Sat 31 Jan 2026
Dudley Kingswinford 12–45 Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth rebooted their league campaign in emphatic fashion with a
seven-try victory away at local rivals Dudley Kingswinford, overcoming
a disjointed opening and a testing first half to eventually overwhelm
a youthful home side at Heathbrook. The travelling party were warmly
received by Dudley Kingswinford President Ken Crane, joining the
club’s ex-players for an excellent pre-match lunch, setting the tone
for what remains one of the friendliest rivalries in the league. On
the field, however, Bridgnorth were slow to find their rhythm. Early
inaccuracies in both passing and kicking disrupted any fluency, and
matters worsened when Dan Brough was shown a yellow card for a
deliberate knock-on inside the opening quarter. Dudley made the most
of the numerical advantage, scoring a converted try to take an early
7–0 lead.
Bridgnorth’s afternoon then took a serious turn when George Newman was
forced from the field with a painful ankle injury, later confirmed as
a fracture. Young Jake Francis was introduced at hooker and
immediately made his presence felt. Having thrown accurately into the
line-out under pressure, Francis capped his contribution by grounding
the ball for Bridgnorth’s opening try, settling visiting nerves. The
Bridgnorth scrum was a major source of dominance throughout,
consistently gaining the upper hand over the home pack. Patrick
Smallman and Loti Molitika both made strong breaks, only to be
penalised at the breakdown, as Bridgnorth once again found themselves
frustrated by decisions at the ruck.
That frustration grew when George Jackson was yellow-carded for
playing the scrum-half, leaving Bridgnorth down to thirteen men. Yet
it was during this period that the visitors showed their resilience.
Breaks from James Barham and Jack Cole stretched the Dudley defence,
and when the home side were penalised for a deliberate
knock-on—without further sanction—Bridgnorth struck quickly. Morgan
French finished well from close range, with Elliot Murphy converting
to put Bridgnorth ahead. Tempers flared shortly after the try, and
Barham was shown a yellow card for retaliation. Dudley capitalised
immediately, kicking to the corner from a restart penalty and driving
over from the resulting line-out for an unconverted try to level the
scores at 12–12. Despite a fine break upfield by Jacob Tomkinson late
in the half, Dudley held firm until the interval, which was followed
by a brief delay as the referee returned to the clubhouse to change a
shirt that clashed with the home side’s colourful strip.
The second half was a very different contest. Dudley’s young
side—having won just once all season—struggled to live with the pace
and cohesion of Bridgnorth’s attack. Jackson crossed from close range
early on, Murphy again adding the conversion, before Bridgnorth
secured the bonus point. From a well-executed ten-metre line-out,
Ethan Pearce Cowley grounded the ball, with Murphy landing a superb
touchline conversion. Bridgnorth continued to apply pressure, their
scrum once more laying the platform for territory and possession.
After another dominant shove, Benji Ritson crossed for an unconverted
try, before Francis and Brough combined neatly to send Murphy through
for a try he converted himself.
There was still time for one final flourish. Barham sliced through the
Dudley defence and found Ritson in support, the winger showing both
pace and awareness to finish a well-worked move. Murphy added the
extras to bring the scoring to a close at 45–12. The result leaves
Dudley Kingswinford facing likely relegation, which would be a loss to
local rivalries given the club’s strength off the field and its
ability to regularly field three sides. Their long-term future remains
secure, and they will no doubt regroup.
For Bridgnorth, this was a performance that underlined both their
potential and their progress, particularly in the pack and in their
developing back-line combinations. They were worthy winners on the day
but will need to build on this momentum if they are to push into the
top half of the table. With only six games remaining in the regular
season—three of them at home—the next block of fixtures against
Lichfield, Lutterworth and Banbury will be crucial. Injuries will test
squad depth, with captain Jonah Boyce sidelined with a fractured hand
and Newman now a long-term absentee, but if Bridgnorth can marshal
their resources effectively, they can put together a strong finish to
the league campaign.
