EVESHAM fought hard to secure a thrilling 18-18 draw against hosts Cheltenham North in Midlands Three West (South) on Saturday.
On the back of their opening day home win over Southam, the Vale side began the match brightly and were the better team in the opening period as they looked lively and caused problems for the hosts.
Mike Diston confidently knocked over two first half penalties for the away side but a sloppy set piece in Evesham’s own half allowed Cheltenham to cross for a try, which felt a little unjust.
Leading 6-5, Evesham continued to challenge and good link-up play allowed Matthew Watson to power over his opposite number in the corner for an unconverted try.
Following the break Evesham lost momentum, errors crept in and the discipline slipped and this allowed Cheltenham to kick two penalties and score a converted try to lead 18-11.
Feeling hard done by, Evesham rallied together to push on and their fitness levels prevailed as they secured a pushover try in the final moments.
Diston struck a magic conversion from the touchline to level the score and a draw was probably a fair result over the 80 minutes.
Evesham will aim to continue their unbeaten start to the league season when they host Woodrush – also with a win and draw to their name – on Saturday.
EVESHAM U17s secured a terrific 36-7 home win over Kidderminster.
The visitors were strong, fast and well organised and Evesham’s defence was tested for the whole of the first half, but their scrum held firm and they were dominant in the lineout.
Eventually Will Farrell went over for the first try which Gio Capaldi converted before Jack Richardson scored the second Evesham try.
On the stroke of half time Kidderminster scored their only try but the second half was a different story as the Avonsiders’ backs cut loose with slick passing and strong running.
There were two tries apiece for George Guy and man of the match Lewis Woodford and Capaldi converted two of them, giving Evesham a great platform for this weekend’s home league match against Bromsgrove.