THE Pirates struggled to get into their stride in their latest North Midlands U17 league match at Old Yardleians last Sunday.

OLD YARDLEIANS U17s 7pts, MALVERN U17 Pirates 34pts

The home side seemed hell-bent on disrupting play at every opportunity and this clearly unsettled Malvern until the referee's patience was tried and official warnings of potential red cards were issued to several Old Yardleians players.

Malvern dominated the play in the opening stages of the match and the confidence within the squad was evident as they attempted to run Old Yards ragged.

But a series of off-the-ball incidents and late tackles upset the flow of Malvern's game and it was not until the 17th minute that winger Craig Smith showed his marker a clean pair of heels to set Malvern on their way and to give centre Phil Shore the easiest of conversions.

Another promising attack from the Pirates was stalled on the Old Yards ten-metre line when Lewis was penalised for holding-on and the penalty kick gave Old Yards a good attacking option in the Malvern 22.

The Pirates stole the line-out thanks to the capable hands of Stefan Milosavjlevich, but a knock-on close to the Malvern line gave Old Yards a second chance to strike. The home side forwards made five attempts to break the Malvern defence but on each occasion they were held out and it was only when the ball slid-out of hand and bounced along the try-line did a OY's hand apply downward pressure and the try was awarded.

With the scores tied, Malvern upped the pace. Smith came close to scoring thanks to an amazing cross-field kick by lock-forward Andy Knott and scrum-half Jack Knowles was denied his first try for four years after the referee judged he made a double movement on the Old Yards line.

In the end it was flanker Chris Reed who took matters into his own hands and he powered through the OY's defence to claim a seven pointer for the Pirates.

After that, play remained in the Old Yards half and despite several attempts by OY players to provoke conflict, the Pirates kept their heads and added a third try through a well-rehearsed move by the Malvern pack to enable skipper Mike Chandler to take Malvern into a 21-0 lead at the break, after Shore converted.

Changes at half-time gave Malvern fresh legs in the back-line and more control in the pack. With Old Yards under threat of the red card, the breakdowns became more settled and Malvern were able to finally settle into their stride.

With a firm platform to work from, first Knowles and then Sam Jones at scrum-half sent the Malvern backs on a series of blistering attacks and with John Brierly joining the line from full-back, Old Yards simply crumbled.

Smith claimed his second after a sublime move along the back-line and Andy Tighe added Malvern's fifth when the OY's failed to secure the loose ball in their in-goal area. Shore converted for a 31-7 lead.

The final Malvern try came from Chandler, who powered over the line to complete a marvellous phase of interplay between the Malvern players.

Brierly's conversion at the whistle hit the top of the post but Malvern were clear winners by 36-7.

Pirates captain Mike Chandler collected the Malvern man-of-the-match award.

The win keeps the Pirates in second place in the North Midlands U17 League (Southern Division), behind Worcester, who the Pirates will play at Sixways this Sunday. Kick-off noon.