Express & Star

Bad luck dogs DK in first defeat to Lions

A dog attack, a forward with a broken nose and the loss of the rest of their front row were just some of the woes to befall Dudley Kingswinford as they suffered their first ever defeat to Stourbridge Lions.

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On what was an historic day for the jubilant Lions, DK director of rugby Neil Shillingford was left cursing his bad luck as a third straight Midlands 1 West defeat dented his side’s promotion hopes.

“It was the perfect storm,” said Shillingford. “It started on Friday when Matt Perks, who has just qualified as a vet, was bitten in the face by a dog and forced to miss the game.

“Nick Adams also pulled out on the same day while during the game we lost Kieran Williams with a broken nose and the other two members of our front row through concussion and injury, which meant uncontested scrums.

“And our try scorer Tommy Walker had to come off injured after scoring.

“It was just one of those occasions where everything that could have gone wrong, did.

“But all you can do is take it on the chin. We have to dust ourselves down and hopefully get some players back for what will be a tough test at Whitchurch on Saturday.

“We are still third and have both the top two to play in the second half of the season.”

But while DK were left feeling battered and bruised, the Lions were celebrating a statement victory following their rise through the divisions.

“It was the first time we have beaten DK and it was fantastic day for the club,” said director of rugby John Tibbetts.

“It was a good team performance and I felt it had been coming because we had suffered a couple of narrow losses recently.

“It’s a tough division. Newbold and Bromsgrove are very strong and there are few easy games. So to come out of the game with the bragging rights was a real bonus for everyone at the club.”

Two penalties from Will Yibbetts and a try from Jack Noott earned the Lions, who saw two players sin-binned, a memorable victory. Walker replied for the home side with a try.