ANOTHER nail was driven into the Bromsgrove relegation coffin when they went down 20-16 to Spalding at Finstall Park last Saturday.

Even in defeat, Bromsgrove were far more impressive than in the reverse encounter last week but they were outsized in every position and challenged by a powerful pack and weighty backs.

To the surprise of Spalding, now moving up the Midlands One table after recruiting four southern hemisphere players to bolster their side, Bromsgrove took the lead and held on until the last quarter.

Eager to make amends for their earlier defeat, they started the game full of energy and ideas, pinning the visitors back in their own half for long spells.

Two early penalty goals by Dave Vellavice, deputising stylishly for the injured Ian Bailey, gave his side added encouragement.

Spalding's Australian flanker Andy Harrington reduced the arrears on 20 minutes with a well struck long range penalty goal but Bromsgrove responded almost immediately.

New Zealand full back Omar Ramsden was caught in possession and driven back 20 metres before Bromsgrove recovered the ball to feed it out to left winger Richard Trigg to score an unconverted try in the corner.

A quick exchange of unconverted tries in the run up to half time, the first by centre Ian Shepperd for Spalding and the second by fly half Dave Wilkinson for Bromsgrove, left the hosts with a 16-8 half time lead.

The second half saw an increasingly dominant Spalding pressing a weary home side deeper and deeper into their own half, but it was not until the last quarter that Bromsgrove leaked the two vital tries.

The first unconverted by number eight Matt Slipper and the second by Yohan Vandenberg, converted by Wimpie Jonker - both South Africans.

A determined rally by Bromsgrove in the last five minutes, with just one try needed to steal victory, was thwarted by a rock solid visiting defence.