BARKER'S BUTTS  26 - 18  HEREFORD

Pickford Grange Lane, Saturday 11 October 2003, 3pm

Powergen Midlands 2 West League

The visitors made a bright start and pinned Butts in their own half for the first 15 minutes. But, in their first excursion into Hereford territory, the hosts took the lead when they wheeled a scrum and made 40 metres down the short side with a series of driving mauls to score.

Their fly-half landed the conversion and, when Hereford were penalised from the restart, he landed a penalty to extend the home lead. The Wyesiders continued to play enterprising rugby and full-back Colin Osborne finished a well-planned move to score an unconverted corner try, adding a penalty just before the break to reduce the deficit to two points.

Butts made Hereford pay for a failure to find touch from a mark when they drove to the line and eventually crossed for a second try, the fly-half adding the conversion.

Osborne bagged his second try with another well-rehearsed move and then added the conversion for Hereford to close to within two points.

Hereford had their tails up and Osborne punished a dangerous tackle, which saw the perpetrator sin-binned, with a second penalty to edge the visitors into a one-point lead with 10 minutes to play.

Somehow Hereford lost control and conceded three late penalties, the ace Butts kicker obliging to give his side an unexpected victory.

Club coach John Watkins said: "The team played well and we should have won, having got in front against 14 men with only 10 minutes to play.

"It was a hard lesson but most of the team are promising youngsters and will learn from the experience."

1 Ben Hillstead
2 Wayne Davies
3 Andy Mason
4 Phil Jones
5 Andrew Johnson (captain)
6 Jamie bullock
7 Will McQuaid
8 Mathew Pritchard
9 Gary Preece
10 Charlie Langford
11 Richard Mayson
12 Andy Tannant
13 Pete Clarke
14 Sam Walker
15 Colin Osborne

16 Nathaniel Bishop
17 Ben Adams
18 Ben Stephens