National League Division 2 North: Stourbridge 18, Caldy 24

STOUR can be under no illusions after this drab defeat to Caldy.

Fly half Chris Scott kicked six penalties, but it proved to no avail as Stour lacked a distinct cutting edge.

Neil Mitchell's men fell behind after just three minutes following a fabulous try from Caldy winger Nick Royle.

Caldy threw the ball wide where Royle was given space to run before chipping the ball over the covering defence and easily winning the race to gather and touch down by the posts for fly half Jack Lavin to convert.

Scott opened his penalty count three minutes later after Caldy were penalised for pulling down the scrum.

Lavin replied with a penalty before Scott slotted over his second to make the score 10-6 in Caldy's favour.

Stour could make little headway and fell further behind on 33 minutes when Caldy players combined with a mass driving maul to trundle over from 15 yards out, flanker Kyle Davidson getting the vital touch before Lavin converted.

Scott then supplied his third penalty as Stour trailed 17-9 at half time.

The pivotal moment arrived four minutes into the second half when the alert Royle intercepted a pass from Scott and sprinted half the length of the pitch to score by the posts for Lavin to add the extras.

Now 24-9 down, Stour had a mountain to climb, but they clawed their way back into contention thanks to Caldy's indiscipline and loose tongues.

Scott was able to fire over three more penalties, two of which saw Caldy marched back an extra 10 yards for back-chat to referee Neil Chivers, whose patience finally snapped when he yellow carded tight head prop Derek Salisbury when he refused to shut up.

At 24-18 down, with 16 minutes remaining and Caldy down to 14, Stour had every opportunity to press the advantage home.

But they were repeatedly kept at bay by a dogged Caldy defence who signed off by shoving Stour off their own scrummage ball.

Stour Director of Rugby Neil Mitchell couldn't hide his dismay after the game and admitted: "The game was there to be won, but to be pushed off our own ball by a makeshift scrum, well it's just not on!

"However, it's early days yet. There's still 27 games to go.It's a new side and when things don't go well, it can get a bit fractured. the talent is there and we just have to get rid of some self doubt!

Stour: Petty; Bridger, Heatley, Othuha, Trinham; Scott, Nash; Thorp, Wilkes, George; Mather, Murphy; Mukarati, Carpenter, Depper. Replacements: Harding, Cullen, Nicholls, Pennock, Rodley.