Redditch RFC

 With the restructure of the leagues post season and introduction of 2nd teams into the mix it was always going to be difficult to slot those teams into the correct level. Hereford are 5 divisions above Redditch which implies their 2nd team players would be good enough to play 1sts if required to, and on this performance they mostly are.

Another much changed home side with a few out of position started well with their usual driving forwards game steadily gaining territory but a slack pass lost them momentum and possession which turned into the first try against them. Redditch regathered and started again only to lose the ball at the point of impact, a problem that was to be repeated too often. as three more tries were scored in the first half, driving maul, a break through the centre field and powerful run from the left wing. 

It was not through lack of effort. James Mills at 10 kept his forwards rolling forward, territory was being gained slowly then possession lost and quick clearance put them back in the own half to start again. Some of the visitor's play drew warnings from the referee as they walked a legal tightrope at times, but threats of sanctions failed to materialise much to the frustration of the home side.

Injuries and stoppages added nearly 15 min to the first half and much of the momentum was lost by sides as the half faded to a halt, but the Kingfishers came out the other side revitalised, buzzing with eagerness and aggression. handling was crisp and direct running resulted in Mitch Ferris scoring under the posts with James Mills converting.

Any platform that this score gave them was immediately wiped away by two quick tries from Hereford that effectively settled the result. A steady stream of interchanges  didn't help with cohesion of the side, errors were made, support was lacking and tackles missed. Skipper Aaron Atkinson led by example with some spirited breaks but he was unable to get close to the try line. Jon Beale made some fine tackles despite being the victim of two high tackles in five seconds at one point that resulted in a yellow card for the culprit. 

Hereford ran in a couple more tries late on to give the score an unflattering appearance until Matt Allen rounded things off finishing a fine driving move for the last play of the day.

There are now two weeks of no first team action until Trinity Guild visit on 15th. it gives Redditch opportunity to regroup, address some of their weaker areas. A confidence boosting win will make al the difference.