MALVERN RFC improved their Midlands Two West position with their second successive win on Saturday, defeating fellow-strugglers Stoke by 25-0 at Spring Lane.

Director of rugby David Robins was delighted with the overall performance, but unhappy about the continued lapses at the ruck, which conceded so many penalties.

Robins said: "We can't afford to keep doing this, the higher-placed sides will really punish us if we don't tighten up in this area. However, the rest of the performance was more like it. Had we been able to continue with contested scrums, I'm sure we would have put over 40 points on the board.

"However, the lads adapted well and we saw some fine play. Ben Lamb's strength gave him two well-deserved scores, whilst my swoop to sign Chris Ridgers was rewarded with a fantastic try. Adam Dixon grows in confidence and stature week by week, it's gratifying to see someone reach maturity having come through our junior ranks.

"The side's confidence has grown tremendously over the last two weeks and we have started our climb to safety. With Dave Wilkinson due to make his debut and some of our long-term injured players coming back into the equation, we are looking for a far better second half of the season."