A RESHUFFLED Malvern back line, with the introduction of Mark Eastwood at centre, shored up a defence that had leaked tries previously.

MALVERN 20pts, HINCKLEY 17pts

Aiming to avenge a 50-point mauling in Leicestershire last autumn, Malvern took the game to the visitors on a foggy pitch that often meant that the spectators were clueless as to the proceedings.

Shaun Lancett, assuming the skipper's mantle in the enforced absence of Vince Hill, was inspirational in his leadership, the pack putting in a good performance against a well-drilled Hinckley eight.

With only two minutes gone, Richard Fleming put over a penalty to open the scoring for Malvern. The rest of the first half saw play stay mainly in the midfield, with the odd foray by both sides. Mark Moaby, at stand-off, had a good game, his long probing kicks keeping Hinckley on the back foot, whilst centres Eastwood and Jenkin were in turn solid in defence and threatening in attack. Young scrum half Tom O'Brien again acquitted himself well under pressure.

In the pack, Steve Ironside and Chris Smith secured the line out, whilst Tim Allies, Lancett and Dave Irish held the opposing front row of an efficient Hinckley pack. Paul Hart, full of running and aggression, had perhaps his most positive game of the season, whilst Dave Hill and Andy Ridley also sparkled in the mist, which sometimes threatened to call an early finish.

With little between the two sides, the second half saw both teams step up the activity level to cup-tie pace. Malvern's Smith had been sent to the sin bin for pulling down in the line in the first half. Now it was the turn of the Hinckley lock, Stratford, to suffer the same fate and in the 45th minute Malvern made the advantage tell as the pack drove over for Lancett to score, Fleming converting.

Back to full strength, Hinckley put pressure on Malvern and came up trumps with tries by hooker Dave Massarella and prop Paul MacQueen in the 48th and 55th minutes, Andy Warner's sole conversion of the day putting the visitors in the lead.

With over an hour played, the referee could have been tempted to abandon the game as the fog thickened - luckily he decided that conditions were just good enough to continue.

Andy Longley came on for Richard Fleming after a long period of Malvern pressure play and was almost immediately called into action, his 70th minute penalty nudging Malvern ahead once more.

With excitement mounting amongst the shivering spectators, Hinckley failed to make use of the restart kick, Eastwood broke to set Jenkin goalwards and he unselfishly flipped the ball for winger Rob Young to score under the posts in the 72nd minute and seemingly put the seal on victory.

However, Hinckley are a determined outfit, and they set off toward the Malvern 22 area, camping out until stretching the home defence enough for flanker Paul Robinson to score with two minutes left. Walker, one of the league's top kickers, bizarrely missed the conversion from in front of the posts.

The game soon ended as Malvern once again attacked the Hinckley line.