The goal kicking of Ally Bressington proved decisive on the day, but the play patterns and weather were doubtless very different to the late summer fayre of open rugby the sides served up in this pre-season friendly.

The hosts kicked off with the advantages of both a gusty breeze and slight slope, a fumbled catch put Stour under immediate pressure as Wharfedale ran a penalty award and drove deep into their 22. One drive got over the tryline but the ball carrier was unable to ground the ball and an attacking scrum was awarded by referee Marcus Caton. A huge drive by the Stour pack secured a take against the head but the clearance kick failed to find touch and the hosts threw everything into attack. A kickable penalty was declined as they kicked for the corner, the defenders were drawn by a nicely worked feint from the base of a maul and the dancing feet of the hosts’ scrum half James Doherty saw him cross the line for an early try. 5min 7-0.

It was the hosts’ turn to fumble the restart kick, but the visitors lost possession in contact and Wharfedale drove a long kick downfield from which fullback Jamie Hearn found touch. 2nd row Ciaran Moore’s tap at the lineout won it back but another handling error halted the move. Another huge scrum by the Stour pack won it back, Stef Shillingford pulled in several tacklers but the move stalled with another handling error. No matter, Stour’s dominance of the scrum continued as Mark George’s opponent buckled under pressure and the penalty was kicked to touch in the Wharfedale half. The hosts’ were to regret choosing another scrum from a not straight lineout throw, yet another turnover setting up a wave of Stour attacks that drove into the 22. The home defences held out though until a defender strayed offside with the phase count well into double figures. Stour declined the 3 easy points on offer and unsurprisingly opted to scrum, but no.8 Chris Depper’s drive from the base was held up, albeit illegally enabling Stour to scrum again. With Mr Caton playing advantage the ball was moved right where it was worked through the hands of George & 2nd row Robbie Hurrell, right wing Tom Morris taking the final pass to sneak over in the corner. 17min 7-5.

The tempo went up a notch, a kick exchange followed by the visitors conceding a penalty in the tackle that was again run quickly by Doherty. Possession was lost in contact though and the ball worked to Stef Cooksammy on the left wing who stepped inside his marker and found himself in acres of space as he motored though the defences. He got as far as the hosts’ 22 before the defenders collared him, the support arrived and though the move got held up a penalty was awarded for offside. Stour again declined the 3 points and opted for a kick to the corner but dropped the throw. The hosts kicked long, forcing Hearn to run from just outside his 22, possession was turned over in contact and the hosts looked to exploit a big overlap on the left but Stour got out of jail when an over-optimistic offload went astray.

The play went scrappy with further handling errors around the halfway line. A penalty award for hands in the ruck gave Wharfedale an attacking lineout just inside the visitors’ 22, but the throw was picked off by Hurrell and outside half Gareth Bown’s clearance kick found touch. Back came the hosts with a driving maul but the visitors’ defence was resolute, several drives repelled and eventually a speculative wide pass drifted forwards. The hosts’ loosehead got another scrummaging lesson from George as he was again penalised for folding in at the scrum, Stour kicked upfield but had to attack from their own 22 from scrappy lineout possession. The move progressed steadily upfield, possession recycled clinically until a dropped pass on the hosts’ 10m line turned it over again.
Aware the clock was fast approaching halftime Doherty took another quick tap penalty, the attack reached the Saxons 22m line before the hosts also dropped a pass. The visitors’ final attack came to nothing as a speculative chip was charged down into touch and the halftime whistle sounded. 40min 7-5.

Worcester Academy’s Jonny Hughes, a Stour mini & junior product & son of former Greyhounds’ centre Dave Hughes replaced Hearn at halftime. Stour’s first foray into the hosts’ 22 came from a Bown touchfinder, Wharfedale’s clearance kick was fumbled but a big drive at the scrum won it back. The visitors moved the ball wide right, it got turned over in the tackle twice before a big goal line cover tackle on flanker Eji Uzoigwe drew a knock on. The hosts looked to run it from deep and had made a promising half-break before Moore caught Doherty in possession at the base of a ruck. The defences reorganised quickly though and the visitors’ attack stalled back in the hosts’ 22 with a knock-on.

Dale Garner replaced brother Kyle at loosehead but a binding infringement conceded a penalty that the hosts kicked to touch near halfway. Their threequarter line attacked the right flank but were held up by solid tackling, they looked to recycle possession but the ball was lost out of the side of one ruck, the alert Cooksammy gathered it and hared off downfield with the defences all at sea. Doherty’s theatrical appeals to the match officials came to nought as Cooksammy swallow-dived to score in the corner after a 55m run-in and Bown nailed a difficult conversion. 48min 7-12.

Veteran Ben Hughes replaced Moore as the hosts looked to cash in on an overcooked clearance kick off the restart. Their backs again probed the right flank where a solid tackle by Jon Hughes held them out, Doherty then looking to chip over the defensive line but his winger couldn’t recover the ball and it found touch. Bown failed to get much distance with his clearance kick but Wharfedale gifted possession back by dropping a pass in attack. Moy’s run launched a Stour counter-attack down the right flank, the ball was recycled near halfway and worked back towards the left where it found a pod of tight forwards lurking on the left wing. Reckoning not unreasonably that they would fail to outstrip the cover flanker Nigel Mukarati drove down the middle, centre Stef Shillingford had to check to take a wayward pass and as the last defender closed in the ball was worked out to Hurrell but the pass adjudged forward, he landed heavily in the tackle and was to take no further part in proceedings.

Stourbridge Lions’ threequarter Aaron Boffey came on at outside centre, Bobbie Lawrenson having to provide back row cover with Depper moving to 2nd row. Wharfedale again tried to run from deep in their 22 but a ball carrier got isolated in the tackle by Lawrenson and was penalised for holding on. Bown kicked it to the corner, Stour executed a textbook catch & drive down the slope and it was Dale Garner who grounded the ball for the try. 54min 7-17.

The sides reverted to the more familiar territorial kicking game following the restart, a half-break out of his 22 by Mukarati thwarted by a Wharfedale hand that blocked an attempted pass. Bown again kicked deep, the chase was good and the hosts lost the ball forward in contact. Off came George to be replaced by new recruit Rob Green at tighthead, the hosts were not intent on letting him settle in gently though and forced a penalty at the scrum which was kicked to touch. They ran it down the threequarters where unusually lackadaisical Stour first-up tackling allowed a couple of half-breaks that reached the 22 before another pass was dropped. Content to defend the lead Stour continued to kick deep infield, trusting their defences to repel the hosts’ running game and looking for turnovers in the tackle. The visitors made their final substitution, debutant Nathan Geekie replacing Harris on the right wing. Wharfedale drove a maul into the Stour 22 then secured a penalty for offside that was kicked to the corner. The drive was held up but Doherty spotted the smallest of gaps around the fringes and sniped through to score. 65min 12-17.

The restart was planted deep and the hosts again tried to run from deep. A further penalty for hands in the ruck was run quickly by Doherty but a pass went astray and the ball was worked quickly to Cooksammy who had some space to work in out left. His chip ahead was too deep though and ran dead, not helping claims for an obstruction as the defending fullback rather unsubtly clattered into him.
Both sides continued to try to run the ball but with a rash of substitutes on neither could fashion a line break against well organised defences. The tide had well & truly turned in the scrums where the hosts drove Stour off their own feed, leading to some rather unnecessary off-the-ball exchanges that saw Dale Garner penalised near halfway. Glimpsing an opportunity to steal it at the death the hosts kicked for the corner and launched a catch & drive but it was held up with Stour awarded a scrum. The hosts managed to drive it past 90º and were awarded the put-in at a further scrum at which they were awarded a penalty for collapsing, they opted to scrum again but this time the Stour scrum held steady, the hosts fumbled it at the base and the visitors were content to kick it off the park to hear the fulltime whistle.

Though both sides were understrength this was a significant victory for Stour, away against dogged opponents playing one league level higher. They will need to recover the handling skills they demonstrated at times against Halesonians and step up their discipline around the tackle & ruck areas where far too many penalties were conceded, but Director of Rugby Neil Mitchell will now have a clearer vision of his likely lineup for the opening league fixture in a fortnight’s time away at Harrogate.