Nuneaton 23 Stourbridge 24

Apr 21 2008

STOURBRIDGE kept their flickering promotion hopes alive into the last weekend of the season with a last-gasp try at relegated Nuneaton.

Trailing 23-17 and injury time being played, Stour's diminishing dream of National One rugby seemed to be over but Tom Jarvis managed to squeeze over in the corner and fly-half Rod Petty, who will be returning to Pertemps Bees next season, added the conversion to give his side the narrowest of victories.

Stour had taken the game to the Nuns but could not find a way through the dogged defence and it was the hosts who led at the break thanks to a drop goal.

Petty cancelled that out with an unconverted try early in the second half and James Tideswell added a second, but the Nuns were far from finished and Will Cave brought them back into it with a try of his own.

Stour winger Martin Freedman put the visitors back in control only for Aaron Takarangi to cancel that one out.

When Cave added his second it seemed that the dream was over until Jarvis and Petty kept it alive with a precious try and bonus point with just seconds remaining.