In the worst conditions of the season so far, Bournville made a slow start and were soon behind when the Stratford fly-half put in a clever chip which was gathered by their left winger for the opening score. The wind dragged the conversion wide but Bournville had been shown that their opposition were going to be no pushovers.

Bournville responded shortly afterwards through an Alex Warner penalty following good work by the Bournville pack. The forwards, led by the back row of Adam Cristol, Tom McIntosh and Matt Dickerson, were at their disruptive best and as the half progressed, Bournville began to dominate territory and possession.

The visitors took the lead after 25 minutes when Carl Colvin continued his excellent form of recent weeks with a 70m run from his own 22. Fine support play from McIntosh and second-row workhorse Nick Southern saw the latter cross under the posts for the score. Again, the windy conditions made the conversion difficult and Warner dragged his effort just wide.

Despite their dominance at times, Bournville couldn’t find the extra score before the break and took a slender 8-5 lead into the second half. With the wind now at their backs, Stratford came into the game more. Strong running from their back row and some huge clearance kicks gave them good early field positions. The scores were levelled 10 minutes into the second half with a 45m penalty after a Bournville infringement.

However, Bournville weren’t to be pushed over easily. Despite facing the elements, they enjoyed regular trips to the opposition 22. They were unlucky not to take the lead when another Warner penalty rebounded off the post to safety. Stratford’s reprieve was short-lived as Bournville took the lead when Tongan super-sub, Fou, broke through the centre to score under the posts with ten minutes to go. Warner this time added the conversion to give Bournville a 15-8 lead.

As the clock wound down, Bournville’s defence stood firm and they came away with a vital victory against very strong opposition. A delighted Director of Rugby Rob Sigley commented after the game, “We knew today was going to be tough, especially in these conditions, so I’m really pleased to get the win. The players’ commitment and determination to come away with the win showed and the victory was a good reward for the way we’ve trained in recent weeks.”

Next week, Bournville travel to National Three (Midlands) side Luctonians in the North Midlands Cup in what will be a great test of Bournville’s ambitions. The Herefordshire side are the current cup holders so should prove tough opposition for Sigley’s men.

Bournville line-up:
1. Paul Coles, 2. Dean Bick, 3. Ian Coles, 4. Nick Southern, 5. Rob Griffin, 6. Adam Cristol, 7. Tom McIntosh (c), 8. Matt Dickerson, 9. Chris Humphrey, 10. Alex Warner, 11. Iestyn Pratt, 12. Jon Ball, 13. Carl Colvin, 14. Adam Connif, 15. Alex Ward, 16. Rob Sigley, 17. Steve Smith, 18. Fou.  Stand-out player: Adam Cristol