Redditch 43

Birmingham Civil Service 3

THE Kingfishers league campaign got a much-needed shot in the arm as they closed the gap on teams above them in the North Midlands One.

But the Civils, who have only got one win under their belts this season, took a shock lead five minutes in as the Redditch pack conceded a penalty.

The mistakes continued for Redditch up until the 15th minute but after Wil Wilson's penalty the floodgates opened for Redditch.

Andy Irvine helped himself to two tries and Edwin Grey also got on the scoresheet converted by Wilson to give the Kingfishers a healthy first half lead.

After the interval Irvine completed his hat-trick on 49 minutes which Wilson again converted and Neil Hodgkins added to the lead on 55 minutes.

Redditch's domination disappeared when skipper Stan Hull left the field with an ankle injury but there was time for one final score when Wilson punctured the try line on the stroke of full time and converted.

Team manager Steve Moore said: "Overall we were pleased with a handsome 43-3 win, but we need to work on keeping the penalty count down."

Redditch will be looking to maintain their promotion push when they travel to Handsworth on Saturday.