Sat 10 Oct 2026, 15:00
Stratford 66 Alcester 29
Stratford claimed the local derby bragging rights, in this first ever league meeting between the two sides, with a comprehensive victory at Pearcecroft.
Alcester started the game with some enforced changes, including talismanic number eight Lewis Wright, following a dislocated shoulder in last week’s win at Bromyard, which is likely to keep him out for the remainder of this year.
After a scrappy opening few minutes of the game, the hosts scored in the corner, before James Lester levelled for the visitors on the ten-minute mark.
Stratford began to assert their authority up front and scored twice in the next 15 minutes to lead 19-5 at this stage.
Alcester rallied and enjoyed their best spell of sustained possession of the game. Prop Dev Jacobs was held up over the line after several drives by the visiting pack towards the line, but moments later he did force the ball down and Ed Gough added the extras with the conversion to narrow the scoreline to 19-12.
With their tails up the visitors levelled the scores through a catch and drive try from a line out, with hooker Ed Denby on the end of the driving maul. Gough converted via the upright.
With time running out in the half, Stratford regained the lead with their bonus point try, although there was a slice of fortune in the try, with their fly half trying a dink over Alcester’s advancing defensive line. The visitors got hands to the kick but were not able to gather cleanly and it ballooned up and straight into the arms of the kicker who had a clear run to the line under the posts, allowing for a straight forward conversion and a 26-19 lead at the break.
Alcester were dealt a blow when second row Toby Birks hobbled off, just before half time, with a dead leg, although he was able to return midway through the second half in another injury enforced reshuffle, although still a little impeded.
If the score before half time was a cruel blow for Alcester, the one straight after the break was equally as impactful as Stratford scored from a driving line out, and added a conversion for 33-19 lead.
The home side were in the complete ascendancy at this stage, and added a sixth try, before Alcester’s man of the match, Alfie Armstrong, capped another impressive display with his side’s fourth and try bonus point score.
Stratford scored their seventh try from a driven line out, and added another try shortly afterwards, which brought up their half century of points. To make matters worse, Alcester’s Jamie Clarke was sin binned for a late tackle in the run up to the try.
Some of the visitors were walking wounded by now and Jamie Harland was one that was forced off with a head injury and he was quickly followed by scrum half Rich Udall with a knee injury, which saw Lewis Walker fill in for the remainder of the game in that position.
The home pack were continuing to have much the better of the tight phases, starving the visitors of possession and their backs ran in another try to now bring the score to 57-24.
James Lester added his second for the visitors in a rare counter attack, before Stratford closed the game out with their tenth try and a 66-29 victory, to take their record to three wins from three league games this season.
Alcester will look to bounce back from their first defeat of the season, when they host Ledbury at Kings Coughton, for a 3pm kick off.
