Bournville Assistant Coach Alex Grove said the scoreline did not tell a true story after his side were beaten 45-20 at Old Redcliffians in their latest National Two West match.
The match was in the balance, with Old Reds leading 26-20 – until the 63rd minute when the hosts scored a crucial interception try as Bournville were pushing for a score themselves.
Two more tries in the next eight minutes sealed the win and meant Bournville left south Bristol without the consolation of a bonus point for a spirited performance in defeat.
“We were 26-20 down at half-time and well into the second-half but we made mistakes at key moments which were often 14-point mistakes,” Grove said.
“We did a lot of good stuff and for three-quarters of the match it was a six point game.
“We were right in it. The game was in the balance after half-time, it was scoreless for about 15 minutes and we said on the sidelines that the next score would win it.
“The way Old Reds play they are quite an open, attacking team so a mistake when we were going forward and about to score instead of being five or seven points for us cost us five or seven.
“We were playing up the hill in the second half which is not easy. We had opportunities but we couldn’t put them away and we invited them into our half with errors.”
Bournville’s next challenge is a North Midlands derby against Luctonians at Avery Fields next Saturday with Lucs arriving high on confidence having just beaten league leaders Camborne.
Selection should be easier for Grove than it was for the Old Redcliffians where 19 players were unavailable through injury, work commitments or suspension.
“The challenge of getting a side out this week should not be overlooked. We lost three more key players with injuries against Exeter University last week and had three people making their first appearances of the season – two of them their debuts – at Old Reds,” he said.
