Solihull RFC Firsts 13 Droitwich RFC Firsts 6

North Midlands Shield round one.

DROITWICH went out of the North Midlands Shield on Sunday in terrible conditions.

Both sides at least attempted to play rugby but it was Solihull who managed to adapt better in the wet weather.

The home side applied the early pressure and took the lead with a penalty before Matt Blackmore levelled.

Solihull's pack then put together some fine driving mauls to pressure the Droitwich line, gaining another penalty before a well-worked back move saw their winger score in the corner.

Blackmore pulled three points back for the Spa side just before the interval.

The rain continued in the second half, making life very difficult for both teams.

Number eight Gareth Knight started some good moves for Droitwich but the continuity was not there and the ball could not be moved freely along the backs. They put some concerted pressure on the Solihull line only to be held up over it on two occasions.

One last surge was repelled by the home defence before a string of needless penalties saw play go right up the other end and, as the match finished, Droitwich were defending their own line.

This was another disappointing display by Droitwich who seem to be struggling to play as a unit.

Even more worrying was the injury to fly half Simon Mountjoy who may be out for several weeks.