Champ Rugby round 19 - Nottingham 22-7 Worcester Warriors

In a match where the boggy state of the pitch had almost as much effect as the teams themselves, Nottingham produced a dominant second-half performance to convincingly triumph over Warriors 22-7.

A back-and-forth first half saw Warriors trail by a narrow one point at the break, but the hosts pinned them back in the second, with play almost exclusively occurring in the Warriors half and Nottingham going over twice to confirm victory.

Join the Worcester Warriors news Facebook group here

Sign up to our brand new weekly Worcester Warriors newsletter here

For exclusive access to all the Worcester Warriors news stories, sign up for a digital subscription . Enjoy full access to live blogs, player interviews, analysis and more.

The hosts found the first score. An early, territorial kicking game from both sides saw Nottingham find themselves pressuring the visitor's line.

Gwyn Parks chipped the ball over the defensive line where Luke Rokomoce was able to beat Louis Brown in the air, to dive over in the corner.

Fly-half Will Reed provided the response for Warriors.

A scrum inches out from the Nottingham line allowed Reed to race away quickly, dummy outside, and ride a tackle to cross over.

He handed Warriors the advantage by converting his own kick from a tough angle.

Both sides struggled to gain a grip - figuratively on the game and literally on the ball - as the pitch became an absolute wet mud bath.

Nottingham found a key moment to clinch a one-point lead seconds before the break. Gwyn Parks called for the tee and kicked home a penalty - sending his side in at half time with an 8-7 advantage.

Parks had the opportunity to add another three soon after the restart but hit the face of the post, seeing the lead remain at a single point.

Nottingham were able to play much of the second half almost exclusively in the Warriors half, using their experience of playing in sub-par conditions to their advantage, and they finally got their reward with a little over 15 minutes left on the clock.

A scrum just off the Warriors try-line allowed James Cherry to scoop it out the back and power through a tackle to touch over.

Gwyn Parks added a further two more and the hosts increased their lead to eight points.

Nottingham would take one more before the final whistle. Will Lane kicked up-field from deep but Harry Graham was able to catch it confidently.

Almost from his own halfway line, Graham ran it all the way through - evading three Warriors challenges on the way - before diving under the posts.

Parks again added the extras and confirmed the defeat for Warriors.