Stourbridge Lions 34 pts Tenbury 8

MISSING a couple of regular players Tenbury eventually had to concede defeat to a strong Stour-bridge team who retained their unbeaten record and moved two points clear at the top of North Midlands Two.

Losing the toss Tenbury played up the slope and against a stiff wind. They expected to do a lot of def-ending as the wily home half-backs used the wind and slope effectively to pin Tenbury in their own 22-metre area for long periods.

The visitors defended well but could not prevent Stourbridge scoring a couple of tries through their well-drilled pack and a slick try through the backs. Their kicker was also on target and landed two conversions and a penalty, with Tenbury's lone reply coming from a penalty by Andy Yeomans.

Although they put together several good phases of play Stourbridge refused to yield, and when Tenbury lost possession they broke away to extend their lead with a converted try.

Tenbury's persistence was finally rewarded when Black took a tap-down at the front of the lineout to surge down the blind side and crash over for an unconverted try.

Stourbridge were not finished, and completed the scoring when a pick up at the back of a scrum and a strong forward drive produced a final try.