Sat 16 Sep 2023, 15:00
Alcester 31 - 15 Earlsdon
Alcester won their first home game of the season with centre partnership and half-brothers Jack Green and Josh O'Connor scoring all five tries between them — with O'Connor taking the bragging rights with a defiant hattrick.
It was Earlsdon, however, who had the early ascendency, dominating in the scrum and taking the lead with a penalty kick. The opponents controlled the match for the first half an hour, as Alcester looked to struggle and were victim to continuous unforced erros as they rushed play attempting to make something happen for them.
It was Green who broke the stalemate scoring the first try of the game, spearheaded by Mark Burrell who danced out of a tackle and gave an accurate offload with an easy conversion for Ed Gough.
Tactical substitutes, giving some of the forwards a breather, gave the scrum the power it needed to help Alcester push through for the remainder of the half. The addition of fresh legs brought more energy to Alcester's game, seeing them posses much more of the ball which allowed O'Connor to bulldoze his way for two tries, giving his side a healthy lead of 17-3 at the break.
The second half continued to be dominated by the centre partnership as they drove the team forward. Green added his second as he started a powerful run from within his own half and saw off half a dozen Earlsdon defenders to run in under the posts. 15 minutes later, O'Connor added his hattrick to give Alcester a 31-3 lead and securing him the man-of-the-match accolade. Gough converted Alcester's second half tries.
A late surge from Earlsdon saw them breach the home side's defense, claiming two quick tries, but it was late enough in the game to not change the result. The final whistle blew, with Alcester claiming a victory that wouldn't have been predicted in the opening stages of the game.
Next week, Alcester travel to Leamington who have won their opening three games of the 2023/24 campaign.
