Before this week’s report, a heartfelt thank you to all 36 players for a superb game of rugby. A two-minute silence was impeccably observed by a healthy Dinos Day crowd on this weekend of remembrance. We also remembered our dear friend and clubmate Rod Dyer, who sadly passed away this week — a top man.
Match Report

Lucy served another lovely lunch and we took our places to see how the game would unfold. Bournville started brightly, carrying hard into contact with excellent ball retention, and it was no surprise when they forced their way over for the opening seven points.
The response was swift and positive: a lovely move where the ball seemed to pass through everyone’s hands created an opening for Dan Kimberley, who gleefully galloped away and finished superbly. Charlie Munro added the extras — game on.

On the half-hour, Jenson Cullen and Harry Hewson combined brilliantly down the left, interchanging passes to out-manoeuvre the Choccies defence before Big Jens brushed off the last man to score in “Cullen Corner.” No conversion this time, but the wrinklies stand was pure joy. As half-time approached, the visitors hit back with neat interplay for a five-pointer. 12–12 at the break — perfectly set for a tense second half.

Liam Munro and Tom Bird entered for the restart and immediately influenced proceedings. From the first scrum their experience told; skipper Oli Shapley, on a storming return from injury, created an overlap and pacy winger Arthur Hansen took his chance. Munro was accurate from the tee — the perfect start.

Moments later, another scrum saw Charlie Mumford spin it wide to a bullocking Cullen, who made inroads down the left before slipping the ball to Ben “Honey Badger” Farrell, who raced away for the first of a quick-fire hat-trick. Why “Honey Badger”? His adoring teammates insist the resemblance fits: a small, aggressive little animal that loves to pick on those much bigger than itself. Anyone who’s watched Ben play will understand.
Credit to Bournville — they never went away, scoring twice to earn a deserved bonus point. With ten to go, skipper Shapley capped his impressive return by slicing through a gap to claim our seventh try. The explosive boot of Charlie Munro added further points from the tee and the scoring was complete at 45–26.

The visitors threw everything at the finish and only desperate defence kept them out. Two late yellows for Shapley and Mumford made it spicy, but the boys held firm. Special mention to the referee, who let it flow and helped produce a cracking game for the Dinos Day crowd.
The mood was joyous in the clubhouse. Coach Andy Ford wore a grin all evening: “We’re playing with a real edge at the moment.” Long may it continue — provided we stay clear of injuries, availability remains strong, and the commitment levels stay high. Well played, lads — you did the club proud.

Tries
Kimberley; Cullen; Hansen; Farrell (3); Shapley.
Kicking:
Munro (conversions/points from tee).

Next Up
No 1st XV game next week. The 2nd XV are at home to Newbold 3rd. More news later in the week.