Saturday, April 28, 2001

IN a game billed as one for professional pride, it was the amateurs who took all the glory.

Worcester ended their season with a 26-26 draw against relegation threatened Birmingham & Solihull - a result which was even more galling for Sixways supporters after news of Leeds' defeat at Henley came through.

In a quite unique atmosphere at Sharman's Cross Road, the home supporters, lager in hand, sang "who let the Bees out" and taunted Worcester fans with chants of "you're going nowhere".

And to top a totally bizarre day, supporters enjoyed blazing sunshine before high winds, driving rain and then hail dropped from the sky. It was nothing to dampen the spirits of the home contingent though. Fresh from the midweek win over Bedford, they knew a point would be good enough to ensure National One status for next season and mean Worcester would have to return to the tightly packed ground next time around.

To be fair to the visitors, there was absolutely nothing to play for. Leeds had all but wrapped up the title last week and they were simply there to sign off the campaign. The game meant more to Birmingham and that's exactly how it turned out.

Sateki Tuipulotu put Worcester in front early on with a penalty but that simply inspired the home side. Martin Roberts opened up the Worcester defence after 15 minutes to give Birmingham the lead before Tuipulotu slotted another three points to put the visitors back in front. And they increased that lead 10 minutes before the break when Tony Yapp pounced after some fine driving play. Yapp was first to the ball to put Worcester 11-5 up. However, any hopes of holding on were shattered by more defensive frailties as Adam Irwin strolled through the Worcester midfield which simply parted for him to touch down. Full-back Dave Knight slotted the conversion as the Bees led 12-11. Knight was at it again just before half-time when he kicked the ball on 30 metres, grabbed it and evaded his fellow full-back's tackle before scoring a memorable try. His conversion made it 19-11 but Tuipulotu's penalty cut the gap to five points at half-time.

The hail came and with it a new sense of urgency from Worcester. Nick Baxter has been hailed by fans throughout the season and it was his turn to show them again his desire to win a new contract at Sixways for the next campaign. Two tries in three minutes from the winger gave Worcester a 26-19 lead after Yapp had converted his second. However, there was still room in the script for one last act as Roberts again cut loose to touch down under the posts for Solihull with just four minutes left. Knight kicked the conversion and the celebrations began.

Statistically, the result was a damning one for Worcester as it was the first time this season in the league that they had conceded four tries and given the bonus point to the opposition. Birmingham managed to expose the Worcester defence more devastatingly than Leeds - an incredible result considering the opposition had only achieved a four-try haul once before this season and that was against the bottom club Waterloo. Added to that the fact that Birmingham finished the season as the worst offensive team in the league scoring just 427 points while Worcester boasted the best defensive record.

So the carnival began for Birmingham. Not only had they escaped the drop, the three points picked up from the match meant they finished above their Midland rivals Moseley in the table.

The Worcester squad began their summer holiday yesterday. Many supporters went away from Solihull thinking it had begun on Friday night.

Worcester: Tuipulotu; Murdoch (Bromley 74), Barrow, Va'a, Baxter; Yapp, Jarman; Windo, Moretti, Lyman, Sims, Zaltzman, Evans, Warren (Carter 40), Fryday.