RFU Senior Knockout Cup

Sedgley Park 22 Coventry 40

WITH just 11 minutes remaining Sedgley led their illustrious opponents 22-16, but in the end the power and the pace of the Division One side proved decisive and four tries in the closing stages put the Midlanders through comfortably.

Sedgley fell behind to two early penalties kicked by Coventry full back Martyn Davies, but the team was already giving a good account of itself with a promising attack that ended in a penalty kick against as Sedgley held on in the tackle.

After 13 minutes Sedgley did score. Lock Paul Arnold drove from the back of a line out, the pack maintained the forward momentum with strong support play and Arniold went low and hard for the line -- a fine forwards try.

A mistake by the visitors, who fumbled a kick ahead, led to Sedgley's next score. A great tackle on Sedgley scrum half Dave McCormack prevented a try, but Coventry were penalised at the ensuing ruck and Colin Stephens kicked the penalty.

Sedgley were beginning to play really well while Coventry were frustrating their vociferous supporters by their frequent mistakes.

It came as no surprise when Sedgley extended their lead with another try. Once again Coventry possession was turned over, Stephens spotted a gap and threaded a diagonal kick to the corner and Ross Bullough was adjudeged to havce won the race to touchdown.

Any luck that might have gone Sedgley's way with that decision was immediately cancelled by what happened next. Rob Moon fielded a harmless looking kick ahead abd tried to launch a counter-attack by chipping over the advancing Coventry players, but he was taken out, apparently legally, and the ball fell into the arms of Coventry scrum half Tigger Dawson, who scored unopposed.

Sedgley were really getting stuck in, with Tim Fourie and Richard Senior immense in the back row, and some good handling led to a Stephens drop goal that put his side 16-11 up at the end of a superb first half. Coventry began the second half with plenty of aggression and, after six minutes, they strung together a fine move which covered 60 metres and ended with a try in the corner for Tongan flanker Jon Koloi.

For the next 20 minutes there was little to choose between the sides in a fascinating and exciting contest, though Sedgley regained the lead with two more penalty goals.

With 29 second half minutes played, Coventry reduced Sedgley's lead to one point. Once again Sedgley felt hard done by as a knock-on went unsee, but there was a nothiong wrong with the slick finish to the move, replacement winger Mike Davies scoring in the left corner.

Coventry now began to get on top for the first time. Sedgley finally ran out of steam as the power and pace of Koloi and his back row colleague Shaun Brady proved too much to handle. So too the pace of another Tongan, out half Elisi Vunipola, who frequently took the ball flat and at pace and gaps in the Sedgley defence began to appear.

Vunipola scored Coventry's fourth try, which Simon Martin converted, and the visitors led 28-22. This remained the score up to 40 minutes, but two more tries in injury time made the game appear more one-sided than it had been.

Vunipola made the break for Koloi's try, while Brady made the running for a try for Martin, which the Coventry centre converted himself.

SEDGLEY PARK: Moon, Bullough, Hassan, Scales, (O'Hare), Morris, Stephens, McCormack, Latham, Keyes (Treco), Johnson (Alcock), Arnold, Rees, Senior (Grainey), Yates, Fourie.

Tomorrow Sedgley are back in league action at Esher.