1st XV Archive Match Reports

24/03/2007
Pershore 24 – 14 Old Laurentians

Piddle Park was the location of the finest victory Pershore RFC has seen for at least 2 seasons. Old Laurentians were the early pace setters in Midlands Three West (South) and currently occupy second place in the league. However, Saturdays defeat at the hands of Pershore almost cancels any chance of the side from Rugby finishing top and taking automatic promotion. It was sweet revenge for Pershore who were soundly beaten in the reverse of this fixture back in September.

Pershore raced into a half time lead of 24-0, leaving the visitors somewhat overwhelmed. The scores came courtesy of tries from Matt Harwood, Martin Hope, James Martin & Steve Holmes, two of which were converted by Martin. The second half saw a comeback from OL’s with two converted tries but this was not enough to steal victory from a completely dominant Pershore side.

The weekend was not over for Pershore as almost exactly the same starting line up travelled to Birmingham to face Aston Old Edwardians in the second round of the North Mids Shield on Sunday. Unfortunately the outcome was a little different.

For all of Pershore’s possession in the first half they could not turn pressure in to points and unfortunately went into half time trailing by 14-0. It could have been more if it weren’t for the ferocious tackling of flanker Kris Bassett. Going up the slope in the second half forced Pershore to play the ball in hand and again saw them dominate proceedings. The Aston defence was solid all afternoon and it was not until the last minute of the game that a tired looking Pershore managed to squeeze over the line for a try through Captain Martin Hope. The conversion was added by Lee Riley to make the final score Aston Old Edwardians 14-7 Pershore. Pershore are in action next Saturday when they again make a trip to Birmingham, this time to face Edwardians in a league fixture.

17/03/2007
Pershore 29 – 17 Leamington

Pershore got back to winning ways on Saturday when they entertained Leamington at Piddle Park. Their opponents are in the relegation battle in the lower reaches of the Midlands Three West (South) table but a recent run of good form was going to mean the Pershore would have a tough battle on their hands.

The first half was forgettable, with neither side stamping any sort of authority on the game. The set piece was pretty even and the unforced errors were shared almost equally between the teams. It was Pershore who opened the scoring after 10 minutes. Marcus Whyte caught the ball in the lineout and the ensuing maul resulted in Prop Alex Peel scoring a deserved try to give Pershore a 5-0 lead. On the stroke of half time Leamington pulled level. With their forwards attacking the fringes well, number 8 Stephen Hursey scored to make the interval score 5-5.

Playing into the wind in the second half Pershore struggled to make the early impact they needed, and if it were not for the poor handling of the Leamington winger they would have found themselves trailing. The strong running of Kris Bassett and Martin Hope in the forwards, coupled with Ian Hurley at centre helped Pershore work their way into the Leamington half. Once their winger Matt Harwood made a break and a clever chip ahead was swallowed up by fly half Adrian Hanson to score under the posts. The conversion was added by full back James Martin. Martin was on the score sheet soon after. A break from the base of a scrum on the half way line by Hope was supported by Martin who took the pass and scored. Unfortunately, this time he was not accurate with his kick. Pershore’s dominance was telling. The forwards worked tirelessly in securing enough ball for the backs to create problems for the Leamington defence. Steve Holmes scored a superb individual try. He caught the ball on the half way line when a Leamington clearance failed to find touch. He ran diagonally across the field, ghosted through a gap and scored under the posts. The conversion was added by Martin to make the score 24-5. The Pershore forwards again secured good field position and Whyte went close to scoring but was tackled just short of the line. However, he managed to pop the ball up to James Martin in support to score in the corner. Pershore did take the foot of the pedal in the last 10 minutes, which allowed Leamington to score 2 late tries, but a 29-17 victory was already sealed. Pershore have a busy weekend next week. They entertain title chasers Old Laurentians on Saturday in the league then travel to Birmingham to face Aston Old Edwardians in the North Mids Shield on Sunday.

Meanwhile Pershore 2nds secured an 8-0 victory when they travelled to Herefordshire to face Luctonians 3rds. Lee Riley scored a Try and penalty to seal the win.

10/03/2007
Old Coventrians 16 – 10 Pershore

The circumstance of this Midlands Three West (South) encounter was a little irregular to say the least. The original fixture was played in January and ended with an Old Coventrians win. However, the result was not allowed to stand as the game went to uncontested scrums. This time the Coventry side did not made sure the result would stick by edging out Pershore in Saturday’s game.

Pershore started the game well. With the wind behind them they ensured they had a territorial advantage, and it was not long before fly half James Martin was kicking a penalty to give the visitors a 3-0 lead. OC’s soon drew level with a penalty of their own. The forward tussle was key, with Pershore dominating the set piece, especially the scrum and Old Coventrians winning the battle around the fringes and securing too many turnovers. Pershore attacks were far too infrequent. As usual Captain Martin Hope and lock Marcus Whyte were prominent with the ball in hand, but mistakes meant there endeavours were fruitless. Pershore were fortunate to go in at half time leading. An Old Coventrians attack was intercepted by Winger Steve Holmes and he out paced the defence to score under the posts. James Martin added the kick to give Pershore a 10-3 interval lead.

Pershore kicked off the second half. As soon as the home side won possession, with the wind behind them, they kicked the ball deep into Pershore territory. A tactic they would use to great effect for the rest of the afternoon. While pegged back in near their try line Pershore lock Lewis Dolphin gifted OC’s a penalty and three points when he was caught offside. Pershore could not get out of their own half. When they were awarded penalties. The kicks did not find touch which allowed the home side to run straight back at them It was only a matter of time before Pershores defence was breached. A kick was not caught cleanly by the Pershore defence in near their try line. The first to pounce was the Old Coventrians winger to make the score 11-10. The final score of the game belonged to the home forwards. After prolonged pressure they managed to squeeze over and secure a deserved win. This time there was no doubt. Pershore are next in action next Saturday when they entertain Leamington at Piddle Park in another league fixture.

17/02/2007
Silhillians 17 – 14 Pershore

This was not the first time this season that Pershore travelled away from home and threw a game away that they should have won comfortably. There is a fierce rivalry between the clubs which means that the results do not always go with the formbook, but before the game there was nothing to separate the sides in the league table except Sils superior points difference.

The piddle parkers could not have got off to a worst start. Straight from the kick off the visitors did not manage to secure their own ball. The home sides back row secured a turnover and the ball was spun wide for the winger to touchdown in the corner with less than a minute on the clock giving Sils a 5-0 lead. It was a hard slog up the slope but Pershore managed to take control of the game. After sustained pressure in the Sils 22’ the home side were reduced to 14 men when their flanker was sin binned for handling in the ruck and Pershore were awarded a penalty. Robin Haines pulled the penalty wide letting Sils off the hook. However Pershore did not have to wait long to get onto the score sheet. Scrum half Adrian Hanson made a sniping run from the back of a ruck and just managed to squeeze his slight frame over the line. Full back Lee Riley added the conversion to give Pershore a 7-5 lead. Pershore set piece was functioning well meaning that they were in control of the forward tussle. Hooker Jameson Lane took a few scrums against the head and the whole pack ensured that the Pershore scrum was as solid as a rock. Another long period camped near the Sils line resulted in another Pershore score. Number 8 Toby Grace won the ball at the back of the lineout. Prop Alex Peel then took the ball on but was stopped just short of the line. The ball was quickly whipped out by Hanson and Haines put centre James Martin in under the posts to score. Riley again added the conversion to give Pershore a 14-5 lead. Sils reply was swift. When they managed to spend time in Pershore territory they looked dangerous and some missed tackles in the backs allowed Sils to score. Again the conversion was missed to make the half time score 14-10 to the visitors.

The second half was almost the opposite of the first. Pershore again dominated the Scrum but Sils used the driving maul to good effect, helping them make sure that much of the half was played in Pershore territory. Pershores defence was heroic at times with both Luke Eversham and Lane stopping near certain tries when Sils were attacking the fringes. After a good 15 minutes camped on their own line it seemed that Pershore were out of the woods when they were awarded a scrum for a knock on. The ball was hooked back in the scrum but was not controlled at the back, and the first to react was the Sils flanker to claim an unlikely score. The conversion was added to make the score 17-14. Pershore did have a chance to win the game at the death when captain Martin Hope made a break from his own 22’. The ball went through a few pairs of hands and it seemed that James Martin would have the legs to carry himself over the line but was tackled just short ensuring that the home side held on to the lead at the final whistle. Pershore are in Midlands Three West (South) action again next week when they entertain Old Laurentians at Piddle Park.

03/02/2007
Pershore 27 – 21 Earlsdon

Pershore entertained Coventry side Earlsdon in an enthralling encounter on Saturday afternoon at Piddle Park. Pershore were edged out by a point in the reversal of this fixture earlier in the season and were looking to make amends. The home side were forced to make some last minute changes with late injuries sustained by Luke Eversham and Captain Martin Hope. On the day Pershore were led by Loose Head Prop Alex Peel who opened the scoring on a glorious afternoon for Rugby. The home side were awarded a penalty after a couple of minutes. This was nudged into the corner. From the resulting lineout Lock Marcus Whyte won the ball cleanly, from the drive Alex Peel dropped over the line to score. Once Earlsdon had some possession they began to play the game through there well drilled forwards who managed to win them some territorial advantage. When deep into the Pershore 22’ they were awarded penalties for infringements which were both converted by Tom Kendal to give them a 6-5 lead. It was not long until the Piddle Park outfit were back in the lead. From a solid scrum the ball was spun wide. After a couple of phases Alex Peel was again in the thick of it to pop a neat pass to full back James Martin to score giving Pershore a 10-6 lead. The visitor’s forwards again attacked the fringes well and enforced another Pershore infringement. The penalty was again slotted by Kendal to make the half time score 10-9 to the home side.

It did not take long for Pershore to extend their lead in the second half once they had changed their game plan. It was clearly obvious that Earlsdons strength lay with the forwards, so as soon as the ball was spread wide to Andy Jenkinson on the Pershore wing, he scored. The conversion was added by James Martin, 17-9 to Pershore. It is little surprise that Earlsdon responded through the forwards. Their relentless attack at ruck and maul time meant that the Pershore defence had to work all afternoon, and credit must go to the half back pairing of Sid Hirons and Adrian Hanson who both defended like back row players. Unfortunately they could not do enough to stop Earlsdon flanker Rob Calloway scoring from the back of a lineout. Kendal again added the kick to make the score 17-16 to Pershore. Yet again Pershore extended their lead through the backs, but they have their forwards to thank for winning them a stream of clean possession. After a lineout, cleanly won by Toby Grace, the ball was sent to the opposite wing. Some cool heads from Ben Pullin and James Martin ensured that the pass was given to Matt Harwood to score his 15th try of the season. You’ve guessed it, Earlsdon again replied through the forwards. More sustained pressure in the Pershore 22’ not only resulted in a Yellow Card for Pershore Lock Lewis Dolphin, but also a try for Craig Bone. With three minutes remaining the nerves got the better of Kendal as his kick scrapped the wrong side of the post to ensure that Earlsdon stayed a point behind. From the kick-off Pershore only had to win and keep possession to hold out for a victory. Full back James Martin had other ideas. He won possession near the half way line, dodged his way through the would be tacklers of the visitors pack and out sprinted the defence to score in the corner giving Pershore a 27-21 victory. Next week Pershore make the trip to Old Coventrians in another Midlands Three West (South) encounter.

27/01/2007
Hereford 22 – 5 Pershore

Pershore visited Wyeside on Saturday, home of table toppers Hereford in Midlands 3 West (South). The visitors set the standards from an early stage and took the game to Hereford through there big forwards. Marcus Whyte and Martin Hope made deep in roads in the home sides defence and it was through their endeavours that enough space was created for the backs to take advantage and score a try through Winger Steve Holmes. Robin Haines missed with the conversion attempt, giving Pershore a slender 5-0 lead. Hereford were quick to reply. After a couple of penalties in the Pershore 22’ they managed to stretch the defence and score in the corner. The conversion was missed, 5-5. Pershore scrum half, Sid Hirons helped get the visitors back onto the front foot with a number of breaks, but some errors by the piddle parkers meant that the territorial advantage was not turned into points. Hereford did manage to capitalise on one of these mistakes, picking up a loose pass Hereford managed to break through the fragmented Pershore defence and score under the posts. The conversion was added giving Hereford a 12-5 lead at half time.

It was an error by the Pershore pack, early in the second half, which enabled Hereford to score there next try. A miss-timed jump in the lineout, an area where Toby Grace and Whyte have been perfect all season, allowed Hereford to steal the ball, spread the ball wide and again score in the corner making the score 17-5. At this point the referee was beginning to lose control of the game. He gave a ridiculous yellow card to Marcus Whyte and failed to spot a number of incidents at the scrum. It was clear to see that the referee thought that he was the most important person on the park, and the 30 players who had been putting their bodies on the line all afternoon were just bit parts in his one man lesson in how to ruin a rugby match. Unfortunately Pershore cannot blame the referee for the final try. A well worked move from the back of the lineout saw the Hereford centre crash through a gap to score, making the final score 22-5 in Hereford’s favour. Pershore will play there first home game of 2007 next week when they entertain Earlsdon.

20/01/2007
Pershore 17 – 15 Ledbury

Although this was a home game for Pershore, the Piddle Park supporters were forced to travel to Ledbury as the Pershore pitch was again under water. There was a further twist added to this Midlands 3 West (South) encounter. As the sides were due to meet each other in the first round of the North Midlands Shield, it was decided between both clubs that today’s game would be winner takes all.

With the slope and wind to their advantage it was no surprise that Pershore started the brighter of the two sides. They quickly asserted their dominance in the Scrum with the front row of Alex Peel, Ben Humphries and Karl Evans taking Ledburys first three scrums against the head. The rest of the pack did their fair share of the work as well, with Marcus Whyte and Toby Grace showing superiority in the lineout. It was through Marcus Whyte that Pershore opened the scoring after 10 minutes. After infringements by the Ledbury defence at a ruck the referee awarded a penalty to Pershore deep in Ledbury territory. Scrum half Adrian Hanson quickly passed the ball to Whyte and he crashed over for his 10th try of the season. Fly half Robin Haines added the conversion to give Pershore a 7-0 lead. Pershore were soon on the score sheet again. Captain Martin Hope made a break from the back of the scrum. He committed three defenders and slipped a pass to Hanson to score. Haines again added the conversion to give Pershore a 14-0 lead. At this stage the Piddle Park outfit were cruising but Ledbury were quick to capitalise on their mistakes. A loose pass from Haines gifted Kieran Hallam with an easy touchdown. Luke White added the conversion. White was on the score sheet within a couple of minutes, stroking a difficult penalty to make the score 14-10 at half time.

During periods in the second half Pershore really did have their backs against the wall. The dominance they showed in the forwards in the early stages of the match were not as apparent as they persisted in throwing the ball wide in blistery conditions. These unforced errors highlighted some heroic defending by Ed Day and Ben Pullin who both stopped near certain tries with their tackling. Pershores lineout remained positive, particularly the driving maul which Ledbury simply could not defend without pulling it down. A result of this was a Pershore penalty converted by Haines, giving Pershore a 17-10 lead. Ledbury’s final try of the game again came from a Pershore mistake in midfield where possession was turned over. The Ledbury attack then stretched Pershore to breaking point and Mark Alkery scored a try in the corner. The conversion attempt, which would have levelled the scores, was missed. It is fair to say that Pershore dominated the game for the final 15 minutes, and were unlucky not to stretch their lead. The game finished 17-15 in Pershores favour. They are next in action on Saturday 27th January 2007 when they visit Wyeside, home of table toppers Hereford. They will also have to make a trip to Aston Old Edwardians in the second round of the North Midlands Shield.

06/01/2007
Old Coventrians 14 – 12 Pershore

Pershore could not do enough to claw there way back into the game when they visited Old Coventrians on Saturday. The Old Covs pitch had suffered through the persistent rain and was a bit of a quagmire, conditions the home side adapted to better than Pershore.

Pershore were on the back foot from the start and could not play the expansive game they wanted to due to the conditions. The job was made harder when on 15 minutes they lost Captain Martin Hope to injury and Toby Grace to the sin bin. With a player down the visitors let Old Covs in for a score under the posts. Converted by their fly half to give them a 7-0 lead. They held this lead until half time.

The second half could not have started worse for Pershore. A loose kick was gathered by the home sides centre and he ran in to score, again under the posts, again converted by the fly half. The piddle park outfit were soon back in the game, after sustained pressure flanker Kris Bassett peeled from the back of a maul and barged his way over in the corner. With the game finely in the balance the home side started to lose their discipline and yellow cards were brandished thick and fast. No less than 4 Old Coventrians players were sin binned in the second half for persistent infringements. At this point Pershores forwards started to dominate the set piece, particularly the scrum where Peel, Lane and Evans took ball against the head at ease. When clearly coming off second best in the scrum Old Coventrians lost 2 props to injuries forcing the referee to go to uncontested scrums, much to the disgust of the visiting supporters. This clearly had a big influence on the outcome of the game. The last 20 minutes was spent in the Old Coventrians half of the pitch but Pershore did not cross the whitewash again until it was too late. Again Kris Bassett barged over for a score, this time converted by full back James Martin making the final score 14-12. However, the game may have to be replayed due to new laws concerning uncontested scrums. The outcome of this result standing now rests in the hands of the league secretary.

23/12/2006
Pershore 35 – 0 Evesham

Pershore claimed the bragging rights on Saturday when they soundly beat local rivals Evesham in what was at times an ill tempered game. The referee went to his pocket to distribute yellow cards no less than 5 times, but this did not prevent Pershore, who play in the league above Evesham, in starting their Christmas celebrations a few days early.

Although Evesham started with the intent of playing an expansive game they were starved of possession from the outset. Pershores forwards were relentless in there attack of the Evesham defences and it was through Captain Alex Peel that the home side opened the scoring with a pick up and drive from just a few yards out. The conversion was added by full back James Martin. Martin soon added a penalty to give Pershore a 10-0 lead. It was through the forwards again that Pershore extended their lead. The prolific Marcus Whyte went over, again from short range, to claim his 9th try of the season and make the score 15-0 at half time.

The second half was scrappy at times and saw 4 of the yellow cards. The Pershore forwards continued to dominate, but in the second half the decided to give the backs a chance to get over the white wash. Centre Ian Hurley crashed through a fragmented defence to get a score against his old club and James Martin picked up a late brace. But try of the game belonged to Pershore debutant Lee Riley, who found himself on the end of a neat move in the centres and managed to out pace his opposite winger to score with his first touch of the game. Pershore are next in action when they make the trip to Old Coventrians for a Midlands 3 West (South) fixture.

16/12/2006
Pershore 37 – 3 Bedworth

Pershore laid some demons to rest at Piddle Park on Saturday when they defeated Bedworth, a team who have been somewhat of a bogey side over recent seasons.

Pershore were slow to start and conceded penalties early on, fortunately these were all missed by Bedworth’s fly half and it was the home side who opened the scoring. After sustained pressure prop Alex Peel went over to make the score 5-0. Soon after Bedworth opened their account with a penalty from full back Steve Finney. Pershores pack managed to control the game for long periods in the first half but struggled to make the advantage count and went in to half time with a slender 5-3 lead.

The second half saw the home side come out with the bit between their teeth and were soon extending their lead with a try from winger Matt Harwood, his 14th of the season. Captain Martin Hope extended the lead further after some neat interpassing between the forwards and backs. With a 15-3 cushion Pershore really stepped through the gears and there were further scores through prop Luke Eversham, fly half Adrian Hanson And centre Ian Hurley. The last say of the game belonged to Marcus Whyte. The Pershore lock rounded off a man of the match performance with a try, giving Pershore a 37-3 victory. Next week Pershore face Evesham in a friendly fixture at Piddle Park.

02/12/2006
Pershore 25 – 15 Edwardians

Pershore continued their good home form on Saturday with victory over Edwardians in a tightly contested game at Piddle Park. The home side dominated up front from the inset and this allowed the wide men to take advantage through full back James Martin, after long periods of pressure in the first half. Edwardians responded well with a breakaway try from winger Steve Miller and they took the lead shortly afterwards with the wind in their favour. The weather conditions contributed to a tight period of play before Pershore took control in the second half. The away side did manage a consolation try before the final whistle although they remain below Pershore who move up to 6th in Midlands 3 West (South).

25/11/2006
Stratford 29 – 24 Pershore

Pershores errors proved costly as they slumped to defeat at Stratford on Saturday afternoon. The visitor’s forwards were dominant throughout the game but it was handling errors and missed tackles in midfield that cost Pershore victory.

Pershores start could not have been worse. Within 5 minutes Stratford had opened a 14-point gap. But as the game progressed the visitors found their rhythm & composure and managed to claw there way back into the game. A well-worked move in the forwards created enough space for Pershore winger Stephen Holmes to score in the corner. Shortly after Pershore closed the gap again. Flanker Kris Bassett, prominent with the ball in hand all afternoon, made a break and managed to slip a back handed pass to lock Marcus Whyte for an easy score. Fly half Robin Haines added the conversion. Stratford did extend their lead before half time, again due to Pershores missed tackles.

The second half started with Pershores forwards again on the front foot. They were attacking the fringes superbly and the set piece was as solid as a rock all afternoon. From the back of a lineout on Stratford’s 22’ Bassett again went on a bullocking run and managed to cross the line for a try, carrying no less than 3 defenders with him. Haines added the conversion to make the score 19-17 to the hosts. 20 minutes into the second half Pershore gave the game away when it was easily in their grasp. A loose pass in the middle of the park was scooped up by a Stratford centre who raced downfield to score. Even Pershore flanker Ed Day, who had tackled everything all afternoon, was unable to make up the ground to stop the try. The conversion was added giving Stratford a 26-17 lead. Pershore full back James Martin again got Pershore to within a score with a converted try in the corner. Bringing the visitors to within 2 points. With the momentum with Pershore the referee dealt them a harsh blow, scrum half Sid Hirons took a quick penalty and put Captain Martin Hope in to score a match winning try, only for the referee to pull play back as the penalty was taken while he was talking to the Stratford offender. This knocked the wind out of Pershores sails and after losing possession and territory were unable to defend a superb 40 metre drop goal from the Stratford fly half making the final score Stratford 29 Pershore 24.

18/11/2006
Pershore 48 - 5 Malvern 2nd XV

Pershore entertained Malvern’s 2nd string in a friendly game which was hastily arranged on Saturday morning. Both Bromsgrove & Old Yardleians were meant to be making the trip to Piddle Park but struggled to raise a team, so it was Pershores county rivals who made the short trip for the 2.30pm kick off.

Pershore took a while to get out of the blocks and the early exchanges were pretty even with Malvern showing they did not come over to play second fiddle, with there centres ensuring that the Pershore defence had work to do early on. It was Pershore who opened the scoring through prolific winger Matt Harwood in the corner. Pershore went 12-0 up when Harwood made another break. His chip ahead was perfect with Lewis Dolphin winning the foot race to dive on the ball and score the try. The conversion was added by Robin Haines. The final score of the first half came courtesy of a pushover scrum. Pershores scrum was dominant all afternoon and Captain Martin Hope enjoyed the fruits of the forwards labour with an easy touchdown from the base of the scrum.

The second half saw much of the same. Malvern had good possession in the home side’s territory but they struggled to turn pressure into points. Pershore, although never playing at their best, began to score tries at will. Matt Harwood scored another couple of tries early in the second half, giving him a hat-trick for the afternoon and upping his tally for the season to 13. With 30 minutes to go Malvern managed to breach the Pershore defence for what would turn out to be their only score of the afternoon. This also reduced Pershore to 14 as Hooker Jameson Lane was sin-binned for not retreating 10 metres at a penalty. The reduction in numbers forced Pershore to ring the changes in the front row with Karl Evans and Damien May coming on for the impressive Luke Eversham and Alex Peel respectively. Pershores strangle hold on the scrum and lineout tightened and even with a man down they increased their lead with Martin Hope grabbing a second try and winger Andy Jenkinson grabbing a late double. The game finished with the score Pershore 48 Malvern 5.

Next week Pershore are back to league action in Midlands Three West (South) when they face a trip to Stratford.

11/11/2006
Bedworth 31 - 7 Pershore

There was a sombre mood in the clubhouse between the Pershore players after Saturdays encounter with Bedworth, and with good reason. Pershore knew that for much of the game they simply did not compete and the errors that they made would not only cost them victory, but also put a hold on their climb up the table.

Pershore started the stronger of the sides, with the wind and slope in their favour the visitors dominated possession and territory in the first quarter of an hour and winger Matt Harwood could have opened the scoring on 2 occasions only to be tackled just short of the line. In the home sides first visit to the visitors territory they managed to come away with points. After turning over a scrum Bedworth’s strong pack forced an infringement from lock Marcus Whyte. The resulting penalty gave Bedworth a 3-0 lead. After some sustained pressure Bedworth extended their lead after a try from their centre. The Bedworth scrum really gave the young Pershore front row of Peel, Humphries and May a torrid afternoon, and after yet another turnover another infringement, this time from Flanker Kris Bassett, earnt Bedworth 3 points from a penalty and Bassett 10 minutes in the sin-bin, this giving Bedworth a 14-0 lead at half time.

The first 20 minutes of the second half was quite forgettable, Bedworth’s pack maintained their dominance and the Pershore backs looked dangerous but did not have enough of the ball in the right areas of the pitch. The game did spring back to life after the visitors were awarded a penalty on the half way line. Quick thinking from scrum half Robin Haines saw him tap and go, he passed to fly half James Martin who broke a tackle from his opposite number and made a dash for the try line with only the full back to beat he put a neat pass to Matt Harwood to score his 10th try of the season. Haines kicked the difficult conversion to make the score 14-7. After stern words from the Bedworth captain the home side extended their lead only a few minutes later. A sequence of play which saw no less than 6 missed tackles from the Pershore defence resulted in the Bedworth hooker scoring under the post. The conversion was added again giving Bedworth a 14-point cushion. Yet more infringements at the ruck gave Bedworth another easy penalty, and a 24-7 lead. Pershore did manage to reassert themselves late in the game but could not turn pressure into points. They did force the Bedworth second row into handling in the ruck which earnt him a yellow card, but with a man down Bedworth managed to score the final points of the day with another converted try, again the result of missed tackles by the visitors making the final score Bedworth 31-7 Pershore. In some areas Pershore can safely say that they were outplayed by more experienced opposition, but the major disappointment was that Bedworth had weaknesses in their game which were glaringly obvious but Pershore just did not have the nous to exploit them.

Pershore will need to get the basics right to get their season back on track when the meet Stratford at Peacecroft in their next league game on 25th November.

04/11/2006
Pershore 28 - 19 Old Coventrians

The performance did not replicate the conditions as Pershore laboured to victory against Old Coventrians at Piddle Park on Saturday. Pershore did not start the game well at all and were soon behind to a converted try by the Old Covs scrum half, who ghosted through the Pershore defence to score under the posts. Soon after Pershore were given a numerical advantage when the Old Covs Lock was sin-binned for throwing a punch but no less than a minute later Pershore Lock Lewis Dolphin was yellow carded for the same offence.

After 20 minutes of the first half Pershore fly-half James Martin slotted a penalty to make the score 7-3. A few minutes later he was kicking for goal again. This time it was to convert a try by full-back Andy Jenkinson who, after a well-worked move in the backs, managed to break 2 tackles to score. Pershores forwards then started to impose themselves on the set pieces, and after a solid scrum flanker Ed Day provided Matt Harwood with by far his easiest try of the season making the half time score 15-7 in the home sides favour.

The second half started brightly for Pershore with Harwood creating a try out of nothing. He received the ball with on the Old Covs 22’ with no less than 4 defenders to beat. But with his speed and skill he managed to evade the would be tacklers to score a superb individual try. Unfortunately Martin missed with the difficult conversion. With half an hour left Old Covs got themselves back in the game, Pershore were attacking just inside the opposition half when the visitors winger intercepted a pass and won the foot race to score under the posts. A try which was converted making the score 20-14. Pershore then struggled to put any phases of play together and could not get out of their own half. Old Covs then got to within a point when after some sustained pressure scored from a driving maul at the lineout. Pershore managed to edge a few points further in front soon after the restart when Martin kicked a penalty from 40 metres. The victory was sealed for Pershore on the stroke of full time when captain Martin Hope crashed over from a well worked move at the lineout to make the final score 28-19. Pershore coach Charlie Hemmings said ‘I am pleased with the 2 points but the performance was not good enough and we will have to improve for the tough games we have between now and Christmas’. Pershore are back in action next Saturday when the make the trip to Bedworth.

28/10/2006
Banbury 25- 05 Pershore

Pershore made the long trip down the M40 in the second round of the EDF Senior Vase as Banbury played host to them. Due to a succession of injuries Pershore went into the game with only 4 recognised backs, flanker Kris Bassett filled in at Scrum Half, Lock Lewis Dolphin at Fly Half and Hooker Ben Humphries at Inside Centre.

The game kicked off in conditions that were perfect for rugby. The ground was soft underfoot due to recent heavy rain but this did not stop either side trying to play an expansive game. However it was at close quarters in the forwards that sealed the first score for Banbury. A driving maul from a lineout was well defended but Banbury attacked the fringes and managed to sneak over for a try that was converted giving them a 7-0 lead. This increased to 13-0 with 2 penalties, one of which was from the half way line. Soon after the referee did his best to give Pershore some kind of advantage when he sent off a Banbury Lock for throwing a punch.

Due to the change of personnel it was obvious that Pershore were mainly going to attack through the forwards, but it was with the backs that they looked most dangerous early on. Makeshift centre Ben Humphries made good in roads into the Banbury defence along with his centre partner Ben Pullin but the final pass always seemed to go astray. Pershore struggled to get out of their own territory in the first half and after the 30-minute mark their defence failed to keep out the Banbury winger. His try was converted making the half time score 20-0.

Either side of half time Pershore lost Prop Karl Evans & Flanker Toby Grace to injury but this saw the introduction of Ross Clayton, making his first appearance for the club in 4 years and Levin Widmer making only his second appearance of the season. Pershore enjoyed better territory in the second half but found the stubborn Banbury defence to be a tough nut to crack. Banbury extended their lead after scoring a try through a defensive mistake by the Pershore pack. That was the last time Banbury would score, much due to the tackling of Flanker Ed Day who seemed to be everywhere. The last score of the day belonged to Pershore. After sustained pressure in the Banbury 22 Pershore had a maul involving no less than 10 players, as they were trundling towards the line Lock Marcus Whyte broke of and scored his 6th try of the season. The conversion was missed by Dolphin making the final score 25-5.

This was a commendable performance by Pershore considering the changes made to their usual side. They showed grit and determination to exploit some frailties in a Banbury side that have not lost at home for 2 seasons. The stand out performances were from Ed Day for his afore mentioned tackling and from Second Row Luke Eversham for his relentless work in the Pershore engine room. Next week Pershore will be back to league duty when they entertain Old Coventrians at Piddle Park.

21/10/2006
Ledbury 10 - 46 Pershore

Pershore were emphatic winners when they visited Ross Road, the home of Ledbury RFC on Saturday. A magnificent first half performance earnt them the points and got them back to winning ways.

Pershore started the first half with the wind and the slope in their favour and it did not take them long to press this advantage home as centre, Ben Pullin went over for the first try of the game. Full back James Martin added the conversion giving Pershore a 7-0 lead. Almost immediately they scored again, this time through winger Stephen Holmes. Martin again added the conversion giving Pershore a 14-0 lead. At this point Ledbury began to impose themselves on the game, with their lineout working well they managed to enforce an infringement from the Pershore forwards and were rewarded a penalty which their fly half slotted home making the score 14-3 to the visitors. For the remainder of the half Pershore showed their dominance, particularly in the Scrum & Lineout, securing streams of perfect ball for the backs to bombard the Ledbury defence. Winger Matthew Harwood managed to get over the whitewash along with Captain and Number 8 Martin Hope. Holmes also added his second of the day and Pershore went in at half time 32-3 to the good.

Pershore started the second half going up the slope and with driving rain in their faces. They did not adapt to the conditions well and Ledbury’s outside centre managed to score a well worked try with the conversion added by the fly half. Pershores forwards then began to reassert their dominance and managed to score a further two tries through Lock Marcus Whyte & Captain Martin Hope. Both tries were converted by Martin. Ledbury did have a resurgence late in the game after Pershore Hooker Ben Humphries was sin binned for an off the ball challenge, but they could not turn pressure into points as the Pershore defence held out, keeping the score at 46-10. Pershore will face much sterner opposition next week when they make the trip to Banbury for their second round tie in the EDF Senior Vase.

14/10/2006
Pershore 8 - 29 Hereford

Piddle Park was the ideal place for rugby on Saturday, but the Pershore contingent would rather have been somewhere else. Hereford went in to the game on the back of a convincing 60 point victory against Old Coventrians and Pershore were on the back of a reversal at Earlsdon. Hereford did not start the game as if they were on the crest of a wave. Pershore came out showing intent and dominated the early exchanges, however it was Hereford who opened the scoring. A loose pass in midfield by the Pershore back line was taken advantage of by Hereford full back Sean Day to score in the corner. Hereford scored again a few minutes later when Pershore failed to clear the ball and winger Des White scored in the same corner. Herefords other winger Gary Preece managed to get himself on the score sheet with a try in the opposite corner, again the conversion was missed. Pershore did hit back with a penalty through full back James Martin and went into half time trailing 15-3, but they were a man to the good after Hereford centre Cieron Griffiths was sin binned for an off the ball trip on Pershore Captain Martin Hope.

Pershore really needed to press home the numerical advantage early in the second half but were on the back foot straight away after yet more mistakes in midfield, this allowing White to score his second of the day. The conversion was added by Hereford Captain Jeremy Grisman giving them a 22-3 lead. Pershore again applied pressure but this time managed to cross the whitewash. The Pershore pack managed to put the visitors scrum under enormous pressure close to the line and were awarded a penalty after an infringement. The penalty was taken quickly by scrum half Sid Hirons who passed to Lock, Lewis Dolphin. Spotting that he had an overlap he fed a sublime pass to Centre Ben Pullin who just had to trot over the line to score. Martin missed the conversion making the score 22-8. The remainder of the half almost petered out with the Pershore forwards, having given everything, struggling to make as much of an impact as they had at times in the first half. The final say of the game belonged to Hereford full – back Sean Day who scored his second of the afternoon after the Hereford backs took advantage of the fragmented defence in front of them. Grisman again added the conversion to make the final score 29-8 to Hereford.

07/10/2006
Earlsdon 23 - 22 Pershore

Pershore have every reason to be disappointed at the outcome of Saturday’s away fixture at Earsldon, but they only have themselves to blame. In a game where the lead seemed to change hands with every score Pershore started to chase the game far too early, something that would cost them the game.

Earlsdon started well and were soon 7-0 up after a converted try under the posts. Soon after Pershore found their rhythm and began to exploit frailties in the home sides defence, certainly down the left flank where Matthew Harwood could have had a field day. It was down the left flank where Pershores first 2 scores came from. Firstly a try from full back James Martin, secondly through winger Harwood. Martin added one of the difficult conversions giving Pershore a 12-7 lead. The first half ended with Marcus Whyte in the sin-bin and Earlsdon scoring a penalty giving Pershore a slender half time lead 12-10.

The second half started the same as the first. Earlsdon came out of the blocks quickly and were soon on the score sheet and back into the lead with a converted try. Pershore again responded well and after some sustained possession in the Earsldon 22’ hooker Ben Humphries scored under the posts. Martin again added the conversion giving the visitors a 19-17 lead with half hour remaining. Pershores ill discipline would prove costly as they gave away penalties that were in easy range for the Earlsdon kicker and the home side were soon in the lead again 23-19. Pershore got to within 1 point as Martin kicked a penalty but that would be the last of the scoring as the home side held out for the win.

30/09/2006
Pershore 26 - 18 Silhillians

Pershore ended Silhillians unbeaten start to the season with a fantastic victory at Piddle Park, however the game was marred by the referees brandishing of cards in the second half.

Both sides went into the game with a few players missing through injury but the crowd would never have guessed as the match started at a furious pace. Sils opened the scoring with a penalty which was slotted away by their fly half Alex Stajka. Pershore soon responded with a try from Marcus Whyte, his fourth in three games. He would have to thank his fellow forwards as they ran at the heart of the sils defence and some neat passing at close range created the space for Whyte to score. The conversion was added by Robin Haines to give Pershore the lead for the first time in the match. This was extended soon after with captain Martin Hope crashing over for his first of the game. Again Haines added the extras to make the half time score 14-3 in Pershores favour.

The second half saw the introduction of Karl Evans at prop. The change in personnel in the front row saw Pershore change from parity in the scrum to complete dominance, taking 4 against the head. However, the second half was not plain sailing for Pershore as ill discipline from Alex Peel not only gifted Stajka an easy three points but earned himself 10 minutes in the sin bin. Sils scored again soon after when Pershores enterprise out wide was their downfall. Sils managed a turn over after Hope found himself isolated and their scrum-half Ed Melly ran in for an easy touch down. Stajka missed the kick making the score 14-11 when Peel returned to the field.
Pershore were to extend their lead within minutes. A good break up filed and good work from Whyte, Evans & Hope created enough space for Matthew Harwood to run in under the posts. Haines again added the extras. Sils replied with a try through their second row Pete Nicholls. The conversion from Stajka made the score 21-18 going into the final 10 minutes. Pershore would have been forgiven for trying to run the clock down but they endeavoured to finish the game off and did so through Hope. After yet another strong scrum the Pershore forwards provided the platform for Hope to break through the defence to touchdown making the score 26-18.

The game ended on a sour note for the home side when, in the aftermath of Hope’s try the referee seemed to be the only person to spot an indiscretion and brandished a red card to veteran scrum-half Sid Hirons.

23/09/2006
Old Laurentians 48 – 17 Pershore

Pershore will want to quickly forget this match as it was a game where they simply did not turn up. The major negative going in to the game was the fact that they were unable to play a recognised flanker due to unavailability’s.

The early tussles were even, but it was not long before OL’s big forwards were breaking through tackles and making good ground, creating space for their dangerous back line. Pershore had their own opportunities to open the scoring from a break by Matt Harwood. He was tackled short of the line and as he was isolated OL’s managed to turn the ball over and make a break of there own. Mistakes in Pershores ‘22’ cost them dearly and OL’s centre scored near the posts to open their account. No sooner had they scored the home side were 22-0 up. This was due to some wonderful breaks from the backs and some very sloppy defending on Pershores part. The final say in the half went to Pershore as Marcus Whyte dived over the line from the back of a ruck to score his 3rd try in 2 games. James Martin missed the conversion so Pershore went in at half time trailing 22-5.

Pershore opened the scoring in the second half. After a well-worked move from a line out Matt Harwood received the ball out wide and made sure he beat his opposite man to score. Unfortunately James Martin missed the conversion so Pershore now trailed by 22-10. The remainder of the game really belonged to OL’s. They controlled the last half hour; seeing that Pershores heads had gone down they attacked from everywhere and scored at will. Some of the tries had to be admired but others were due to unforgivable defensive mistakes from the visitors. However the last say of the game belonged to Pershore replacement Robin Haines. He intercepted an OL’s attack on the half way line and raced in to score under the post. Haines also provided the conversion making the final score 48-17 to Old Laurentians.

16/09/2006
Pershore 22 - 21 Nuneaton OE

Pershore have to be applauded for this performance. To be down 14 pts after only seven minutes, and to suffer terribly in the scrum, they showed tremendous resilience and character to win. Pershore were not at the races at the start of the match.
Nuneaton certainly had more of the ball, although Pershore did give possession away all too easily, but Nuneaton were not afraid to run the ball from the start. They were rewarded after only two minutes, when Pershore tried to run the ball from their own 22, but the ball was knocked on, the referee allowed advantage, and quick hands saw their winger Richards touch down in the corner. Their fly half Johnson, kicked the conversion. From the ensuing kick off, Nuneaton attacked down the wing, smart interpassing with his supporting players took them to Pershore try line, the ball was quickly re cycled, whereupon their inside centre crashed over, and again the conversion was good.
This score made Pershore sit up and take the game back to Nuneaton. They in turn had a purple patch of pressure rugby, and hands in the ruck allowed James Martin to kick the resulting penalty. Again Pershore attacked, and after the ball was spun wide , recycled, and play switched direction again, Nuneatons defence was all over the place, and good hands from Hope and Martin released Andy Jenkinson who outsprinted the covering defence to score under the posts, James Martin converting.

Pershore started the second half the better side, they ran the ball from deep, and if the last pass in certain passages of play had gone to hand, they could have scored a couple of tries early in the second half. But Nuneaton had other ideas, and with their scrummage giving Pershore a torrid time, they decided to pin Pershore back in their own half , forcing mistakes, and then having to scrimmage. It worked well, for when Pershore conceded seven scrums on their own line one after another, their defence had to give way and concede another try, this time from their No8. Again their fly half converted.
Crucially, Pershores heads did not go down. Their line out was excellent, Dolphin, Whyte, and replacement Grace, winning good ball, and stealing four or five against the throw. From this reliable platform Pershore put some great passages of play together, and when Ian Hurley straightened up a miss move in the backs, James Martin looped around him and faced with a two on one, passed to the ever supporting Marcus Whyte to touch down. The difficult conversion was missed .With time ticking down Pershore again attacked at every opportunity, the back row of Pullin, Hope and Bassettt, particularly to the fore.

With literally the last play of the match, Pershore threw to the line out on Nuneatons 22, the ball was caught, made secure, and the forwards began to drive Nuneaton backwards.Nuneaton collapsed the maul, but with three points not enough to win the game, evergreen scrum half Sid Hirons tapped a quick penalty, Marcus Whyte hit the ball at full pelt, five metres out , and even with two defenders tackling him he just managed to dive over.To win the game James Martin dismissed the pressure, and slotted the ball between the posts and seal victory.

09/09/2006
Leamington 3 - 22 Pershore

For the first league encounter of the season Pershore made the trip to league newcomers Leamington who were relegated last season from Midlands West 2.
Pershore went into the game having pulled off a major coup in the week, managing to coax veteran scrum-half Sid Hirons out of retirement. Ultimately his input into the game was priceless.

The early exchanges were pretty even. Pershore showed early dominance in the line out, with both Lewis Dolphin & Marcus Whyte securing all of the ball. Pershore could have been forgiven for thinking it was not going to be their day as after 10 minutes lock Dolphin took a neat pass and ran in to score under the posts only to spill the ball forward when attempting his touch down. Pershore did open the scoring a few minutes later when James Martin scored a try in the corner. He missed the conversion so the score stayed at 5-0. Soon after Leamington’s fly-half slotted a penalty from no less than 40 metres to make the score 5-3.

Leamington dominated most of the remainder of the half. Pershore seemed to panic when in their own 22 and struggled to clear their lines. They continued to dominate the line out allowing them to finally get back in to the opposition territory. After lock Whyte again secured quick ball from the line-out the ball went threw a few pairs of hands in the backs and Matt Harwood was able to beat his opposite number in the corner to score. James Martin again missed the difficult conversion to make the half-time score 10-3 in Pershore’s favour.

The second half started much as the first did. Leamington had a lot of possession but did not seem to do anything with it. Credit for this would have to go to Pershore’s defence, which was excellent all afternoon. A result of the pressure from the Pershore defence forced the Leamington outside centre to spill the ball in midfield. James Martin hacked the ball towards the try line to begin a foot race ultimately won by Pershore fly-half Adrian Hanson. The conversion was added by Martin to make the score 17-3.

The rest of the game almost petered out. Leamington offered nothing and Pershore seemed to have a few more gears to go through if needed. The game did end on a high note for the visitors. After turning the ball over in their own half, Pershore captain Martin Hope broke through a couple of tackles and managed to slip a pass to supporting player Ben Humphries who ran in from the half way line to score, making the final score Leamington 3 Pershore 22.

02/09/2006
Pershore 43 - 17 Shipston

Pershore’s final friendly fixture of the season saw them play against Shipston who ply their trade in Midlands West Four, a league below Pershore. Shipston started the brighter and were rewarded with a penalty for offside early on which was converted by there fly-half to give them a 3-0 lead. Scores were settled almost immediately when James Martin converted a Pershore penalty for the same offence.

Shipston had the chance to again go into the lead with a penalty for an infringement at the ruck but this went wide of the upright. Soon after, from a turnover in the lineout the Shipston inside centre broke through 2 missed tackles to score under the posts. The added conversion made the score 10-3. Pershore soon replied, after a break from full-back Richard Jenkinson made enough space for Pershore to attack the Shipston line. Matt Harwood picked the ball up at the subsequent breakdown and touched down for the easiest of tries which was converted by James Martin to level the score. Minutes later Pershore Lock Lewis Dolphin was able to secure good ball at the lineout. James Martin passed to Richard Jenkinson who again made good ground. The defence was stretched and captain Martin Hope went close to touching down but was stopped short of the line. However, he managed to pop a pass to supporting player Ian Hurley who went over for an easy score. James Martin added the conversion to make the score 17-10.

It was now all Pershore and from a well worked penalty where Marcus Whyte made good inroads into the Shipston defence, Hope was able to crash over the line to give Pershore their 3rd try of the afternoon. To make the score 22-10 after James Martin missed with the spot kick. On the stroke of half time the Shipston centres again exploited frailties in the Pershore defence to break two tackles and score a try under the posts. This was again converted and the visitors went into half-time trailing by 22-17.

The second half took a while to get going. There were glimpses of what was on the cards but Kris Bassett spilled the ball over the line and Steve Holmes knocked on just before the line. With 20 minutes left Pershore finally took control of the scrum against their lower graded opposition and were rewarded with a push over try from a five metre scrum by captain Martin Hope. James Martin again added the extras to make the score 29-17. Hope then turned provider. After a well worked move at the back of the scrum he passed to James Martin who out sprinted the defence to score the first of his 2 tries. AJ Hansen score the conversion to make the score 36-17. The final say of the game belongs to Martin, however he should thank his fellow backs for creating and all but scoring the try for him. Richard Jenkinson again broke out of defence, good metres were gained by Dan Maund and a neat pass to Andy Jenkinson created sufficient space for what should have been an easy 50 metre run in. The Shipston defence rallied round and managed to halt Jenkinson just short of the line but they could not prevent the pass to James Martin who scored his second and then converted his try to make the final score 43-17.

26/08/2006
Kidderminster 30 - 26 Pershore

In the first friendly of the season Pershore travelled the short distance to Marlpool Lane, home of Kidderminster Carolonians RFC. Although the squad seems to have a few injury problems Pershore were still able to put out a strong team and handed first team debuts to Centre, Dan Maund & Flanker, Steve Strong.

Kidderminster started the stronger playing percentage rugby. They were rewarded after 10 minutes after Pershore infringements at the ruck gave them a penalty which was duly converted. The response from Pershore was swift with scrum half, Adrian Hanson going in for an unconverted score. For the majority of the half Pershore, although sometimes struggling at set piece, managed to keep in control of the game and after some sustained pressure were able to score through lock, Lewis Dolphin. The try was converted by Robin Haines to make the score 12-3 to Pershore. Kidderminster piled on the pressure through there strong running forwards, and after their hooker went close, scored a try on the short side from the Loose Head Prop. 12-8 to Pershore at half time.

The second half was a frustrating 40 minutes for Pershore. They endeavoured to play an expansive game. It just seemed that the final pass did not go where it was meant to and several try scoring opportunities went begging. Kidderminster used there strengths to great effect. The driving maul from a lineout giving them there first score of the half. This was joined by the conversion and penalty giving them the lead at 18-12. The last ten minutes of the match saw 4 tries. Twice the Kidderminster back line were able to exploit an overlap to score in the corner. However, the try of the game belonged to Pershore’s Matt Harwood. The winger picked up the ball in his own 22, after coasting around the would be tacklers he passed the ball to his captain Martin Hope who was able to carry the ball to the Kidderminster half. He was supported by none other than Harwood, who beat the covering defence for a 40 meter run to finish the move he started. The final Pershore score was a penalty try with Robin Haines again successful with the conversion.

All in all it was not a terrible day at the office for Pershore. They would definitely of wanted to come away with a win, but they played some fantastic rugby at times, however, Coach Charlie Hemmings certainly has few things to work on in training in preparation for the start of the league campaign in a fortnights time.

Droitwich Tens Report
19/08/2006

The horrendous weather late in the day did not put a dampener on Pershore’s performance. The competing teams were split in to two groups, with the semi finalists for the Cup and Plate competition being decided depending on where the team finished in the group.
In the first game of the day Pershore managed to squeeze a 21-19 victory against a strong Malvern side. A good second half performance saw Pershore turn around a 14-0 deficit, helped by the 100% kicking ratio of Robin Haines. The only down point of the game came at half time when Prop Karl Evans was forced out of the rest of the tournament with a knee injury which could see him out for a few weeks.

The second game saw the Pacific Blues beat Pershore 14-5. Pershores only score coming from Marcus Whyte. Marcus was on the score sheet again in Pershores next game against Bromsgrove ‘B’, which saw us win 28-5. The last group game was an ill-tempered affair against Droitwich ‘B’. Unfortunately Kris Bassett was sin-binned for a late challenge, but strong performances from Steve Strong & captain Martin Hope, plus 2 tries from Alex Hanson saw Pershore ease to a 31-5 victory and a place in the semi final of the cup competition against Droitwich ‘A’.

The semi final was played in torrential rain, however the sides were spurred on by vocal support from the touchlines. Pershore started brightly with an early try from Ben Humphries. The kick from Robin Haines made the score 7-0. The remainder of the first half really belonged to Droitwich as they battered the Pershore 22, getting the reward just before half time with a converted try. The second half was the complete opposite. Droitwich got an early score, although missed the conversion to make the score 12-7. Pershore then dominated the rest of the half and drew level with a late try from Kris Bassett. He managed to get very near the posts with his touchdown. But, due to the conditions the kick was never going to be easy and Robin Haines sliced his conversion attempt wide. 12-12 at full time meant the sides went in to Sudden death, first score wins. This lasted around one minute, Pershore had a penalty near there own try line. Kris Bassett took the ball on, was tackled and found himself isolated. From the resulting turnover Droitwich ran in for the winning score. For the second time in the last 3 competitions Pershore have fallen in the semi final against their local rivals, Droitwich.

League Game 10/12/2005
Nuneaton OE 21pts, Pershore 20pts

Pershore lost this game, when they should have clearly won it. Allthough they are a young side, they should have the collective nous to snuff out the opposition when in complete control. This was Pershores fourth loss by one score or less, and to be honest, the others were all winnable. At half time Pershore were leading 20 pts to 9pts and had the game by the scruff of the neck. Pershores first half display was excellent, again their was forward domination, the defence and handling in the backs was first class, and they scored three unanswered tries .All touchdowns began in Pershores 22, spreading the ball wide, the backs running straight, and on occasions going through several pairs of hands. Nuneaton must have thought they were going to be on the end of a forty pointer .Matt Harwood , Pershores evergreen winger scored two of his teams tries, one converted by James Martin. The other try was scored by Andy Jenkinson, who was playing in the unfamiliar position of centre. At times Pershores play was fantastic, backs and forwards combining, stretching Nuneaton all over the pitch. Crucially, Pershore should have been 30pts up at half time, but allowed Nuneaton to keep in touch by courtesy of three converted penalties. The second half began and Pershores second team of the day came out to play. Gone was the expansive play that Nuns could not live with, the game became a tighter affair, which suited Nuneaton, and as in previous weeks Pershore became more hesitant, and again important decisions had to be made. There were two situations that highlighted Pershores inability to kill off a game, the first was from a scrummage on Nuns five metre line, Pershore had the put in , a great position to attack, but lost the put in . The second was from a line out on Nuns try line, Pershores throw in , they had to score, but the ball was thrown long, Nuns gathered, and cleared their line. This only spurred Nuneaton on, and they slowly took a grip on the match, and started to eke away at Pershores lead. In the last quarter they scored two well worked tries and converted one to secure a most unlikely victory. Robin Haines , for his great defensive work, and his ability to make breaks and keep the opposition on their toes, was Pershores man of the match.

League Game 19/11/2005
Stratford on Avon 20pts, Pershore 17pts

Again Pershore lost this game , when for long periods they were the more accomplished team. Mistakes have been Pershores down fall of late, and today was no different, Stratfords two tries were down to sloppiness from Pershore, not creativity from Stratford. Throughout the match Pershore had a superior scrimmage, and again an excellent line out, but behind the scrum, thel lacked a cutting edge which can turn possession into points. Without doubt Pershore have talented backs, but utilising their skills needs to be worked on .At fly half James Martin is a young gifted , strong player, and they have pace on the flanks, but they need someone to marshall the backs , to guide them to do the right things at the right time. All too often the ball is kicked away aimlessly, when Pershore are far better with the ball in hand. The game itself was a tight affair, both teams played an uptempo game, with the lead continuosly changing. Stratford began the scoring after Pershore had spent some time in Stratfords 22, they lost the ball and Stratfords full back kicked downfield, no Pershore player took responsibility to gather the kick, and when it bounced kindly to Stratfords winger, he gladly out sprinted the defence to touch down, the conversion successful. Pershore stormed back, and again camped themselves in Stratfords 22, from a scrum, captain and no8 Martin Hope picked up, attacked the gap between fly half and the back row and scored, James Martin converting. Pershore increased their lead shortly afterwards when hands in the ruck slowed the ball down for Pershores scrum half. On the half time whistle an identical offence from Pershore allowed Stratford to level the scores. Stratford began the second half and slowly enjoyed a purple patch, they put Pershore under severe pressure but they held firm. When it appeared they had held firm a careless kick down field was caught cleanly by Stratfords strong running winger who brushed aside some poor tackles to score a converted try. Again Pershore stormed back, and they were rewarded with a splendid try after patient build up play, going through seven phases, and eight pairs of hands. James Martin converted. With time running out, both teams went victory. Stratford were awarded a very dubious penalty to seal the win on the full time whistle. Alex Peel , on his vastly improving scrummaging, and excellent around the field play was man of the match.

League Game 12/11/2005
Pershore 15pts, Sillhillians 31pts

Pershore suffered a disappointing loss on Saturday as their recent poor form of late continued. It was a Jekyll and Hyde performance. Pershore played very well in the first half, with the forwards getting their rucking game going, and their ball carriers making the hard ground.
They were quickly rewarded when prop Damian May picked up from a driving ruck and crashed over, James Martin converted. More pressure on Sills line led to a penalty infringement, whereupon James Martin extended Pershores lead. Inexplicably Pershore let Sills take the initiative, and they were rewarded when from a line out some way out, they drove Pershores pack backwards, controlling the ball very well to touch down, Smith converted. This woke Pershore up again, and when several phases of play broke up Sills defence evergreen winger Matt Harwood faced with a one on one, simply went in and out from his winger and scored a fine try in the corner, Martin failed with the conversion. But again Pershore were guilty of loss in concentration, and when they had a golden opportunity to extend their lead, James Martin had a simple three on one overlap situation, but went himself, unfortunately he was tackled superbly, wrapped up, and conceded a penalty, whereupon Sills cleared their line . To end the half Sills sowed the seeds of doubt for Pershore when they scored another try, again from a line out.
The second half was all Sills,Pershore appeared to run out of ideas, steam, and general direction. Sills defence was excellent, but Pershore were guilty of giving possession away, they lost six line outs on their own ball, got out scrimmaged and again lost possession. They aimlessly kicked the ball away, whether it was kick off and drop outs being well over kicked, or simply kicking the ball down field, where the Sills backs lapped up this generosity. All this led to was Sills scoring a further three tries, to win the game.
On the positive side, Pershore are capable of far better, and for the second time this season.
Marcus Whyte was magnificent, whether clearing up ball on the floor, supporting in the line out, or carrying the ball, he had a great game, if he can regain the awesome fitness and athleticism of eighteen months ago, he will become an ever present for many seasons ahead.
Alex Peel, in his first season of propping, again gave a performance bristling with controlled aggression, and a burning desire to win.

League Game 29/10/2005
Pershore 8pts, Bedworth 14pts

Pershores first half performance was probably their poorest for eighteen months. The difference between last weeks performance at Covs, and this was startling. They appeared lethargic, disinterested, and physically intimidated by a large pack of forwards who completely dominared the scrimmage. Pershores line-out, which has been superb this season was slow to function, particularly in the first half. Those failings were all the more obvious as Pershores recent standards have been far higher than what was on display. With the scrum going backwards or being disrupted Pershores normally dominant back row did not have a platform to attack, and when they did, they were guilty of running across the pitch, when perhaps some direct running would have allowed their backs more space to work in.
Bedworths game plan was very simple, predictable, but efficient, rumble the ball forwards via their large pack, nine to ten, then the big boot to the corners. To Bedworths credit their defence was excellent, only leaking one try towards the end of the game. Bedworth took a nine point lead at half time through three penalties, duly dispatched by Simon Jones.
Pershores half time talk must have done the trick, as they came out almost a different team. They upped the pace of the game, putting together several phases of play, but Bedworth held firm. The line-out was now functioning, with Levin Widmer back to his best, even stealing Bedworths own throw ins. With fifteen minutes left on the clock for once the scrum held firm, a slight wheel and Martin Hope picked up, fended off the no7, and touched down, James Martins conversion reduced the arrears to one point. Pershore threw everything but the kitchen sink at Bedworth but could not score, and to round it off, right on the stroke of full time, a line out close to Pershores five metre line was duly caught at the tail, and their forwards peeled round and drove the catcher over the line to win the game for Bedworth. Bedworth, over the last few seasons, are becoming their bogey side, and for no particular obvious reason.

League Game 22/10/2005
Old Coventrians 10pts, Pershore 34pts

Pershore continued their recent fine form with a tremendous away victory. A first half try blitz blew Covs away, and once again the forwards laid the platform, and the defence in the backs was water tight. Captain and No8 Martin Hope clearly back to his best form after returning from a broken leg in the summer, contributed three tries, two in the first half and one in the second.
Strangely Covs settled better first and after the first ten minutes had scored two unconverted tries, one from a driving line-out, and the second a mistake in communication from a kick ahead. But Pershore soon galvanised themselves, and slowly started to stretch out a comfortable lead. Hope led the way, and from a scrum20 metres out he picked up went open, brushed aside the covering defence to touch down, James Martin converted. Straight away Pershore led for the first time when from a series of rucks attacking the midfield , a gap appeared and Martin drilled the ball down the wing, Andy Jenkinson outsprinted the defence to touch down in the goal area. Pershore now had the match by the scruff of the neck, with the forwards dragging the heavy Covs forwards over the park, gaps began to appear, and when Ben Pullen saw a Half chance in Covs defence he smashed his way through two defenders to score a marvellous try. Again Pershores pack swarmed forwards and from a clever line-out Martin Hope sped down the blind side to touch down. Just before half time more enterprising build up play saw a clever pop pass from Kriss Bassett gathered by the ever improving Ben Humphries to touch down. Covs to their credit upped the tempo in the second half, but the backs were superb in defence, never allowing Covs time and space to attack. Pershore sealed the game when man of the match Martin Hope completed his hat-trick, again from a series of rucks, and James Martin converted to end the afternoons entertainment.

League Game 08/10/2005
Pershore 50pts, Keresley 3pts

Pershore got back to winning ways with this emphatic win . With a line-up the players were all comfortable with after some experimentation in earlier weeks, Pershore produced an afternoon of terrific rugby. Once again the platform for victory was built around pershores forwards, with the scrummage strong and dynamic, and the line out again superb, they bossed Keresley around all afternoon.
Having the lions share of possession, the backs enjoyed a glut of ball, and even in wet and windy conditions, their handling was excellent. Pershore scored a total of eight tries all scored at regular intervals, but ian Hurleys try to start the rout was the one that set the tone for the afternoon. From a quick line out the ball was fed to James Martin, who deliberately set up a ruck, the ball was recycled quickly whereupon Ian Hurley hit the ball at pace, in the process of getting to the line he knocked over his opposite centre, and then run over the full back to score under the posts.
This was typical of Pershores overall performance, pace and power, and determination. Further tries in the first half were scored by Kriss Bassett, Martin Hope, Andy Jenkinson and James Martin. Keresley were shell shocked and although they had yet to win this season, they had only lost by narrow margins, but this was very different. At times Pershores play was magnificent, the forwards mixing up their attacks through driving mauls and very efficient rucking, often putting together seven or eight phases of play. Keresley had no answer, but to their credit they did not give up.
The second half was more of the same, total pershore domination, but for the referee either trying to even things up or some other motive, Pershore only scored a further three tries. Matt Harwood, Toby grace, and a terrific touchdown from Lewis Dolphin completing the scoring. James Martin converted three of his teams tries, and on a further positive note, with twenty minutes left Pershore introduced Levin Widmer and Andy Watson for their first starts of the season. This bodes well in a long season when Pershore can introduce two players who have been first team regulars for a number of years for only the first time this season. Although this was a fine team performance, Ben Pullin organising the backs well, and captain Martin Hope leading by example, the man of the match goes to a player that gets better every game, who is technically excellent, and who basically gets stuck in, and that is Marcus Whyte.

League Game 01/10/2005
Earlsdon 27pts, Pershore 21pts

An old cliché but this truly was a game of two halves. Earlsdon came out of the blocks sprinting, after ten minutes they had two great tries under their belts, with one conversion. The first try came from a weavy run from their centre who carved his way through the middle of the park, and a perfect pass released his winger who touched down, the conversion failed. Almost immediately they doubled their tally when from a line-out a dummy run in mid-field allowed their full back to ghost through a non existent defence to touch down, duly converted . This appeared to wake Pershore up from their siesta and began to make in roads via their forwards. From a kick ahead , the ball was picked up by Adrian Hanson who jinxed his way through a fragmented defence, and when finally tackled his pop pass was caught by James Martin who scored and kicked the conversion. Pershore now started to boss up front, and began to put enormous pressure on Earlsdons defence, but as in previous weeks Pershore were guilty of not converting pressure into points. They soon regretted this when just before half time and Earlsdons first visit to Pershores 22 in twenty minutes a catch and drive from a line-out saw their flanker impersonating Neil Back to touch down, again the conversion was good. 22-7 down at half time seemed a mountain to climb, but Pershore showed tremendous character and resolve to fight back.
The second half display by the forwards was magnificent, eventually after a succession of rucks on Earlsdons line Jules Lambert touched down, Martin converting. Again Pershore began to attack Earlsdon through the forwards, Martin Hope back to his best with some powerful running, supported by the ever willing Alex Peel, Toby Grace, and the improving Lewis Dolphin. They were further rewarded for their efforts when Ben Humphries ran a clever angle from the blindside to touch down , James Martin again converting. Game on, 22-21 with ten to go, and Pershore firmly in the driving seat. Pershore hammered away again at Earlsdons line, but could not add to their score, and to rub salt into their wounds, just on the final whistle a barnes wallis pass in midfield bounced kindly for the Earlsdon winger who scored in the corner to seal the game.
If Pershore had played the first half with the same skill level, grit and controlled aggression that they showed in the second half, they would have won at a canter. For his coming of age as a hooker playing at this level, getting his fitness on a par with his undoubted ability, and for his tremendous efforts in this game Ben Humphries was pershores man of the match. Pershore will no doubt get things back on track when they entertain Keresley next week.

League Game 24/09/2005
Pershore 8pts, Solihull 19pts