Droitwich First XV 29

Dunlop First XV 24

Midlands Division Four West (South)

DROITWICH Rugby Club got back to winning ways on Saturday against Coventry side Dunlop.

The Spa side started brightly with back row forwards Nick Godfrey and Gareth Knight taking the ball to the opposition.

It was from one such drive that Godfrey powered over to score. Blackmore added the conversion.

Shortly afterwards the Droitwich backs, seizing on a lose ball in their own half, made space for young full-back Ben Cottrell to change the angle, beat two men and run over 60 metres to score under the posts. Blackmore converted.

Another break in their own half saw Rob McClean cleverly spin out of two tackles and race down the touchline to score.

Slack defending by the home side then allowed Dunlop to reduce the arrears with a soft try, although Droitwich had the last word of the half as Godfrey again surged over from short range.

Blackmore added the extra points.

The second half summed up Droitwich's season to date -- having built up a comfortable lead they took their foot off the pedal and allowed Dunlop back into the game.

It was good defence again by captain Jon Andrews and Knight which preserved their lead. Blackmore added a crucial penalty before Dunlop scored again with the last play of the game.

The scoreline looked close in the end, but Droitwich had the game under control for most of the 80 minutes.

The game will be remembered for McClean's return to form and Cottrell's speed and vision to score one of the tries of the season.

Hopefully this will be the launch pad Droitwich have been striving for to get their season well and truly underway.