Luctonians 13 Bournville 6
Bournville’s heroics in atrocious weather conditions were not quite enough to earn them a first away win of the season but they secured another valuable bonus point on the road in a Mortimer Park mudbath.
Driving rain on top of rapidly thawing snow left pools of water across the pitch and made handling extremely difficult yet both sides produced a compelling North Midlands derby with a first-half try from Luctonians full-back Josh Watkins proving the difference.
But in many respects this was probably Bournville’s best performance away from Avery Fields this season against a side that rarely lose or drop points at home.
Having failed to score a point in their previous two visits to Mortimer Park as score of any kind was a bonus for Bourns and when it came, through the first of two penalties from Freddie Morgan, it came after three hours and 12 minutes of rugby at the ground.
Morgan added a second penalty midway through the second-half which put Bourns within four points of their hosts but a penalty from Luctonians centre Bryn Goodall five minutes from time sealed the win for a relieved Luctonians.
In the build-up to the match Bournville Head Coach Matt Price had deliberately talked down his side’s chances of taking anything from this match but his reverse psychology appeared to have the desired effect and came close to producing a famous victory.
After conceding 20 or more points in the first-half of their previous two away matches, Bournville were much sharper and better organised in defence but could not convert early pressure into points with Morgan pushing a ninth minute penalty just wide of the target as he attempted to find a dry patch in the quagmire.
Watkins’s try, after Luctonians played a penalty advantage, was converted by scrum-half Owen Randell but Bournville enjoyed plenty of possession and territory with the stiff breeze at their backs in the first-half when they attacked the ‘deep end’.
That pressure was rewarded on 32 minutes when Luctonians gave away penalties under pressure and Morgan found one that was in his kicking range.
Luctonians had the conditions in their favour in the second half and regained their seven points advantage when Bourns were caught off-side and Randell levered over a kick from in front of the posts.
Morgan’s second penalty, from a difficult angle and into the wind, lifted Bournville who played a pragmatic pick-and-go game as well as successfully disrupting Luctonians’ lineout, which clearly had their hosts rattled.
But finding positions from which the backs might be able to find some dry land on which to find a footing proved increasingly difficult. Instead it was Luctonians who finished the stronger with Goodall finding the target with his first kick of the afternoon but missing with another two minutes later which allowed Bourns to maintain their record of earning at least one point from each away game this season.
