Evesham 0  vs Malvern 14

In one of the hardest fought and most keenly contested matches of the season, the Avonside youngsters were unlucky to come away without a point.

 For much of the first half the ball was trapped between the two 25 metre lines as time and again the packs locked horns with neither giving ground to the other.

 Malvern kicked a penalty deep into Evesham’s territory where it was deftly caught by full back Josh Perry who ran it back towards Malvern before setting up the maul.

 Malvern briefly won it back, before a neat intercept by Fred Badham put Evesham back on the attack. Badham passed to Player of the match Jae Wright who laid it on for James Thomas from whom winger Ben Herborn took the pass and pushed into Malvern’s half before switching play back towards the centre of the field with a pass to Jacob Phipps.

 Fred Badham took the pass from Phipps and then gave it to Jack Haines who went to ground to set the ruck.

 Once again Evesham emerged victorious with Matt Jacobs and Kieran Jones making it eight out of eleven Evesham players involved in the action before the ball finally went into touch.

 The second half started in the same vein as the first had finished.

 George Anderson passed the ball to Ben Jones who laid it on for Kieran Sherwood to set up the maul with Matthew Jacobs. Alex Hillier passed out to Perry who kicked it towards the Malvern 25metre line.

 Malvern pushed back and having won a scrum on the centre line, their wing made a spirited run into the Evesham half only to be met by a spectacular tackle from Jacob Phipps which put him into touch.

 Malvern were now in the ascendancy and Evesham spent the next few minutes gamely defending their line, unfortunately, a penalty on Evesham’s 5 metre line gave the visitors the chance they needed and they pushed through for a try which was successfully converted.

 Undaunted, Evesham fought on, with a lineout on Malvern’s 25metre line, Alex Hillier’s pass found Kieran Sherwood, who passed to George Anderson.

 Anderson handed over to Ben Jones who gave it back to Sherwood who passed on to James Thomas.

 Once again Malvern turned over the ball in the ruck and kicked back into Evesham territory. Perry caught the ball and passed to Hillier who pushed back towards the centre line and set the ruck.

 Evesham won the ball but took it into touch, the resulting lineout was won by Malvern who saw a gap in the Evesham line and pushed through for a second and final try of the match which was, again successfully converted.

 Player of the Match: Jae Wright

Malvern 0  vs  Evesham 63

Evesham U13s were on the road this week and racked up their biggest ever win with a 63-0 victory over Malvern.

The Evesham boys were hungry for a game this week having seen their Bredon game cancelled last week.

Evesham had total control of the game from the start and dominated through solid forward drives and stylish back line play.

It wasn’t long before Evesham registered their first points as Matthew Kinnersley broke free to score the first of his 3 tries.

Evesham continued to pile on the pressure and drove Malvern back to defend their line until “Man of the Match” James Bishop stormed through to score in the corner.

Evesham’s domination showed no let up as Keiran Court and Lewis Bastow worked hard to starve Malvern of the ball and allow Evesham to go in at half time 22-0 up and with all the momentum in their favour.

Evesham started the 2^nd half as they finished the first and it wasn’t long before Jordan Cowley and Charlie Stock linked well to allow Charlie to score in the corner.

With the game now well under control Evesham stepped up a gear to produce some of their best rugby this season with stylish off loads and flowing backline support.

Malvern tried hard to stop the onslaught however, with Sion Roberts marshalling the play so well, it was hard to see how the Evesham team could be stopped.

11 tries were scored in total through Matthew Kinnersey x3, Jordan Cowley x3, James Bishop x2, Charlie Stock x1, Alex Stoddart x1 and Adam Calbert x1 who had an impressive game.

The team can be proud of their success as they not only won in style,  but proved that they have developed their skills to a new level and are seeing the results they deserve.

Next weekend sees the final game of the season as Evesham take on old rivals Stow at home.

This promises to be 1 of the biggest games this year and with over 250 points scored to date, Evesham Under 13's will look back on this season as their most successful ever.

Stow 44  vs  Evesham 14

1st Match - Bredon 2 vs Evesham 4 

Sunday saw Evesham visit their local rivals Bredon and two close fought encounters followed. The first game saw Evesham triumph in a hard fought contest 4-2. There were some stand out performances from match captain Joe Tryner and hatrick hero Harry Howells. Michael Goonewardena had an excellent game at scrum half intelligently distributing the ball to the advantage of his team mates. Tom Farrell demonstrated some fantastic broken field running offloading the ball to set up a score for his side. The support play throughout the team was brilliant and a fine passage of play ended in Harry scoring the opening try following storming runs from Tom Farrell and Joe.

Declan Moran showed real promise in the front row and mauled tirelessly which earned him the man of the match award. Tom McDonald and Max Frost showed real fight in the forwards keeping Evesham on the front foot. Two further scores from Harry were separated by a fine individual effort from Tom Farrell.

2nd Match - Bredon 4 vs Evesham 1 

The second game was also a bruising encounter with Bredon emerging victorious with a 4-1 win. Match captain Charlie Roberts put in a fine performance driving in team forward in the contact. Tom McDonald won the man of the match award with some strong running and big tackles capped by crossing for Evesham's only score. Some monster tackles from Jack Evans, Tom Speed and Harry weren't enough to keep a determined Bredon side from winning. Dylan Cross and Joby Cornwell worked hard in the pack providing ball for their backs but Evesham were unable to turn pressure into points. Jake Kimberley and Rebecca Anderson both had good games on the wings taking the ball on at every opportunity.

Overall the morning ended with honours even having seen two excellent games between two closely matched teams.

Evesham 12   vs    Old Leamingtonians 12  

1st Match - Evesham 5   vs    Claverdon 20

Despite a bitingly cold wind and an ominously rising river, these two teams put on an exciting and fiercely contested display of youth rugby. 

The first match started well for Claverdon with an early try following a lineout on Evesham’s 25metre line. A scrum on the ½ way line gave the visitors their next opportunity, with an outstanding breakaway run for the Evesham line putting them 10 points ahead.

From the restart, Jacob Phipps stole the ball and passed to Ben Jones who powered through the Claverdon front row before laying on to George Anderson, who dashed towards the line, only to be forced into touch. The ball was now deep inside Claverdon’s territory. Ben Jones won the line out and passed to Rob Smith who set up the maul. Alex Hillier fed to Joe Nishigacki who was stopped within touching distance of the Claverdon line. A penalty was awarded to Evesham and was quickly taken by Hillier which gave Ben Jones the chance to drive over for the Home Team’s first points as the whistle blew for ½ time.

The second half saw both teams working hard with few real chances of adding to the score sheet until a Claverdon kick to the ½ way line was caught by Nishigacki who then set up a driving maul. Rob Smith emerged victorious, passed to Nathan Pallet who handed over to George Anderson. Jacob Phipps then took up the charge before passing to Ben Jones. Evesham were now within 3 metres of equalising when they were caught by surprise with a Claverdon player emerging from a ruck and hot-footing it the length of the pitch to touch down for a spectacular 5 points. The final whistle blew as Claverdon touched down for their 4^th try of the match to seal a well deserved victory.

2nd Match - Evesham 15   vs    Claverdon 0

The second match was more to Evesham’s liking! Claverdon were not going to make it easy, however and it took until the end of the first half for a try to materialise. A lineout at ½ way saw Nathan Pallet passing to Ben Jones. He, in turn, laid it on for Kieran Sherwood who took it to the Claverdon 25Metre line. Fred Badham broke from the ruck and pushed past a couple of Claverdon defenders before making the pass to Nathan Pallet who broke for the line to take 5 points. 

The second half started well with the ball from a lineout passing faultlessly down the line through Kieran Sherwood, Nathan Pallet, Ben Jones, Levi Turner and Josh Perry before Jack Haines took the honours and crossed the line for try no.2. The 3^rd and final try of the game came following an Evesham penalty on their own 25 metre line, taken by James Thomas and passed to Ben Jones who pushed deep into the opponents half. Thomas took the ball from the ensuing scrum and, once again, the ball found Ben Jones who drove through the remaining Claverdon defence to clinch the match for Evesham. 

Try Scorers: Ben Jones (2), Nathan Pallet, Jack Haines

Evesham 73   vs   Pershore 0

The recent recruitment campaign and return of several players allowed the home side to field a squad of 20 players for this local derby. Initial tentative play was broken by a Wilf Watson scamper from the base of an Evesham scrum, his speed and passing was a crucial element in the opening score. A deep restart kick allowed Evesham time to form a formidable maul as forwards including new signing Luke Clements made a platform for Ben Middlicott to power over the line after a fine solo run. The paring of Jacob Hann and Alex Tarplee in the scrum gave the home side the right combination of lineout presence this was reaffirmed as Tarplee from a lineout wrestled over the line. 

The visitors sensed the game was running away and for the remainder of the half looked to hold their defensive lines and made repeated forays into Evesham territory. After the break several substitutions by Evesham produce open play as new and experienced players in scrum and lineout continued to perform well. Without doubt the tackling by Mathew Camp and Iain Stoddard was an inspiration to the team, their work proved decisive as their skills were called upon throughout the game. 

Evesham's match experience proved too strong for the Pershore development squad a combination of disciplined positional play and greatly improved communication between back and forwards was a delight to watch. The sizeable home and away supporters enjoyed was spirited and competitive game as Evesham had the visitors hemmed in their own half. Eventually a rapid succession of late tries by Jack Witts secured the Avon Street boys highest scoring victory. 

New boy Luke Clements was awarded man of the match for all round scrum and tackling performance and his efforts resulted in a well deserved debut try.

Old Richians 29  vs  Evesham 22

Evesham courageous in defeat.

Evesham U13 suffered their first defeat since the start of the season with a hard fought match against Gloucester side Old Richians.

Evesham got off to a bad start as they struggled to get out of 1^st gear and allowed Richians to run in 2 tries in the first 10 minutes taking a 12-0 lead.

Richians continued to apply the pressure and with Evesham giving away 1 foot per man in the forwards, possession was always going to be key

It was 15 minutes in when Kieran Court (man of the match) broke free and showed committed determination to breach the Richians line and get Evesham back into the game.

With points on the board the Evesham boys then started to find their form and where rewarded when a quick penalty move and pin point passing gave Charlie Stock the opportunity to use his pace and score in the corner.

With the score now at 12-10 the Evesham boys started to gain momentum through the forward pack and allowed the backs to string together various attacking plays, only to be denied yards from the line on 2 separate occasions.

The start of the 2^nd half seemed to mirror that of the 1^st as Evesham once again found themselves off the pace and 17-10 down within 5 minutes.

Evesham needed a spark to get them going again and when Matthew Kinnersley broke through several tackles to score under the posts, it was game on again.

The game however was far from over and Evesham forwards were made to work hard for possession and yardage. Time and time again they applied pressure on Richians until finally a well executed backline move seen Jordan Cowley put Charlie Stock in for his 2^nd try of the day and with Jordan making the conversion, the game was tied at 22-22.

The last 5 minutes seen both teams throw everything they had at each other in an attempt to secure victory.

It was however Old Richians who won through in the end as they broke down the Evesham defensive line to score under the posts and secure a well fought 29-22 victory over a courageous and battle worn Evesham team.

All in all it was a game that either team could have won and it demonstrated what can be achieved through consistency, perseverance and determination and this will act as a valuable lesson,  as the Evesham U13 go on to face Matson in their next game.

Longlevens 17  vs  Evesham 0  

Good weather greeted the return fixture of the season away at Longlevens where the Avonsiders produced one of their best displays of rucking to date.  The first half was very evenly balanced with Longlevens attacking the Evesham half in the first ten minutes and only the most determined defence prevented them from scoring with the backs including Gavin Perkins, Jordan Westwood and player of the match Ian Hastead having to post a high tackle count.  Evesham then settled which resulted in an evenly balanced game.  Longlevens were the first to break the deadlock with a lucky break through the centres but were unfortunate to miss the conversion.  Evesham responded to this and immediately looked liked scoring with several drives off the back of rucks right on the opposition line from Andrew Hemming, Michael Penhalagan and scrum half Dan Humpston all just being stopped short and the final attempt from Zac Shotton was unfortunately knocked forward enabling Longlevens to relieve the pressure.

 The start of the second half was similar to the first although the forwards including Sam Davies, Zac Bailey, Jordan Nobes and Josh Critchley started to become dominant in the loose play and regularly drove Longlevens off the ball to win good turnover possession.  Unfortunately Evesham were unable to put this to good use and failed to threaten the Longlevens line.  The half was a stalemate with neither side looking much like scoring until the final quarter when Evesham started to tire which enabled the opposition to start breaking through a number of tackles ultimately enabling them to score twice more one of which they converted towards the closing minutes.

Droitwich 61  vs  Evesham 12  

Any weakness in defence resulted in the home side substantive forwards producing a score, Evesham committed two men per tackle, even the herculean efforts of Jack Hair & Ben Middlicott could not keep the rampaging Droitwich onslaught at bay. Evesham changed tactics and looked to keep the ball in hand and twice threatened the home side try line, this action brought great calls of support from the away supporters. The close quarter drive and maul from Adam Johnson, Aaron Parkes and Alex Tarplee so nearly produced results. 

At half time Droitwich were 40 points ahead and Evesham were without any substitutions, the second half did not bode well. However much credit is due to the spirit of the Evesham lads as the second half was radically different. The return of Michael Harris from long-term injury acted as a creative catalyst enhancing the play of Jake Shotten, Joe Beirns and Wilf Watson. Sniping centre Jack Witts and No8 Josh Wheeler assertive style lead the recovery as Jacob Hann and Sam Wright combined drive gave Jake Shotton the time to place a delightful chip over the opposition. The resulting line out won by Adam Johnson passed to Wilf Watson to sprint over the line. From the restart the host rallied and took possession and after a lineout and a frenetic driving carried the ball over Evesham’s line to post additional points. 

Evesham were not finished, a power play by all Evesham forwards saw then drive the last five meters with Ben Middlicott eventually emerge as the player having grounded the ball. The quiet man of the team James Williamson produced his best game of the season, at full back his tackling was in great demand but his open play, which included a chip and chase ensured he secured the title of man of the match. 

Droitwich were great hosts and were able to field a premier team from their large squad. In comparison Evesham’s diminutive players never gave up the chase and were able to post a modest score but showed great team spirit.

1st Match - Droitwich 14  vs  Evesham 0

In what was always going to be a tough away fixture the under 11’s travelled to Droitwich with spirits high after their away win at Old Richians the previous week.

In the first encounter Evesham were under pressure from the off, struggling to contain the Droitwich pack.

Only superb defending from half backs Kieran Sherwood , James Thomas and full back Josh Perry keeping the Droitwich three quarters at bay.

The First Droitwich try came at the end of the first half and Evesham could have felt hard done by after defending superbly and a number of Droitwich errors failing to be noticed.

The second period was a much more even battle with the Evesham forwards growing in stature, winning quality ball to release their three quarters who were unlucky to cross the line on three occasions had the final passes gone to hand.

Against the run of play, a lucky bounce and again a few missed errors saw the home team cross for a second try.

2nd  Match - Droitwich 14  vs  Evesham 17

The second encounter saw a much more dominant forward display which immediately had the Droitwich pack on the back foot.

Against the run of play, it was Droitwich who scored first, which proved to be the catalyst for the Evesham revival.

Superb forward play by the front row of Dan Jones Jae Wright and Ben Jones,  excellent loose play by forwards Kieran Jones and Rob Smith had the Droitwich pack in disarray on their Twenty Two Metre

Line and a loose defensive kick fell into the hands of full back Josh Perry.

Attacking the defensive line he had the time, pace and vision to beat the three covering defenders to score a superb try which he duly converted.

Fuelled by their previous onslaught the forwards were at it again, gaining yards after yards and providing quality ball for the backs to cut loose.

From a scrum on the 10 metre line scrum half Thomas went blind to release wing and man of the match Ben Herborne for a run which almost saw him reach the line for the second Evesham Try.

From the line out in was the usual catch and Unstoppable drive that saw Ben Jones cross for the second Evesham Score which Perry was unlucky to convert.

With the Forwards now on Fire, the third Evesham try came from a rolling maul with Kieran Jones, Ben Jones and Matthew Jacob driving the Droitwich pack backwards and allow Jae Wright to break free and cross from 20 metres for what was a fantastic try. Thomas hitting the upright unlucky to convert.

17-7 Down Droitwich threw everything at the visitors but this time Evesham sensing victory, were not to be denied.

To a man, tackles were made by Jack Haines, George Anderson, Levi Turner and Michael Phillips all of whom had fine performances in attack as well as defence.

Refusing to sit on their laurels, in the dying moments Evesham threw one last attack which unfortunately resulted in spilt ball allowing the home team to score a converted try.

Old Leamingtonians 12  vs  Evesham 39

Evesham continued their improving form on Sunday away at Old Leamingtonians by producing one of their best team efforts this season.  Within five minutes Evesham were demonstrating their intent and opened the scoring when George Murray broke on the open side of a ruck five yards out and went over for an early try.  This prompted a response from Old Leamingtonians who were consequently the next to score shortly afterwards.

 However, it was not long before Evesham were again putting pressure on the Old Leamingtonians line and good pressure from the back row including Sam Davies and man of the match Scott Grainger forced an error from Old Leamingtonians behind their own line resulting in a dropped pass as they tried to clear to touch which Zac Shotton was able to dive on first and score the Avonsiders second try.  The game however continued to go either way as Old Leamingtonians replied with a converted try shortly afterwards.

 The Evesham forwards including Thomas Mansfield, Michael  Penhalagan, Nathan Chambers and Jordan Nobes continued to win both good line out ball and rucks throughout the game which enabled scrum half Dan Humpston to deliver good clean possession to the backs resulting in some of the best running rugby seen so far this season.  Evesham scored twice more in the first half with Tim Stoddart who stepped inside his opposite number to go over and score and George Murray added another close to the end of the half from a pick up and drive off the back of a scrum.

The start of the second half saw Old Leamingtonians continue to make a game of it and it was only through solid defending by the backs including Joe Bailey, Jordan Westwood and Liam Avery that Old Leamingtonians were prevented from scoring.  Evesham continued to grow in confidence and the deadlock was eventually broken mid way through the half when George Murray broke from the rear of the scrum on halfway and was able to break through two defenders to score in the corner.  Evesham then followed this up with two further scores, the first coming from a thirty meter dash by winger Ollie Wassall only to be tackled right on the line resulting in a 5 metre scrum which Evesham won enabling Tim Stoddart to break wide and eventually run in under the posts.  Ollie Wassall was finally rewarded for his efforts when the ball was chipped over the Old Leamingtonians backs and he was able to collect on the bounce and side step two defenders to score right on the final whistle.

North Midlands RFU Plate 1/4 Final - 
Evesham 0 vs Ledbury 12 

Evesham Under 16’s played host to Ledbury RFC in the quarter final of the North Midlands RFU Under 16 plate competition.

Both teams respectfully observed 1 minutes silence prior to the kick-off to pay their respects to the sudden passing of long time Evesham RFC member Mick Hodges.

 This eagerly anticipated North Midlands Plate Quarter Final began with a fierce start from both teams as the packs in particular battled for supremacy. Evesham’s customary slow start to games was thankfully absent and the early exchanges were totally committed with them gaining the upper hand in the lineouts as Matt Power and Mike ‘Ibby’ Ibbotson secured their own ball and spoiled the oppositions. The scrummages were a different story however as Ledbury’s big physical presence had the home pack in retreat on numerous occasions. In the loose some excellent tackling from Matt Philips, Tom Davis, Scott Roberts, Iain Sime and Power kept early forages from the visitors at bay and the home sides confidence was lifted as they battled their way into the Ledbury half. On 15 minutes a last ditch tackle from Tom Singleton-Wells seemed to inspire his comrades even more and led to the visitors becoming frustrated as they now began to lose their discipline. Good pressure from the Evesham forwards of Josh Greatrix, Adam Meadows, Russ Boyles, Iain Sime, Calum Lance, Alex Antonelli, Matt Power and Man of the Match Mike ‘Ibby’ Ibbotson and back line of Tom Singleton-Wells, Matt Phillips, Scott Walker, Tom Davies, Sam Walsh, Luke Pallett and Jack Barber, prevented Ledbury making ground and they were pinned in their own 22 for several phases of play. As a result Ledbury began to infringe at the breakdowns, costing them possession and territory.  As half time approached between these two evenly matched sides Ledbury once again began to dominate, only to find the  home defence once more standing firm and repelling all attempts to breach their lines. Singleton-Wells drilled his backs well and Captain Josh Greatrix motivated his forwards to fight for everything in the loose and the game remained scoreless at half time.

With nothing to choose between the sides the North Midlands rules were studied at half time and with clarification established that under these rules in the event of a draw the away side would be awarded the tie, Evesham therefore had to throw caution to the wind and go all out for the win.

 At the restart of the 2^nd half, Russ Boyles was replaced by Dave O’Connell in the front row and Sam Walsh was replaced by Callum Baker on the wing. The second half began as had the first with both sides battling hard to establish their supremacy. The physicality of the match eventually began to take its toll and Evesham were forced into substitutions with Dan Wilson replacing Calum Lance and Sam Hopkins replacing hard working flanker, Iain Sime. At the midway point of the second half the Evesham line was again under pressure and Ledbury finally breached the home defence to score an unconverted try in the corner. The visitors instinctively knew that Evesham would come straight back and they weathered a very aggressive response with Baker almost breaking away to score an interception try from his own half, only to be called back for an offside decision. The Avonsiders now had the momentum though and were unlucky to concede a penalty just inside their own half. With the pressure now firmly on the visitors they elected to kick for goal to take them 8 points clear and secure victory but pushed the ball wide of the posts. This set up a grand finale with Evesham taking no prisoners and their pack forged ahead into the Ledbury half. Inspired performances from Dave O’Connell, Greatrix, Boyles and player of the match Mike Ibbotson in particular almost brought reward as the game entered its final stages but the heroics were not enough and the home side suffered a late sucker punch as Ledbury ran in a late converted try to secure the win and end Evesham’s hopes of a semi-final place.

 Ledbury came out winners 12 points to 0 and ruining Evesham’s hopes of progressing further in the championship.

This was a spirited and determined performance by Evesham and can take heart that this was one of their best matches this season. This performance should stand them in good stead for next weekends away match at Shipston RFC and also the tour to the Welsh Festival of Rugby at the end of March.

 The whole of the Evesham under 16’s can be proud to have given their all in a a spirited and determined performance against a team who have only lost once this season and who had expected an easy win on the day. They gave their coaches, parents and onlookers’ immense pleasure and pride in this fine performance and should take many positives from the game as the Welsh Festive Tour approaches in a month’s time. The Under 16’s travel to Shipston on Sunday and must build on this encouraging display.

1st Match - Evesham 6 vs Droitwich 9  

Sunday saw Evesham under 10's entertain visitors Droitwitch and two closely contested matches ensued. The first game saw Evesham establish an early lead with Dylan Cross and Joby Cornwell both scoring following strong runs. Droitwitch stayed in the game with some fierce counter rucking providing turnover ball which they then used to edge into the lead. Evesham fought back with some outstanding tackling from Harry Howells and Joe Tryner before a storming run from Joe ended in him crossing the line to level the scores. Tom Speed displayed a real hunger for the ball always on hand to support his team mates and collect the off load out of contact, this desire to be in the thick of things paid off with Tom scoring a well deserved try. Droitwitch continued to match their hosts try for try and the final action of the first half saw Harry Howells cross the line after a trademark bullocking run to level the score at 5 - 5 at the break.

The second half saw both teams raise the physicality of their game with some big tackles flying in, but even though Evesham were working well as a defensive unit with Tom Farrell and Nick Leahy closing down the space in the centre of the park Droitwitch managed to edge into the lead with some strong running and good passing. Jack Evans had an excellent game at scrum half with some sniping runs off the back of the scrummage, and one of these runs ended with a great off load in the tackle to Nick Leahy which saw him finish off the move with a score. Throughout the game player of the match Joby Cornwell was everywhere tidying up in the loose and driving the play on. The game ended with Droitwitch claiming a 9 - 6 win.

2nd Match - Evesham 4 vs Droitwich 2  

The second match started with the same intensity as the first and saw Joby crash over for the opening score after he broke through a number of desperate tackles from the visitors, Michael Goonewardena started to get into the game with some jinking runs in broken play helping to keep Evesham on the front foot. Charlie Roberts was on top of his game constantly showing himself to be willing to take the ball on in the contact keeping his team going forward. Droitwitch continued to press and only good defensive work from Evesham's backline of Todd Grainger, Jake Kimberley, James Muir and Rebecca Anderson kept the score down, their efforts were rewarded just before the break when Jack Evans crossed for a try following some fantastic running from player of the match Nick Leahy. Half time saw the score level at 2 - 2.

The second half started with a bang with Harry crashing over the line to take Evesham into the lead, only continuing strong defence and good forward play from Declan Moran kept Droitwitch at bay. The game was finished as a contest when Harry crossed for a second time shortly before the end. Evesham ran out 4 - 2 victors in a very keenly fought contest.

Old Patesians 28 vs Evesham 7

On a cold, crisp but very sunny, Sunday, Evesham travelled to Cheltenham Junior College to challenge Old Patesians but were stretched to make a team due to the half term holiday.

Old Pat’s were confident from the first whistle, catching Evesham off guard, to chalk up the first try with in the first ten minutes of play, converting for the extra points. The visitors, although slow to start from the journey, put up a good show with excellent tacking from Wilf Watson and Nick Southcott.

Instructions by the ref, to ease off in the scrum due to Old Pat make shift front row, hamper Evesham’s scrum machine of Man of the match Adam Johnson, Jack Sealey and Harry Badham in the front row, Second pairing of Sam Wright and Jacob Hann and number 8 Alex Tarplee. This didn’t stop the forwards supporting strong runs from Jake Shooton at fly half, Matt Camp at inside centre and Ben Middlicott at outside centre.  

Jack Witts, playing scrum half, scored the only try for Evesham from one of his trademark snipping runs but the first half ended 21-7 to Old Pat,s.

Old Richians 0  vs  Evesham 40   

Fired up from last week’s effort, Evesham hit the starting blocks running, epitomised by Ben Jones, who took first honours within 3 minutes from kick off. An early lineout saw Nathan Pallet winning the ball and laying it on to Kieran Sherwood who passed to James Thomas. Thomas set up the maul from which Ben Jones emerged to push for the line and 5 points.

 The home team then put up a spirited defence, keeping Evesham at bay for the next 15 minutes, until a scrum on the halfway line gave Evesham a chance with James Thomas’ pass finding Jack Haines who passed on to Ben Jones, to take the ball into the maul. Nathan Pallet emerged to lay find Ben Jones again, who then sprinted through 7 opponents to touch down for his second of the morning.

 From the restart, Kieran Jones and Jae Wright pushed the ball back into Old Richian’s territory for a line-out. James Thomas fed the ball to Josh Perry who laid it on for Nathan Pallet to take it over the line for try no. 3 just in time for the half-time whistle.

 The second half started like the first, with a pass from the scrum by Alex Hillier finding Kieran Sherwood who passed on to Nathan Pallet. Pallet then passed the baton to Levi Turner who, after some deft footwork slipped it to George Anderson to drive over the line for a try within 3 minutes.

 Try number 5 was a spectacular solo effort from Ben Jones. He received the ball on Evesham’s 25 metre line, took it to halfway and a maul, from which he emerged victorious, only to then finish the job with an outstanding drive through the home side’s defence before touching down to take the tally to 25:0.

 Shortly after the restart, the Evesham backs showed how well they have progressed recently, when a scrum on the centre line enabled Alex Hillier to find James Thomas. Thomas passed to Josh Perry who laid it on to George Anderson. By now Evesham were deep within the Old Richians’ half and a penalty quickly taken by Hillier was taken into touch by Ben Jones, on the home side’s 5 metre line. The throw was caught by Kieran Jones, who bulldozed his way through the opposition to make it 30:0.

 The restart kick was caught by full back Josh Perry who passed it straight on to a fired up Ben Jones, to then sprint ¾’s of the pitch, ignoring the opposing defence to take the honours for his 4^th try of the match.

The eighth and final try of the game came following an impressive driving maul, led by Kieran Jones, which saw the Old Richians’ pack being pushed back from Evesham’s 5 metre line to halfway.

 From Kieran Sherwood, the ball passed to James Thomas and then to Ben Herborn. Herborn battled through to make the pass to Ben Jones to take over the line for his sixth of the day and the final play of the game.

The man of the match award was shared equally between Ben Jones, for his outstanding try scoring and Ashley Biggam, for his fearless tackling and dogged perseverance throughout the game..

 Try scorers:                                            Ben Jones, (5), Kieran Jones,  (1), Nathan Pallet (1), George Anderson (1)

Joint Players of the Match:                     Ben Jones, Ashley Biggam

Game 1 - Chaddesley CorbettC 6 Evesham 1
In glorious Winter sunshine Evesham U9s showed great character in coming back from 2 early tries against, to make a more competitive game of it, due in large part to tenacious tackling from Harry Jacobs and Will Farrell. Further crunching tackles from Connor Armento and Ashley Allchurch helped to make a game of it. The second half saw Evesham driving forward in spurts  with Kieran Raymer on a driving run, followed by the best move of the game as Lewis Woodford and Marcus Harris breaking away, fed Matt Wheeler who ran like stink only to be brought down unfairly inches from the line. The penalty try was some small consolation late in the game.

Game 2 - Chaddesley Corbett 5  Evesham 3
Cameron Gray ran brilliantly to start the first drive of the game allowing Lewis Cochrane to score after a powerful run. Concerted Evesham pressure  and strong tackling from Archie Webster and Giovani Capaldi pinned Chaddesley in their own half for long periods. The second started as did the first, with a long run by Cameron who passed to Mitchell Anderson who finished off with a try. Finley Keyte had his foot stomped on and was carried off aloft on the coaches shoulder. Jack Cockle supported Lewis Cochrane who powered another try over with aid from Dan Johnson and Jack Dempsey.

Game 3 Chaddesley Corbett 4 Evesham 2
End to end excitement with the whole squad playing a part in a closely contested game.

Evesham 7  vs  Matson RFC 5  

Sunday saw the return fixture of the season against Matson at Evesham with the Avonsiders demonstrating their continuing improved form in a very close game.  The first twenty minutes saw both sides being very equally matched and despite solid rucking and line play from the Evesham forwards and good open running from the backs, Evesham were unable to find any way through the Matson defence.  This meant Matson were the first to score with some good running from their backs which opened up the Evesham defence enabling them to sore in the corner.  Matson could have scored several more times in the first half but for a solid defence from Evesham right on their own try line with the forwards of Zac Shotton, Pete Johnson, Thomas Mansfield, Sam Davies and man of the match Nathan Chambers all contributing to frustrate Matson for all their efforts. 

The second half was very similar to the first with both sides having opportunities to score with the game remaining finely balanced.  The Evesham backs including Ollie Wassall, Joe Bailey and Dan Francis continued to grow in confidence and this made for one of best running games of the season which was complemented by the forwards who continued to consistently win ball.  Eveshams try came directly as a result of this with the Avonsiders backs being able to create some space on halfway giving centre Jordan Westwood an opportunity to use his pace to score a try under the posts which was then converted by fly half Tim Stoddart.  The Avonsiders efforts were very nearly all for nothing when Matson came away with the ball on half way two minutes from the final whistle only to be brought up just short by a try and match saving tackle from Kain Edwards-Adams which allowed the Evesham players to regroup and ultimately clear to touch right on the final whistle.

Alcester 35  vs  Evesham 47 

Evesham and Alcester took advantage of a free slot in the fixture list to stage a friendly rematch of last week’s game. 
Alcester started well, with an early try from a line out giving them the advantage. The next 15 minutes was stalemate, with the ball stuck in that no-man’s land between the opposing 25 metre lines. The impasse was broken when Ben Jones broke from a ruck, to single-handedly drive 15 yards through the Alcester defence. James Thomas converted to level the scores.

Alcester immediately came back with an impressive drive towards the Evesham line, only to be thwarted by an outstanding tackle from George Anderson forcing the ball into touch on the 5 metre line. Relief was to be short lived, however, as, following a maul in the midfield, Alcester broke through to regain the lead.

 In a, now familiar, tit-for-tat pattern, Evesham responded in kind and pushed back, deep into the Alcester half with a scrum on the host’s 5 metre line giving Ben Jones the opportunity to break for the line and touch down for his 2^nd try of the afternoon.

 As play resumed, with the bit firmly between his teeth, Jones collected the ball from Jae Wright and promptly sprinted 2/3rds the length of the pitch to take the honours for the 3^rd time and following James Thomas’s successful conversion, took the score to 14/21.

 Once again, Alcester took umbrage and having kicked into Evesham’s 25 metre box, won the ball from a scrum and with skilful passing from the backs touched down to level the score for half-time.

 The 2^nd half stated promisingly for Evesham with Kieran Jones stealing the ball from a ruck and passing on to Nathan Pallet who then made a piercing run deep into Alcester’s territory before laying the ball on to Jack Haines who was tackled into touch. Alcester won the line out and despite some excellent defensive work from the Evesham lads, an uncharacteristically wild kick gave Alcester the opportunity they needed to reclaim supremacy.

 Evesham’s breakthrough came when scrum-half James Thomas plucked the ball from a scrum on Alcester’s 5 metre line and passed it to Player of the Match Matthew Jacobs to drive through for the try.

 Evesham were now in the ascendancy and try no.5 came with a spectacular break from a scrum on Alcester’s 25 metre line, allowing Jacobs to sprint for the line for his 2^nd of the morning. Evesham were now fired up and following a scrum just inside their half, James Thomas passed to Matthew Jacobs to, once more, charge through the Alcester defence before being forced into touch.  Ben Jones won the lineout and pushed through the Alcester line to take his 4^th try and following James Thomas’s conversion, the score to 28/40.

Buoyed by their success, Evesham kept up the pressure and a lose ball from a scrum on Alcester’s 5 metre line gave James Thomas the opportunity to bag another 5 points followed by a conversion from, prop-forward, Kieran Jones. Alcester weren’t finished yet and quickly broke back from a line out to touch down for the 12^th try of the match, taking the final tally to 35/47 to Evesham, once again showing just how closely matched these two rivals are!

Try scorers:                                            Ben Jones (4), Matthew Jacobs (2), James Thomas (1)
Conversions:                                           James Thomas (5), Kieran Jones (1)
Player of the Match:                                Matthew Jacobs

Alcester 21 vs Evesham 14

Local derbies bring out the best in youth rugby games and Evesham’s U12’s away fixture lived up to expectations as a full Evesham squad took the short journey north to Alcester. A mixture of fast paced backs and strong JCB like scrumaging were on display as both teams look to take the upper hand. Evesham’s rock solid front row of Harry Badham, Aaron Parkes, Adam Johnson & substitute Jack Sealey enjoyed plenty of action early in the game as both teams were dogged by handling errors in the chilled playing conditions. The host were in the ascendancy and used their superior rucking to move the ball to eager athletic backs and posted converted points halfway through the half.

Evesham employed a formidable back line with Ben Middlicott, Wilf Watson, Harry Phipps, Joe Beirns and Nicholas Southcott linking twice to take the game deep onto Alcester’s try line which prompted scrambled defence and moments of high anxiety for home supporters. At this point a delightful defensive clearance and lineout drive was converted into additional home side points.

An injury to James Williamson at full back robbed Evesham of a dependable safety net but good teamwork by Sam Wright, Jacob Hann and Josh Wheeler earned their starting positions through defensive work alone. 

The Avon Street Boys took to the field in the second half with the advantage of the downhill slope, which was used to secure territory and their first points of the match. A delightful pass by Jake Shotton from the base of an Evesham scrum released Jack Witts down the blind side to give the team a much need boost.

From the restart the host rallied and took possession and after a power play of mauling and a frenetic driving carried the ball over Evesham’s line to post additional points. 

Inspirational second row substitutions of Alex Tarplee and Mathew Camp produced a enhance platform both in line out and set scrum play. The away forwards attacked the now tiring Alcester defence and Evesham enjoyed territorial advantage which saw Sam Waller bind with several forwards to power over the hosts defensive line, eventually man of the match Ben Middlicott emerging as the player grounding the ball much to the delight of away supporters. With the score at 21 v 14 Evesham were keen to restart the last few minutes of the game. Evesham’s set piece again functioned well as Jake Shotten’s placekicking and collection by Nicholas Southcott deserved rewards but an Alcester try saving tackle snuffed out any final glory and the score remained unchanged

1st Match - Alcester 5  vs Evesham 5

Last Sunday Evesham Under 8’s Tag Rugby team braved the bitter wind and travelled to Alcester for 2 matches.

In the first game Alcester took an early lead but Evesham soon hit back with 2 tries of their own form Sean Leahy and Callum Braathen. Alcester soon replied though with 2 further tries before Evesham drew level with another fine effort from Leahy. However, Alcester were quick to score from the restart ending the half 4-3 ahead.

 Evesham started the second half and were quick to score 2 more tries through Braathen and Kyle Wilkes taking Evesham into the lead. Alcester then sustained a lengthy period of pressure from Evesham but held strong eventually breaking away and scoring to end the game in an equitable 5-5 draw.

2nd Match - Alcester 5  vs Evesham 7

In the second match Evesham opened the scoring through a try from James Cross. Alcester soon replied before Braathen restored Eveshams lead. Alcester again fought back, but 2 further tries from Leahy and Wilkes, to 1 more from Alcester meant Evesham went into the break with a slender 3-4 lead.

 In the second half Alcester scored first, but Evesham then hit a purple patch scoring 3 tries. The first by Leahy came after a superb run down the left wing by Craig Witheford. The second, from Nick Brinson, was a result of excellent support play and the third came form another fine run by Leahy. Alcester just had time for a consolation try leaving Evesham the outright 5-7 winners.

 MoM #1            Callum Braathen
 MoM #2            Sean Leahy

Alcester 7  vs  Evesham 19

Braving the bitter cold, biting winds, the under 11’s parents were rewarded with an excellent performance from their weatherproof children!  Evesham’s pack proved the dominant power for most of the match, with some inspired scrummaging. The early play was mainly in Alcester’s half before a penalty kick took the game back towards the Evesham line. 

Kieran Sherwood ran back through the Alcester defence, supported by James Thomas, Jack Haines and Kieran Jones.  The resulting scrum saw scrum-half Thomas timing the retrieval well and breaking for the line to touch down for the first 5 points of the match.  Alcester, characteristically, refused to take this lying down and the following 30 minutes consisted of an even game with the ball travelling from one end to the other. 

Halfway through the second half, Josh Perry made a 20 yard break from a maul, laid the ball on to Nathan Pallett, who drove through the remaining Alcester defence to claim 5 points which were confidently converted by James Thomas to take the tally to 12 – 0 

Alcester fought back deep into Evesham’s territory, only to concede a penalty. Fighting the temptation to kick for touch, Josh Perry passed to Ben Jones who passed on to Ben Herborn.  

Herborn laid the ball on to Kieran Jones to give it back to Ben Jones, who then ran ½ the length of the pitch before handing over to Kieran Sherwood, to drive the last few yard over the line for try no. 3. 

The Conversion was deftly taken by Josh Perry, making it 19 – 0 

Alcester were never going to give up easily and shortly after the re-start, pushed back through the Evesham line to take a well deserved try, followed by the conversion to make the final scoreline 19 – 7 to Evesham.

Try scorers:                            James Thomas, Nathan Pallett, Kieran Sherwood
Conversions:                         James Thomas, Josh Perry
Player of the Match:             James Thomas

Evesham 10  vs  Alcester 39

Sunday saw the Avonsiders looking to build upon their win the previous week and