Sat 5 Mar 2022
The Kingfisher's woes continue with no sign to the end of the injury issues that are currently plaguing them. Coach Luke Kerins managed to pull a squad together but again, no one was guaranteed to play in their chosen position.
The opening encounters were forgettable as both sides found their feet and tried to explore the options, breaks by Leo Fanthome and Aaron Atkinson kept the home fans interested but the cover tackling proved sufficient. The deadlock was broken after a fine piece of support play. James Mills kicked deep, the St L full back retrieved the ball but was tackled well by Leo F. Mickey Adams, following up, was able to gather the loose ball for a simple try, converted by Will Spires.
However any hope of R settling down and building on the score was disrupted by another injury when Will Spires was hit late which required yet another re- jigging of the back line and any cohesion was lost. St Leonards didn't need to do anything spectacular to stay in touch, just solid tackling, restricting possession and capitalising on Redditch penalties that occurred with concerning regularity. A penalty kick before the break made it 7-3 at the interval
More knocks necessitated more positional juggling and any continuity was lost, St L took advantage of this and built some attacking platforms. An attacking lineout was won, the ball hidden in a driving maul then released along the line for a try under the posts, the gusty wind put paid to the conversion but a one point lead was established.
It didn't take long for R to hit back, their own attacking scrum took St Leonards by surprise and instead of the scrum half pick up, Wing forward Mickey Essex went blind and was ably supported by Clarke Parker to re-establish the lead.
Jon Beale looked sharp whether playing in pack or backs, Sid Allen risked his dodgy ankle with some inspiring drives but it was St L who were to finish strongest. Penalties gave them territory and determined driving gave them the crucial try and and slender win.
It is not for lack of effort that R find themselves on a losing streak, but a lack of both experience in key areas and cutting edge running in all areas are limiting their options and a top half of the table finish is looking precarious.
This Sat R travel to Stone , a side on little run of victories themselves and looking to swap mid table positions with Redditch..
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