The Bloxham 1st XV rugby boys fought hard in yesterday’s sixth round NatWest Cup tie against Bromsgrove but weren’t able to convert their valiant efforts into victory
Bromsgrove 50, Bloxham 13
Bloxham bowed out of the NatWest Cup in the sixith round but there was no shame in being beaten by an impressive Bromsgrove outfit already tipped by many pundits as favourites for the Cup, even if the size of the defeat was ultimately bigger than the team’s efforts merited. Bloxham struggled all afternoon to cope with Bromsgrove’s devastating use of the driving maul and, with a powerful scrum and talented players in key positions (2, 7, 13), the home side was able to deny Bloxham much of the possession. Two Wiggy Gurney penalties kept Bloxham in contention for much of the first half, and they led 6-5 after quarter of an hour. However, the lead didn’t last and Bromsgrove, coming off a win against Warwick in the previous round, then stretched away. An opportunistic try for Archie Mansfield from a kick ahead allowed Bloxham to get into double figures, and they were pressing for another score when the final whistle was blown. The large number of Bloxham pupils, parents and staff who made the journey to Bromsgrove, led by the Headmaster, applauded the efforts of Toby Butler’s side, many of whom were playing their last ever game of rugby for the school. The boys can be proud of what they have achieved during this cup run, which has entailed three tough away matches in a row.
Grateful thanks to Bloxham parent Simon Grieve who was, as ever, cheering on our boys from the sidelines and providing us with these brilliant photo memories of a great season.