Bloxham came close to an upset victory against the reigning champions in a tight game at Bromsgrove, but ultimately bowed out of the NatWest Cup 24-33.
The lead changed hands several times in a see-saw first half, with the home side reaching the interval 19-17 ahead. Bloxham’s first half tries came from Jack Robotham and Oli Kilgallon, both converted by Jake Manning, who also kicked the penalty which opened the scoring; Jake was in imperious form with the boot, eventually kicking five from five.
Bromsgrove scored again to take a 26-17 lead early in the second half, but a well-worked try by Alfie Barbeary from a lineout brought Bloxham to within two points once more, and Bloxham then had a period of pressing in the home side’s 22 looking for a winning score, only for staunch defence to deny them. Momentum shifted late in the game with Bloxham conceding a penalty close to Bromsgrove’s line which allowed the cup holders to relieve the pressure, work their way down to the other end of the pitch and score one more try to seal victory.
This was an exciting game between two sides with different strengths; Bromsgrove enjoyed more of the possession, and their’ tries came from their strong-running backs while Bloxham scored all three tries through their forwards, with Barbeary and captain Oli Kilgallon outstanding in the loose. With the game ending 33-24 to the side which had won the Cup for the last two seasons, the Bloxham boys were understandably disappointed as they had come so close and this was a game they could have won, but they can take great credit for some sterling defence and a performance which showed that they have the firepower to compete at a high level.