Dixonians 9 Old Hales 16.

Old Hales recorded another significant scalp over another one of their league rivals at Moor Lane on Saturday.

Playing on a very narrow pitch, the game was never going to be either free-flowing or high-scoring.

The university ground has encouraged the hosts to play a stinging territorial kicking game and this strategy paid dividends in the first 15 minutes when Hales’ lack of discipline at the breakdown saw Joe Childs kick two penalties for the home side.

This was the wake up call the visitors needed and from this point on Hales were in the ascendancy.

For the remainder of the half Hales battled away with the majority of possession, but struggled to breach the Dixonians defence.

In the lead up to the break, this defensive toil was beginning to tell on the Dixonians forwards, who gave away a number of penalties in their own half. Hales opted to attack by kicking to the corner, rather than go for points. This gamble paid off with the Halesowen pack bulldozing through their opposition from the ensuing lineout, with Alan Hubbleday grounding the ball over the line.

Full-back Seb Rose, returning for his first start this term duly added the conversion.

From the kick off, Hales were deemed to be handling the ball on the ground. Childs converted the penalty from the infringement with the last kick of the half to give the home side a 9-7 lead.

The second half saw the visitors recapture their intensity of the first half through strong tactical half-back kicking and by exerting their superiority at the breakdown and set pieces. This allowed them to play with the slope and grind out a victory.

The frustration experienced by Dixonians was manifested in their captain Damien Webb who was sin-binned in the 48th minute, for repeated offences at the breakdown. From the penalty in front of the posts Rose slotted the ball over to give the visitors the lead.

Two more Rose penalties followed in the 59th and 65th minutes to give Hales a hard-fought but deserved victory.

Hales play in the National EDF Cup first round next week against Barkers Butts as they look to better their quarter final achievement of last season.