Kenilworth's slack clearance kicks hand initiative to Moseley

Kenilworth suffered a narrow five-point defeat at home to Moseley Oak on Saturday, writes Sophie Freestone.
Kenilworth struggle to halt the progress of Moseley. Picture: Willie WhitesmithKenilworth struggle to halt the progress of Moseley. Picture: Willie Whitesmith
Kenilworth struggle to halt the progress of Moseley. Picture: Willie Whitesmith

The opening twenty minutes saw Kenilworth apply some good pressure to the Moseley defence, particularly at the scrum, as they looked to put the first points on the board.

That first try of the match eventually went Kenilworth’s way after 23 minutes when athletic flanker Mikkel Andresen jinked through the Moseley defence to score to the left of the posts.

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The ball had zig-zagged its way across the pitch before reaching Andresen who shrugged off the defence for the try.

Josh Hickman was on target with his conversion attempt for a seven-point cushion.

While Moseley’s scrum struggled against Kenilworth’s pack, their lineout was in superb form and the visitors levelled the scores thanks to a well-executed catch and drive from five metres out.

The conversion levelled the scores before another close-range try gave the visitors a 12-7 lead.

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On the stroke of half-time, Kenilworth closed the deficit to two points courtesy of a Hickman penalty.

The second half saw Kenilworth continue to dominate the scrums and their efforts paid off after 50 minutes when back-row Bobby Thompson powered over from short range to give his side a well-deserved lead.

Hickman judged the breeze perfectly to slot the extras and give his side a 17-12 advantage with half an hour to play.

Although Kenilworth were commanding at the scrum, errors in open play allowed Moseley to stay within touching distance of the hosts.

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A successful penalty from in front of the posts closed the gap to two points just minutes after Thompson’s try.

An excellent Hickman penalty from almost half-way cancelled out Moseley’s three points, but poorly executed kicks gifted good field position to the visitors and they soon capitalised.

Their powerful openside flanker capped an impressive performance with a try inside the final quarter to level before the successful conversion nudged the visitors into a slim two-point lead.

Kenilworth pressed for a way back but the only addition to the scoreline was a late penalty for the visitors.

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Kenilworth now look likely to finish bottom of Midlands One West, as they trail second-bottom Crewe & Nantwich by eight points with two games left to play.

They travel to league leaders Newport (Salop) tomorrow.