Lichfield suffered a last gasp defeat as the final kick of the game saw them beaten in their final Papa John’s Cup pool match at Northampton Old Scouts.
The visitors started brightly and went in front when good ball saw Tom Day pick an excellent angle to break the tackle and touch down under the posts. Kai Lucas-Dumolo added the extras.
But an intense opening saw the penalty count against the Myrtle Greens rise, leading to a yellow card for Freddie Wilson after a quarter of an hour. Old Scouts converted the resulting penalty.
Despite a reduction in numbers Lichfield scored an impressive try when repeated phases of quick ball eventually led to captain Charlie Milner crossing unopposed near the posts. Lucas-Dumolo converted again.
The visitors continued to press and added to their lead on 30 minutes when the hosts conceded a penalty close to their try line. Clever thinking by Lucas-Dumulo led to the referee awarding a penalty try when their opponents did not retreat and prevented him from scoring with a quick tap and go.
But Old Scouts hit back with two tries in five minutes before half time.
Firstly, a deft kick was gathered by the right wing who touched down unopposed. The attempted conversion hit the post.
From the restart, Old Scouts won a penalty, with the following passage of play seeing their number eight bulldoze through the defence to cut Lichfield’s advantage to 21-15 at the break.
The Myrtle Greens applied pressure early in the second half as they camped in the opposition 22, but the visitors produced a champaign moment as they opted to run from a scrum, travelling the length of the pitch to score an unconverted try.
The home side edged back ahead when Cal Turner was penalised for offside having intercepted a pass and run clear of the defence.
The balance was restored when Old Scouts were also penalised for offside and Lucas-Dumulo made no mistake to put his side back in front by a point with nine minutes left.
The decisive moment came when Lichfield conceded a penalty for not rolling away at the ruck and the kick from wide out was sent between the posts.
