ALCESTER 6 SHIPSTON 17

In a game switched to Kings Coughton with the Shipston pitch waterlogged, the visitors came out on top in this fixture for the first time in five seasons.

The windy conditions were always going to feature strongly and it was Shipston who played down the slope with the conditions in the first half.

It was a fairly even first quarter of the game until one of the Shipston lock forwards did well to pinch Alcester's ball from a ruck and their fly half needed no second invitation to give his side the lead with a well struck drop goal.

Both sides were struggling to get clean ball from their forwards to their backs, however the visitors held territorial advantage.

For all their pressure Shipston couldn't cross the Alcester line and managed to add two penalty goals to their tally, to leave the half time score 9-0.

Alcester pulled the score back to 9-6, with two Matt Gwynn penalty kicks.

The second came after forward pressure, when flanker James Doyle and Man of the Match Ian Oliver were prominent.

Shipston braved the onslaught to respond with a further penalty to increase their lead, before Alcester renewed the pressure, looking for the elusive try which would have turned their game. Again, Shipston held out through superb defence and created an opportunity of their own, when a fluent back line move found it's way to their left wing.

He set off on a powerful run, through several tackles to force his way over from 40 yards out.

This score turned the game and Alcester never recovered the visitors holding out for a local derby win to re-establish their lofty league position.