 AFTER a cagey, nervous opening five minutes from the division’s bottom two amidst the cold, wind and rain of a Brummie April afternoon, the Bees had the first shot at points with a 40-metre penalty, but Paul Knights’ first kick at goal went astray.
The home side were the more aggressive from the opening whistle, although early on the Tigers flat defensive line proved effective enough.
Knight was then presented with a second penalty kick on 15 minutes and this time was on target from 18 metres to give the home side a 3-0 lead.
Just three minutes later an Andy Daish high tackle on Tigers’ wing Tom Albinson gave Phil Jones an early chance to equal the scores which he did from 36 metres.
As the Tigers began to force themselves more into the game Chris Leck pounced onto a loose ball and set in motion a kick and chase that would lead to the game’s first try.
A Bees’ defender covered across and kicked the bouncing ball into touch. The Bees were then penalised at the resulting lineout and the Tigers kicked for touch into the left-hand corner.
With call-ball won they simply drove to the Bees’ line where Number 8 Jon Skurr claimed the touchdown to give the Tigers a 3-8 lead.
The Bees stormed straight back and were twice held up over the Tigers’ line as the visitors were forced to defend desperately.
This in turn forced them to kick the next penalty with Knight claiming his second of the afternoon to make it 6-8.
As the first half drew to a close the Tigers exerted further pressure and of all people flanker Adam Newton attempted a long range drop goal, which unsurprisingly went wide.
The Bees emerged for the second half determined to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and they did just that.
Two minutes after the restart scrum ball was recycled and a cheeky kick over the top found the Tigers struggling to win the race for the ball with Bees’ wing Cameron Mitchell showing his pace to touchdown in the corner. Knight added the extras and the home side led 13-8.
With the Bees looking by far the more interested of the two teams their pressure added further points in the shape of a third Knight penalty on 58 minutes only for Jones to wipe it out four minutes later to make the score 16-11.
The Tigers found themselves on the wrong side of referee Mr Ashley Rowden all game long and saw Knight presented with two further kicking opportunities, one of which he took to make it 19-11 and potentially deny the Tigers at least a losing bonus point.
The Tigers rang the changes introducing six replacements but even this injection of fresh blood couldn't turn things around and another game they should have won instead left them contemplating what should have been.
PERTEMPS BEES: Spee, Mitchell, Young, G.Knight, Vakacegu, Grove, P.Knight, Long, Pearle, Bucknall, Davidson, McComb, Mathews, Daish, Earnshaw.
Replacements not used: Reddlinghuys, Bick, Uakazuwaka, Maggs, Porter, Culpin and Preece.
Try: Mitchell (43).
Conversion: P.Knight.
Penalties: P.Knight 4.
SEDGLEY TIGERS: Riley, Van DeVenter, Craig, Briers (Payne 55), T.Albinson, Jones, Leck (J.Albinson 60), Halsall (Gazzola 76), Roddam (Roberts 76), Du Plessis, Fourie (Norris 72), Townson, Crous, Newton (Ponton 53), Skurr.
Replacement not used: Birchall.
Try: Skurr (25).
Penalties: Jones 2.
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