Victory moves Lichfield up

Lichfield moved into third after beating a strong Cheltenham North side 17-15 in the first ever fixture between the two clubs.

The scoreline in some ways reflected the side's simialr Midland Two West league standings - but after five minutes gone Lich were two scores down and being outclassed.

To compound the visitors' early misery, Dave Bassett was carried off on 20 minutes with a broken rib - but the side showed the resolve to re-group in the face of incessant Cheltenham pressure.

A well-worked move put Sam Baker into space on the half hour and he raced in from the halfway line to score.

Russell Clarke converted to bring Lichfield right back into the game at 8-7.

But the relief was short lived and Cheltenham were soon back in the Lichfield half and went 15-7 ahead.

Clarke slotted a penalty just before the break, which kept Lich in touch at 15-10.

Chris Adams crossed for a converted try in the furtive stages of the second half and Lichfield's character eventually saw the side home.

Some scrambling defence and plenty of astute tactical kicking from captain Clarke kept the home side at bay in the second half.