Cinderford fought hard but ultimately fell to Hinckley at Leicester Road, finishing 37-31 in a high-scoring encounter. Despite the loss, a late rally earned the visitors two valuable bonus points.
The first half saw Rory Vowles open the scoring with a penalty for Hinckley, before Nathan Taylor crossed for Cinderford, converted by Jack Conliffe. Hinckley responded through a try from Callum Dacey, with Vowles adding the extras and a second penalty, giving the hosts a 13-7 lead at halftime.
The second half began disastrously for Cinderford, with a yellow card allowing Hinckley to score three tries in quick succession through Dacey, Mitchell Lamb, and Sam Read, along with two conversions from Vowles, stretching their lead to 32-7. Cinderford’s Jake Bailey responded with a try, converted by Conliffe, but Will Callan added a fifth try for Hinckley, leaving the score 37-14 entering the final quarter.
A determined comeback from Cinderford followed, with two tries from Jake Polledri and a conversion from Conliffe bringing hope, and a late score from Tyler Jerrum closing the gap — but time ran out before the visitors could complete the turnaround.
Head coach Clive Stuart-Smith reflected:
*”The final scoreline might suggest a close encounter, but for large parts we were second best. We didn’t capitalize on early dominance at set pieces and were slow to adapt to a slower surface. Our discipline in the second half let us down, conceding three soft tries in 10 minutes.
The key positive was the squad’s ‘never say die’ attitude. To get within one score and nearly snatch the win on the final play showed incredible resilience. We now need to improve in several areas ahead of a tough clash with Luctonians this weekend.”*
A tough day on the road, but plenty of fight and character to build on for the remainder of the season.
Photo credit to Kairos Sports Photography