Boars slip to Grasshoppers loss (From Droitwich Advertiser)

Boars slip to Grasshoppers loss

5:00pm Monday 11th March 2013 in Sport

Bromsgrove 3, Preston Grasshoppers 12

BROMSGROVE entertained a formidable Preston Grasshoppers side and unfortunately came out second best in a hard fought encounter.

It was a game dominated by two mean defences but the Boars paid the price for some lapses of concentration at the start of each half, as they conceded sloppy tries which proved to be the difference.

The visitors opened the scoring after an error by Ben Palmer allowed Lewis Allen to score.

Bromsgrove came back strongly and had chances to reduce the arrears with penalty kicks.

The usually accurate Richard Mahoney missed with his first two attempts, eventually succeeding with attempt number three on 30 minutes.

But Grasshoppers gained the upper hand late in the half and it took a try saving tackle from the improving Olly Bache to stop them increasing their lead.

The pressure told when scrum half Dave Brazier was binned just before the break.

The second half started as the first had ended with the visitors attacking and it was only two minutes old when scrum half Craig Aikman saw a gap from the back of a maul to score under the posts for a try which Sean Taylor converted.

The rest of the half was a feisty affair with both sides having to defend desperately at times but it was Grasshoppers who looked the more dangerous and pacy with ball in hand.

Nigel Burrows was given a good reception following his return to the club on-loan from Moseley but Bromsgrove were unable to get him into the game as much as was needed.

Although there were chances at both ends during the half, neither line was breached and Bromsgrove tasted as second successive defeat.

With a couple of wins needed to ensure their place in the National Two North, Bromsgrove have a spare weekend before tackling third from bottom Westoe on Saturday, March 23.