A DEPLETED Worcester Wanderers slipped out of the Powergen Junior Vase when they lost 12-5 at Market Rasen.

As far as the team coaches were concerned, this was a missed opportunity as they had the difficult task of putting together a team with 13 first team squad players making themselves unavailable for selection.

They felt that if they had the usual choice of players, they would have progressed into the quarter-finals.

The players who did travel showed passion and spirit and gave their all to take the Wanderers forward but despite their best efforts, they just failed.

Market Rasen, to their credit had a huge desire to win. They played as a unit and had one of the best defensive lines the Wanderers had come across this season.

Wanderers gave a good account of themselves in a tight first-half and there was no score.

The tightness of the game meant that the result would likely hinge on one score and it took two mistakes by Wanderers to allow the home team to score.

Market Rasen's first try came from a ruck in the Wanderers '22'. Their scrum-half spun the ball out to the backs and a loopy pass to the winger was almost intercepted by Worcester wing Tom Muir, but his gamble on the interception meant the opposition winger only had to catch the ball to run in and score. The conversion was successful.

With 25 minutes left to try and turn the game around, Worcester pushed hard and were rewarded with a penalty in kickable range, but stand- in kicker Lee Watson, playing his first game of the season, missed.

Wanderers kept up the pressure and, with less than five minutes left, Market Rasen got their second try.

From a Wanderers scrum, the ball squirted out the back. This allowed a Market Rasen player the opportunity to pounce on it have a clean run in to beat the covering defence and score an unconverted try.

Worcester were determied to have the last word and a quick tap penalty ended with the ball up at the back of a ruck. The drive ended with hooker Dave Shaw scoring an unconverted try.