Hornets are stung by vital late score
A late penalty deprived Telford Hornets of a notable scalp as they lost by a point at leaders Uttoxeter.
Telford scored the Midlands 4 West (North) game's only try – the first time this season that Uttoxeter have failed to cross the line – and at least had the consolation of a bonus point from the 15-14 loss.
Telford, despite playing with the wind behind them, were slow out of the blocks and a brace of early penalties put the home team in charge.
But the Hornets back line began to function with penetrating runs from winger Henry Sankey as centres Denham Samuels and Jamie Vidor began to control the game.
Telford grabbed their try when strong pressure won them a line-out. Good pressure set up the chance of a driving maul and captain Pete Jones did the honours.
Ben Lewis missed the conversion but his quick thinking brought three points just before half-time. As he shaped to take a penalty the wind blew the ball over and Lewis, realising that the time allowed for the kick was running out, grabbed the ball and drop-kicked it over.
That left Telford 8-6 up at the break and a pair of Lewis penalties, bookending a Uttoxeter reply, made it 14-9.
But the Hornets, now playing into the wind and rain, were struggling to get out of their half.
A high tackle gave the home side another penalty to get within two points. Four minutes from time the visitors went offside at a ruck and Uttoxeter landed the decisive score.
In the same division, a depleted Church Stretton side lost 43-15 at Aston Old Edwardians.
The sides looked evenly matched in the first half, but two late Aston tries gave them the edge.
Old Edwardians then blew the Samurai away after the break. They scored three times in quick succession before Stretton had barely touched the ball.
It might have gone even worse for the visitors at this point but for a number of score-saving covering tackles by full-back Danny Harley.
However, the Samurai did grab two late consolation scores through flanker Chris Yapp, pouncing from the back of a loose line-out, and centre Sam Hill, from a charged down kick, to add to Roan Kirkby's penalty.
Market Drayton, fresh from their first win of the season, went close to another in a 15-13 defeat at Aldridge.
