MALVERN Under-14s kicked off their North Midlands Cup campaign with a crushing 49-0 defeat of Bridgnorth at Spring Lane on Sunday.

Playing uphill in the first half paid dividends once more, with the home side running in 32 points against the slope. Adam Green stunned the visitors with an early try, and there was a brace each for Chris Prosser and Tom Kennedy-Hughes, sandwiching a fine score by Matt Tighe.

The luxury of playing downhill in the second half didn't quite produce the avalanche of points the home supporters were hoping for, but almost unbroken territorial domination yielded a second try for Adam Green and enabled Tom Kennedy-Hughes to complete his hat-trick despite nursing an injured hand.

Bridgnorth showed commendable fighting spirit, but on the rare occasions when they threatened the Malvern line some spirited tackling quickly put the home side on the offensive again. In this as in other respects the forwards were outstanding.

Imposing prop play by Jasper Johns and Steve Bowen, who led from the front as captain, had the visiting scrum on the back foot; fierce rucking produced numerous turnovers; and on several occasions the ball was recycled through successive phases of pick-up-and-drive.

Mention should also be made of scrum-half Ross Tolley, who kicked three conversions and impressed throughout.

Another pleasing aspect of the team this year is the size of the squad, which enabled coach Adam Blackmore to throw fresh players into the fray. This was nowhere more evident than at hooker, where Mark Soley had an excellent first half before giving way to Liam Maloney, who promptly scored a try.

Malvern now play Droitwich away for a place in the quarter-finals on this Sunday (October 14).