KENILWORTH scored six tries as they bounced back from defeat at Earlsdon with an impressive 36-14 victory over Evesham at Glasshouse Lane, writes Sophie Freestone.
The hosts went into the match looking to cement third place in Midlands Two West (South) but found themselves 6-0 down against their Worcestershire opposition with just under 15 minutes on the clock.
As the first half went on Kenilworth managed to get a hold on the match and Will Johnson opened the scoring for his side after 22 minutes.
The second row went unnoticed by the Evesham defence to barge through and score to cut the deficit to a single point.
Evesham then worked their way into the Kenilworth half and extended their lead with a drop goal to make the score 9-5 as the half hour mark approached.
The hosts responded well, however, building momentum before Gaz Renowden crossed for his side’s second of the afternoon.
The experienced scrum half spotted the tiniest of gaps in the Evesham defence to snipe over and nudge his side into the lead for the first time.
The conversion from fly half Alex Selby gave Kenilworth a 12-9 lead as half-time approached.
That proved to be a lead that Kenilworth would hold onto for the remainder of the match and they extended their lead on the cusp of the break.
The home side won a penalty from an Evesham five metre line out to set up a driving maul, with centre Charlie Stevens going over from close range.
The missed conversion meant Kenilworth went into the break with 17-9 lead.
Kenilworth started the second half as they finished the first, scoring a try almost immediately.
This time it was the ever-impressive flanker Mikkel Andrersen who scored a superb solo try, showing his pace to break away from inside his own half to score in the right corner.
It was a crucial score as Kenilworth continued their momentum from the end of the opening forty to give them a 22-9 advantage.
It was a further 17 minutes before Kenilworth extended their lead when Renowden took a quick-tap penalty to touch down by the posts for his second and Kenilworth’s fifth.
Selby added the extras to establish what would become an unassailable 20-point lead, making the score 29-9 with just over 20 minutes to play.
The final quarter saw Evesham show their attacking intent, putting the Kenilworth defence under pressure on a number of occasions, but it was the hosts who were able to finish off their opportunities.
A great offload from captain Bobby Thompson to replacement Jai Purewal put Kenilworth into space to take them up to the Evesham line.
Thompson then finished off the move by burrowing over from close range with 68 minutes on the clock and the conversion from Selby made the score 36-9.
Evesham’s efforts in attack were eventually rewarded when they crossed in the 80th minute after a sustained period of pressure five metres from the Kenilworth line.
It was too little too late for the visitors, however, as Kenilworth secured a 36-14 victory as they look to finish the season on a high.
Kenilworth are next in action on Saturday when they travel to Southam for the penultimate match of the season.
