Sat 8 Feb 2025
An injury hit Alcester side suffered their third successive league defeat, this time at the hands of league leaders Luctonians who look certain to finally secure promotion to level 6, now that the “red tape” that prevented them from going up in previous seasons has been removed.
For Alcester to get anything from this game, they were going to need a strong start, but right from the off, and playing up the Kings Coughton slope in the first half, the visitors took control and the home side were already 12-0 down before they had any sort of possession in Luctonians territory, midway through the half, by which time the men from Leominster had come close to scoring on two other occasions.
The home forwards stepped up the challenge and were having success in the tight, which did at least afford Alcester some time in the visitors’ half, but their cause was not helped when influential former captain, Jack Green, today operating in the centre, was forced off with an injury which was later confirmed to be a broken arm. Tom Burgess replaced Green on the field.
Turning around still only 12 points ahead in the second half, but now with the slope at their back, it was not long before Luctonians scored again, this time from a powerful catch and drive try and for Alcester it was quickly becoming a damage limitation exercise. They lost wing Alex Chiles to the sin bin for 10 minutes after he was the player singled out for a yellow card by the referee after he had warned the red and blacks that their infringements were totting up.
In total the visitors scored four tries in the second half, two of which were converted, to run out convincing winners.
Alcester will be hoping to nurse their wounds in time for next week’s visit to Old Leamingtonians, kicking off at 2.15pm.
