Earlsdon 13
Droitwich 23
Midlands Division Three West (South)

DROITWICH came away with the points in a scrappy game, not helped by the difficult blustery conditions.

Strong running from second-row Matt Jupp, who had a fine game on his return to first-team action, set up a penalty opportunity that was gratefully accepted by outside half Duncan Hughes to give Droitwich an early lead.

Then a sniping break by Hughes from a scrum saw the veteran score under the posts and add the simple conversion.

Earlsdon began to find some rhythm and reduced the lead with a penalty of their own, before Hughes added another effort to make the score 13-3 in Spa's favour at half-time.

The second period saw Earlsdon hit back again, but time and time again the ball was stolen by the evergreen Nick Godfrey who enjoyed a superb match.

The ball was then sent wide via a long pass from Jonny Critchlow to young winger Andy Vizor who raced home from 50 metres out to score his first league try.

The home side hit back with a try, but Hughes had the final say with two further penalty successes.

It wasn't a vintage display from Droitwich, but a win that keeps them second-place in the league, with a promotion play-off becoming a real possibility.