournville started brightly but could have found themselves behind early on following an interception. Fortunately, winger Iestyn Pratt chased back 70m to haul the Nuneaton man down just inches short of the line. Bournville then rallied and spent long periods of time in the opposition half but it wasn’t until the 30th minute that the deadlock was finally broken when fly-half, Alex Warner, slotted over a penalty.

Nuneaton Old Eds levelled matters shortly afterwards but on the stroke of half-time, Tongan centre, Fou stepped his way through four tacklers to cross the whitewash following a good line-out steal by Rob Griffin. Warner added the conversion to put Bournville 10-3 ahead at the break.

Despite their first half dominance, Bournville found the going much tougher in the second half. The Nuneaton Old Eds forward pack drove over shortly after the break to get themselves back into the game. The conversion was unsuccessful but they were still within two points of Bournville.

Fou responded for Bournville with a clever chip and chase following strong midfield work from the visiting pack. Warner was successful again from out wide with the conversion to give Bournville a 17-8 lead.

Almost immediately from the restart, Bournville again found themselves in opposition territory. A well-worked catch and drive of their own gave Paul Coles the opportunity to extend the lead. Warner missed the conversion this time but Bournville had seemingly put the result beyond doubt.

However, the home side showed determination to get back into the game. A long period of pressure close to the Bournville line was finally rewarded as their centre broke through the defensive line to score, adding the extras himself.

With one converted try between the teams, Bournville were holding on desperately. Some ferocious tackling from the pack kept the home side at bay. A decisive turn over from Paul Coles gave Bournville the chance to clear their lines. Bournville put the icing on the cake with the last play of the game when Gareth Clouston broke from the base of the scrum to feed the supporting Adam Cristol for the flanker to cross out wide giving Bournville a 27-15 victory.

After the game, Director of Rugby Rob Sigley commented, “I was pleased that we managed to grind out a win but there is still room for improvement. We were made to work hard for the result which will hopefully give the side confidence going into next week’s match.”

Next week is a momentous occasion for the club as local rivals, Old Halesonians, are welcomed to Rowheath. The game is preceded by a replay of Bournville’s first ever match a century ago, when the Bournville Hippos take on Aston Old Edwardians. The centenary match kicks off at 1pm and is followed by the 1st XV match at 3pm.

Bournville R.F.C: 1. Paul Coles, 2. Ian Coles, 3. Rob Sigley, 4. Steve Smith, 5. Rob Griffin, 6. Adam Cristol, 7. Tom McIntosh (c), 8. Gareth Clouston 9. Robbie Harlow, 10. Alex Warner, 11. Iestyn Pratt, 12. Fou, 13. Carl Colvin, 14. Adam Coniff, 15. Alex Ward. Reps: 16. Marcus Tomlinson, 17. Matt Dickerson, 18. Alex McCall. Stand-Out Player: Paul Coles