Evesham U-16 10pts,

Redditch 17 pts

ON a clear dry day ideally suited to running rugby, Evesham battled right to the final whistle and were unlucky not to have more to show for a spirited performance.

They started very strongly with the pack taking the game to Redditch as they won a succession of good quality second phase ball with the back row of Richard Tallis, Tom Curtis, and Ben Harrison to the fore.

Luke Pinchin, deputising at scrum-half, supplied a good service for the Evesham backs to attack but their opposite numbers were dangerous on the counter and scored a converted try from loose Evesham play against the run of play.

Undeterred, Evesham rallied with some fine driving runs to the heart of the Redditch defence and, with good recycling of the ball, Ben Harrison went in under the posts for a score converted by John Chalmers.

Evesham started the second half slowly and were trapped on their own line for a spell and Redditch crossed for a brace of unconverted scores.

A spirited fightback bought Evesham back into the game but Scott Butcher was unable to ground the ball after crossing the line as Redditch emerged triumphant after a hard-fought match.