BATTLING the the elements and a dogged and youthful Dudley Kingswinford side, Lichfield enjoyed a comfortable 40-19 win to consolidate their return to Level 5 rugby.
With other results going their way, the Myrtle Greens finished the season a very creditable sixth place.
Lichfield started brightly, winning a penalty at the first scrum following a knock on by the visitors. From the resulting line out, the forwards drove hard at their opponents, who held up the initial phases before Ditch Burton forced his way over from close range under the posts. Charlie Milner added the conversion.
The lead was increased on 15 minutes increased their lead when a well worked opening saw left wing Tyler Moseley cross at pace near to the posts. Milner again added the extras.
The home side’s scrum was working well, and from this solid foundation Lichfield scored their third try of the afternoon. Quick ball and crisp handling freed Moseley who crossed with ease for his second try. With Milner making light of the windy conditions Lichfield extended their lead to 21 points.
Dudley Kingswinford showed their resilience though and opened their account on 29 minutes with a series of pick and go moves that stretched the home defence, creating an overlap for the right winger to score unopposed. The difficult conversion was missed.
The visitors were coming more into the game and it took a brilliant individual try by Jack Hurst to knock them back. Winning a turnover just inside his own half, the Lichfield man shrugged off a challenge, outmuscled the covering defence and then outpaced the chasing defenders to score.
Each side sought an opening in the second half with defences on top – and it took another piece of individual skill to add to the scoreboard. Play broke down in midfield and Milner was first to react, picking up the loose ball and punching a hole in the defence for Tyler Moseley to accept a scoring pass and race over to complete his hat-trick. Milner added the extras to extend the lead to 33-5.
Lichfield rang the changes with the bench emptying, but Dudley Kingswinford refused to lie down. The pressure told as the hosts conceded a string of penalties. From one, they worked the blindside as their full back broke free and a clever short pass saw the hooker run in. The conversion was successful, reducing the deficit to 21 points.
The hosts continued to concede penalties and struggled to gain a foothold in their opponent’s half. It took another break by Milner to relieve the pressure, followed by a series of close play phases, to gain a foothold in the visiting 22.
Lichfield were awarded a penalty and opted for a scrum. Burton picked up from the back, broke into midfield and fed Milner on the angle at pace. The centre crashed over from short range before adding the extras.
However, it was the visitors who had the final word, deserved reward for their commitment throughout. The Myrtle Greens were caught napping as a move to the front of the line saw the hooker set free to score his second try of the game. The conversion was successful.
