Cinderford narrowly beat Bournville 20-18 at Avery Fields with Storm Darragh playing an almighty part in the game’s events.
Harry Johnson was Cinderford’s hero, his penalty from short range at the death handed his side victory, and he was met with jubilation from his teammates as the full-time whistle sounded
The away side were built momentum in the opening minutes, but it was Bournville who put the first points on the scoreboard. After cleverly intercepting a pass on the touchline, winger Nathan Decalmer ran the length of the field to score under the posts with 11 minutes on the clock. Cinderford struck next with Johnson dotting down after the back line spotted space on the blind side. With the hosts converting a penalty on the 25-minute mark, Cinderford found themselves behind once more but remained in the contest thanks to their pack. Highlighting the dominance at scrum time, the home side had already made a change in the front row before the 30-minute mark. Following another strong scrum, Cinderford scored their second try of the afternoon through centre Will Baldwin, with Johnson converting, to put his side ahead for the first time. With another penalty slotted by the host’s Freddie Morgan five minutes later, they went into the break in the lead by just one point.
After a tight start to the second half, Bournville were able to score their second try through Harry Dawson with the second rower powering over to extend his side’s lead after 53 minutes. However, just as they did in the first 40, Cinderford fought back.
Captain Tyler Jerrum’s try brought his side back within one point on the hour mark but more drama occurred when Johnson stepped up for the conversion. The centre’s attempt was kicked off the tee before he could finish his approach which kept the hosts in the lead. In the game’s final encounters, the away side really applied the pressure. Strong carries and patience in attack lead to penalties and more territory, and as the clock went red, Cinderford found themselves on the Bournville line with an attacking lineout. After a maul and several phases, the hosts finally cracked, giving away a penalty in front of the sticks. Up stepped Johnson and he was able to convert the penalty to win it for his side at the death which was met by cheers from the travelling fans.
Cinderford; Sonny Greenman, Stan Folks-Underhill, Harry Johnson, Will Baldwin, Sam Smith, Luke McMahon, Jimmy Williams, Thomas Hill, Nathan Taylor, George Perry, Tyler Jerrum (Capt.), Ben Carpenter, George Angell, Dan Broady, Aaron Ryan.
Repls; James Elliot, Harry Edwards, Jonny Holiday, James Stockwell, Tom Samak.