SOUTH WEST ONE
Berry Hill 21, Gloucester Old Boys 12
THIS was an occasion when the result mattered much more than the quality of the performance and Berry Hill player coach Lee Osborne was, naturally enough, delighted.
"We had not played as a team since December 9 so in some ways it was just like the first game of the season. We were a bit patchy but if you had told me we would win by the score we did before the game I would have been quite happy with that," he said.
The problem for Berry Hill is not knowing quite what will happen to them this season.
"It really is a stupid state of affairs. No-one seems to know how many teams will be relegated and we could easily end up sixth from bottom and still find ourselves in trouble. It does make you wonder who on earth is organising rugby these days," he said.
Having lost the first seven league games of the season, Berry Hill's recovery is widely welcomed.
Osborne's team faces some stiff tests in the coming weeks – they visit both Old Pats and Cinderford. But he has a simple remedy to see Berry Hill home and dry.
"We have set ourselves the target of not losing another home game. If we achieve that we will be doing very well," he said.
Osborne is encouraged by the form of the team's youngsters.
"They are really promising. Ashley Stephens, Ben Lewis, Jimmy Matthews and Andy Lane are among those making good progress," he said.
Berry Hill: Tries, Mark Johnson, Ashley Stephens. Conversions, Osborne; Penalties, Osborne (3).