COVENTRY’S much maligned defence came good when it mattered to help secure a morale-boosting victory at Stourton Park and their first double of the National League One season.It was nowhere to be seen when Stourbridge centre Charlie Hayter helped himself to two early tries and at 17-0 down after 20 minutes Cov were staring into the abyss.
But, crucially, after Cov had worked their way back into a winning position over the next hour, it stood up to the test in a tense finale as Stourbridge threw everything at them – culminating in a yellow card for Hayter, for reckless use of the feet, on the final play as the home side’s frustration boiled over.
The ball was booted into touch from the penalty as the final whistle sounded, and the response from the Cov players, delight mingled no doubt with some relief, was a joy to see.
Yet again the run of the ball went against them at two important stages of the game – winger Jeff Gregson denied a hat-trick right after half-time with Cov trailing 20-14 when even the Stourbridge players in the immediate vicinity accepted he had scored, and a knock-on given when Sam Herrington grounded the ball at 25-24 to Stourbridge.
But Cov showed their resilience to overcome both setbacks and with the forwards generally on top to produce a penalty ratio of 2-1 against Stourbridge, Danny Richards proved another ace with a 100 per cent kicking return.
James Hearn fired over an early penalty for the hosts before converting Hayter’s double salvo – the first from 35 metres when Cov lost a line-out on their own ball and their midfield left a huge gap for the centre to run through and the second from even further out when a slipped pass from Sam Robinson opened up space on the left.
But even then Cov were enjoying enough possession and territory to suggest they could play their way back, and six minutes later Gregson ran on to a well-timed pass from Ben Russell and stepped inside off his wing to beat the Stourbridge cover and cross by the posts.
Richards converted and after Cov had failed to capitalise on a battering run by the impressive Matt Tibbatts the full-back came into the line to set up Gregson for an excellent finish in the right corner and then converted from the wide angle.
Hearn kicked a second penalty before Cov wasted a good attacking position on the half-time whistle but after Gregson’s pace chasing down a Richards kick which bobbled between three Stourbridge defenders had gone unrewarded – the decision a 22 drop-out – a Richards’ penalty brought the gap back to three points.
Cov went ahead for the first time at 24-20 when, from the second of two penalties kicked to the left corner, the pack drove over for Matt Price to touch down – Richards converting – but three minutes later the Stourbridge backs combined for winger Ashley Smith to score and tip the balance back their way.
Herrington was denied when the ball was kicked from his hands after he had touched it down, but Cov promptly took the scrum against the head and the forwards continued to crank up the pressure until Richards was presented with a penalty chance 15 metres out, making no mistake.
Cov were immediately tested by the speed of the home backs but they halted one run through the middle before Nick Southern wrestled lock Matt Thomas into touch five metres from the corner, and after clearing to halfway from the ensuing line-out, they resisted one final surge until Hayter’s transgression completed an anxious five minutes of added time.
Stourbridge: tries Hayter 2 (7, 18), Smith (58); conversions Hearn 2 (8, 19); penalties Hearn 2 (4, 36). Coventry: tries Gregson 2 (24, 32), Price (55); conversions Richards 3; penalties Richards 2 (44, 77).
Stourbridge: Hearn; Williams, Dipple (Jarvis 57), Hayter, Smith; Robinson (Richardson 54), White; Moss, Wordley (Page 70), Lawrence, Thomas, Betts, Freeman (Sparks 66), Rodley, Cooper.
Coventry: Richards; Gregson, Stevens, Green, Harris; Russell (Read 71), Glynn (Audis 49); Beales, Price, Parkins, Daynes (Herrington 56), Weaver, Tibbatts, Nash (Southern 65), Pearson.
Referee: M Carley (RFU).
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