Malvern 16, Peterborough 31.

WITH Malvern having to make nine changes due to injury, a result against Peterborough was always going to be a tough ask, yet the hosts’ youngsters still punched above their weight in this National Three Midlands clash.

The first 10 minutes saw the hosts pin the East Anglian side in their own half, returning stand-off Adam Dixon combined with Simon Daws to give good penetration.

A quick throw saw Richard Fleming break from full-back, setting up a move along the line ending in debutant Dominic Reagan being tackled just short of the line.

Quick recycling saw Will Farris speed through to score in the corner for a well-deserved Malvern lead.

Peterborough responded immediately and made a sortie into the Malvern 22, resulting in a yellow card for prop Jake Lock for a deliberate knock-on.

The Fenmen were awarded a five-metre scrum and number eight James Hannam went over, Will Mardling’s conversion giving them the lead.

Malvern’s 14 men held out, winning the ball in broken play and earning a penalty with which Farris restored a slender one-point lead. Malvern went on the attack again and Peterborough infringed at the breakdown to give Farris another penalty to extend the lead to 11-7 after 25 minutes.

With both sides playing open, end-to-end rugby the pace was frenetic.

Peterborough regained the lead four minutes from the break when full-back Guseinov ran from deep and right winger Harding-Prior sped over for a try in the corner.

On the stroke of half-time, a Malvern penalty fell just short.

The second-half opened in the same vein as the first.

Malvern stole the ball at a Peterborough scrum for Daws and Fleming to combine to set James Southall off down the narrow side to score in the corner for Malvern to retake the lead.

The play continued at both ends but Peterborough’s size advantage was beginning to tell over the smaller Malvern unit.

From a scrum, the ball was moved out to winger Alex Ciuchlejus and, as the game entered the last quarter, the sheer physicality of the game started to tell on the lighter Malvern side.

Some good home defence kept Peterborough at bay for some time, but the pressure finally told as Hannam barged through for his second score.

Malvern responded with some spirited running from the backs, but in the final minute a turnover saw the visitors respond with a score from Andrew Phillips.