Saturday, October 9, 2004

AN EXCELLENT try from Dan Ott helped Bromsgrove claim a morale-boosting victory over their Finstall Park visitors.

Dave Wilkinson and Nick Copson also went over for the home side but it was centre Ott who rounded things off, showing a clean pair of heels as he sprinted over the line.

Luctonians arrived at Finstall with the knowledge that they had come out on top in the last two encounters between the sides.

But Bromsgrove were boosted by the return of fit-again Copson at scrum half while Ott moved to centre and James Lloyd Jones to full-back.

The game started evenly other than in the tight scrummage where Bromsgrove struggled on their own ball. Lucts were able to wheel the scrum at will and consequently put considerable pressure on the Bromsgrove No 8 and scrum half.

The visitors opened the scoring with a penalty after Bromsgrove lost their own scrum inside their own 22.

But the home side hit back when Tom Churchill's crunching tackle thwarted a Luctonians attack allowing the Bromsgrove forwards to steal possession. Copson fed to Paul Meadow whose delicately weighted pass put Dave through the gap and he ran in from 35 yards, touching down under the posts. Birch converted and Bromsgrove took a lead that they were never to relinquish.

Lucts managed to narrow the lead to 7-6 when Bromsgrove were penalised for holding on but the tries were coming from the Finstall Park side and, from a blind side move, Birch picked up, feinted to pass to Stockholm and kicked behind the defence enabling Copson to gather and score in the corner.

Another penalty allowed the visitors to close the gap to 12-9 at the break.

Predictably Luctonians attacked with considerable purpose for the first ten minutes of the second half with Bromsgrove forced into some excellent defending to prevent a score.

Having absorbed much of the pressure, Town attacked through Copson's quick penalty. The back row took over before the ball was fed to winger Richard Arnold and then Ott who looped around the outside. His burst of pace and some dazzling footwork wrong-footed the opposition full-back and paved the way for an excellent try.

Lucts managed a fourth penalty late on but it was Bromsgrove who came out on top for a much needed win ahead of this weekend's Powergen Intermediate Cup clash at Syston.