Bournville 30 Hornets 41
Bournville were made to pay a heavy price for Harry Dawson’s sin-binning as Hornets secured their first win in three visits to Avery Fields.
Dawson was shown a yellow card for a blatant obstruction in the 66th minute and Hornets applied the punishment in triplicate by scoring three tries and 19 unanswered points while Bournville were down to 14 men.
Bourns had just worked their back into the match and were leading 25-22 when Dawson departed but, down to 14 men and without their chief lineout sacker, the victory hopes were dashed.
Jacob Fewtrell’s last minute try ensured that Bournville at least salvaged a try bonus point from this defeat which could yet prove important at the end of the season.
Although Bournville were a threat in attack and scored four excellent tries through attacking flair and excellent support play, they were well beaten by Hornets who scored seven tries – three of them from driving lineouts – and whose margin of victory would have been larger had they not missed three kickable conversions.
It took Bournville a long time to settle into the game although Freddie Morgan rewarded early pressure with two penalties and a burst of three tries in the 13 minutes just before half-time from Hornets turned the game.
Full-back Charlie Carter jinked through after he collected a kick on his own ten metre line, tighthead prop Tom Read went over from a lineout and right wing Josh Sheppard popped up on the opposite side of the field to round off a sustained attack.
After a shapeless and tentative first-half display, Bourns were more direct and aggressive in the second with Alex Evans reducing the deficit after good interplay between Joe Jenkins and Morgan.
Hornets secured the try bonus point when loosehead Sonny Haines was driven over five minutes later but Bournville produced two vivid passages of play to take the lead.
Sam Grimshaw celebrated his return from a two-month injury lay-off by jinking his way over close to the posts and scrum-half Reiss Price got his second try in as many home games by finishing off a an attack started by a pinball run from Evans.
But having taken the lead and, apparently, regained their composure, it quickly unravelled for Bourns after Dawson’s moment of rashness.
Hornets scored from the resulting penalty with Carter crossing, openside flanker Corey Baker picked up at a ruck and strolled through a huge gap in the home defence and Read scored his second just before Dawson returned from the sin bin.
Fewtrell’s try, after another sustained attack, was reward for Bournville’s tenacity but they need more from their three remaining home matches with the other five being away from Avery Fields.
*Bournville Blues stayed firmly in the Counties Three Midlands West (South) title race with a 71-0 victory over Malvern IIs at Spring Lane.
The Blues ran in 11 tries in another emphatic win hooker Scott Rudge scoring a brace in his first start since he returned from Stourbridge.
Centre Joe Nellany, who captained the side on his return from injury, also crossed along with Ben Harper, Jamie Avery, Matt Serrell-Cooke, Chris Crutchley, Bhairaj Rai, George Jewell, Alex Warner and Niall Demel.
