A MUCH improved performance was still not quite enough to capture the points for Malvern in this re-arranged Midlands One match at Spring Lane on Saturday.

MALVERN 16pts, DUNSTABLIANS 17pts

Malvern got off to a poor start and found themselves 7-0 down after the opening minutes when Dunstablians went over for an early converted try.

Malvern hit back and Sam Hardcastle reduced the arrears with a successful penalty but the home side were still very much on the defensive.

Midway through the half the visitors went further ahead with a penalty kick of their own and soon another converted try put them well well in the driving seat at 3-17.

Sustained pressure just before half time pinned Dunstablians in their own 22 and Malvern got their reward when Dave Hill went over for a fine try to make it 8-17 at the break.

At the start of the second half it was all Malvern and a score looked inevitable. It was finally prop James Daniell who crashed over for the try, which went unconverted but soon another penalty sailed over from Hardcastle and the score stood at 16-17 with the home side in the ascendancy.

Malvern enjoyed plenty of possession but found the Dunstablians defence in determined mood and even when they twice went down to 14 men in the final quarter, following yellow cards, Malvern could not break through.

Sam Hardcastle just failed with another kickable penalty and the lively Gareth Richards shaved the post with a drop-goal attempt but the needed points just would not come.

Man of the match for Malvern was Dave Hill with Gareth Richards, playing at no 10, giving a vintage performance and organising the defence with inspired instruction.

Director of rugby Dave Robins was disappointed to see more home points fail to materialise and fears that with Malvern now slipping into relegation problems the club has a mountain to climb.

Robins said: "Although the performance was vastly improved on the previous week it was still not quite good enough.

"At times our tactics were inept and we have now only won one of our last four games, losing our last two matches at home. We need some big performances to pull us through as most of our remaining games are against teams that are above us in the table and six of our remaining ten games are away."

Tomorrow (Saturday) Malvern visit Spalding for a Midlands One fixture.