Hinckley 64 Bournville 19
Bournville flattered to deceive before slumping to a heavy and potentially damaging defeat at Leicester Road.
Bournville led three times in the first-half and were only five points adrift at the break but then leaked 40 unanswered points – including six tries – in a second-half collapse which was as alarming as it was inexplicable.
Bournville did not even have the consolation of a bonus point for their efforts in an eleventh defeat in their last 12 matches with the side immediately below them, Devonport Services, beating the one directly above them, Macclesfield, with the Cheshire club claiming two bonus points.
The contrast between Bournville’s first and second half performances was so stark that spectators could have been forgiven for thinking that the entire side had been changed at the break.
With a dominant scrum, Bourns were accurate in attack and in the first period, but once the scrum was de-powered when first Stef Thorp departed in the second-half then Kurtis Payne suffered a torn bicep in his first appearance of the season things quickly unravelled.
Bournville were inaccurate in attack and sloppy in defence which meant that Hinckley did not have to work particularly hard for a win that virtually secured their place in the National Leagues for another season.
Bourns have plenty of thinking to do ahead of a crucial final six matches of the season starting with the visit of Exeter University to Avery Fields. They will need to win that match and their other two home matches against Luctonians and Clifton and, possibly, a first win of the season one on the road at either Old Redcliffians, Cinderford or Devonport Services.
The positive aspects of this game were confined to a brace of tries from Thorp, the second after James Burgoyne had powered through the middle, and one by Jonjo Fanning when Bournville had Hinckley under pressure in the scrums.
But Bournville’s re-start work was sloppy which allowed Hinckley to immediately cancel out those score with wing Callum Dacey crossing twice.
Missed tackles from the re-start allowed Jack Hewitt to give Hinckley the lead and although Thorp put Bourns back in front they could not hold it until the break.
A penalty conceded on their own put-in allowed Hinckley fly-half Rory Vowles to kick to the corner and they rumbled Nigel Mukarati over for the bonus point try from the resulting lineout.
It was mostly one-way traffic in the second-half as Hinckley’s centres sliced through an increasingly porous defence although Nathan Decalmer almost conjured up one of his specials with a length of the pitch kick-and-chase.
Hinckley managed to deny Decalmer and turned defence into attack with a sweeping counter which saw loosehead prop George Patten go over at the other end.
While Bournville coughed up possession at the breakdown and struggled to get pace into the game, Hinckley rattled up a point a minute in the second period with Dacey completing his hat-trick then adding a fourth for good measure with Will Callan, Billy Pasco and Jack Ramshaw also touching down.
Once again Bourns were forced into a late reshuffle at an away match as lock Nick Murphy suffered a tyre blow-out on the M54. Louis Mifsud was promoted from the bench with Ben Meakin switched to the second row although Murphy, having made a detour to a tyre centre in Wolverhampton, arrived just before half-time and came on as a second-half replacement.
*Bournville Blues avenged a home defeat by Edwardians II at Avery Fields earlier in the season with a 92-0 win in the return at Streetsbrook Road in Counties Three Midlands West (South).
The Blues ran in 14 tries in a dominant display with Kristers Krupenciks, Henry Harper, Will Loftus, Will Towers and Matt Serrell-Cooke each scoring two.
Through the viewfinder
Note to self – don’t edit something for 20 mins and then decide to add the report’s image later – it all disappears!
Without going down the maudlin route, I was happy with 90% of the 1st half. Both teams appeared to suffer from porous defences which allowed for an entertaining try fest.
I was always going to be restricted to photographing the first half, due to prior commitments, but I was surprised to discover the final score on my return home. I left happy in the knowledge that we would secure at least 1 or 2 bonus points.
Here’s to better fortunes on Saturday coming.
Photos.
Sully, Bournville’s always friendly (and free) club photographer
