THIS West Midlands League Division Two fixture brought together two local county rivals.

MALVERN 0, PERSHORE 4

Having lost the away fixture 9-0, Malvern were keen to show just how much they had improved in the last few months.

Under their new captain Brian Crump, the team were highly motivated and determined. The whole team displayed energy and drive from the whistle and in doing so they pushed Pershore back into their own half of the pitch

The midfield was controlled by Jock Robinson while the tireless Guy Edgar was relentless in his search for a goal. The defensive back line was superb with Rich Peate and Stig Styles shining.

For all their effort, Malvern could not score and were unfortunate to fall behind to a well deflected goal. The score remained 1-0 at half time.

The second half saw a more aggressive Pershore side who stepped up the tempo and they scored three more times from deflections and penalty corners. Malvern had a few chances to score but it was not to be.

Many positives can be taken from this game. Firstly, that the opposition did not score from open play and secondly the commitment shown by every player bodes well for the future.

This was easily Malvern's best display of the season with good performances by Gerwyn Legg, Mike and Ian Braim, John Forecast, John Clements, Ben Mawby, Jim Boocock and Harry Potter.

Man of the match was Guy Edgar.