Evesham 8 Old Coventrians 0
Midlands Three West (South)
EVESHAM bounced back from a disappointing first loss of the league campaign to Ledbury in their previous outing in impressive fashion as they ended the 100 per cent record of visitors Old Coventrians on Saturday.
The Avonsiders were determined to hit back at the first attempt but were well aware of the challenge facing them as the visitors arrived top of the pile having won all five of their league matches.
Old Covs are a seasoned outfit and a good bet for promotion this season having been relegated earlier this year, whilst Evesham are still young and developing as a side, although showing plenty of promise, so an intriguing battle was in prospect.
From a miserable November morning of wet and gusty wind came a sunny afternoon which dried up the riverside pitch and allowed for some expansive rugby to be played.
Playing against the conditions in the first half, Evesham identified the need for discipline and brave defence and the home side certainly delivered.
The courage and teamwork shown was immense and ensured that a forever pressing Covs team could not convert pressure into points.
This testing defence was the story of the majority of the first half until Evesham gained a scrum in the opposition 22. With the ball won, the backs were released and, through some clever offloads and running lines, the chance was created for scrum half Dan Humpston to cross for an unconverted score.
The score remained at 5-0 through to half time, when it was stressed further discipline and teamwork was needed if Evesham were to keep their opponents out for another 40 minutes.
The away side played expansively in the second half which saw the game open up to quite a spectacle and, although the Old Cov boys kept coming, Evesham’s defence remained unblemished.
Late on the Evesham scrum gained the upper hand and this led to a penalty opportunity which centre Mike Diston successfully slotted over.
With time running out and the visitors needing two scores, the final stages saw yet more impressive defence from Evesham who held on to secure a deserved victory which leaves them fourth in the table, just a point behind Old Covs who dropped to second, with the latter four points behind leaders Ledbury.
Afterwards delighted Evesham skipper Nathan Chambers said: “Although Old Covs had the majority of possession, our young team showed great character to keep them out and also the highest levels of composure to score points when the opportunity arose.”
Evesham travel to mid-table Old Leamingtonians (2.15pm).