Bromsgrove RFC 76

Newport (Salop) 5

Midlands Two West

WINGER Lee Wainwright grabbed four tries as Bromsgrove Rugby Club strengthened their position as league leaders and promotion favourites on Saturday.

Fly-half Matt Birch added a personal tally of 26 points in a comprehensive victory which was a club record league score.

It was only in the last quarter of the game that the flood-gates opened and the visitors were swamped. Up to that stage bottom-of-the-table Newport remained in contention.

Bromsgrove established an early lead against the team they last beat in May's North Midlands Cup final. It was slightly against the run of play when Wainwright finished off a strong counter attack with a try duly converted by Matt Birch.

The visitors continued to press and had their kicker been on form -- he missed three relatively easy penalty attempts -- they would have had more to show for their efforts.

They were finally rewarded when, with the game 25 minutes old, they exploited a defensive lapse and three-quarter Brotherton won a race for a loose ball for a touch down in the corner.

Possibly stung by this setback, the home side raised its game and a converted try by prop Steve Phillips after a period of sustained pressure followed.

Shortly afterwards a long range Birch penalty goal saw Bromsgrove through to a comfortable 12-point half time lead.

Newport started the second half with their confidence still intact and once again took the game deep into the home side's half.

Further tries by Dave Bridge and Colin Morley failed to subdue the visitors, but their unrewarded efforts and wearying legs finally took their toll.

In the final 20 minutes the visitors defence fell apart. Seven tries, all converted, saw the score mount by 49 points in this period.

Three more tries by Wainwright, a second try by Steve Philips, and tries by Dave Wilkinson, Mark Cornelius and Birch -- on target with all seven conversion attempts giving him his 26 point tally -- handed the home side a win by a margin that will have alarm bells ringing at all other league clubs.

After a hard programme stretching back to mid-August, Bromsgrove are without a match this weekend, giving them a chance to take a breather and address their ever growing injury list.

Next week they are away to newly promoted and high-flying Stratford. An interesting encounter is in prospect.