BROMSGROVE RFC First XV crashed out of the North Midlands Cup at the quarter-final stage last Sunday despite narrowly missing one of the most remarkable turnarounds in their history.

Trailing by 29 points inside just 30 minutes, David Stout's side, with key players missing for the Saturday's showdown with Malvern, fought back to lose 32-24 at Dixonians.

Dixonians, currently propping up Midlands Two West, made a fiery start. Recycling with flair and driving with purpose, the hosts were seven points ahead as a result of a pushover try after just five minutes.

Bromsgrove got themselves back into the game and made one or two probing attacks but in a nightmare twelve-minute spell, three tries, one converted, and a penalty goal gave the home side an unassailable 29-point lead.

That, though, apart from a penalty goal in the last minute of the game, was the end of the Dixonians' scoring spree.

Bromsgrove took command thereafter. Half-time came with the visitors in charge and that's how it stayed, but they had left themselves too big a hill to climb.

Tries for Bromsgrove came regularly, the first by Richard Arnold, as influential as ever, followed by Tim Ward, Steve Phillips and Ben Copson. Two were converted by Copson to put the visitors just five points behind with ten minutes left.

A string of injuries, which broke the flow of the game, together with a determined rearguard action by Dixonians, denied Bromsgrove closing the gap still further.