Sat 1 Mar 2025, 14:15
Earlsdon Fall Short in Tough Battle Against Aston Old Edwardians
Earlsdon RFC suffered a frustrating 22-16 defeat to Aston Old Edwardians on Saturday in a game where a slow start and costly errors proved decisive.Despite a solid week of preparation, Earlsdon struggled to impose themselves early on, allowing Aston to capitalise with two tries and a conversion to take an early lead. Head Coach Jon Fitt was furious with the lack of intensity, stating, We have to be better. If we want to control games, we have to be switched on from the start.
Once Earlsdon found their rhythm, they fought their way back into the contest. Tries from Dyal and Lucas, combined with a huge penalty kick from McHugh, saw them take a narrow 13-12 lead into the break.The second half saw both teams contend with difficult refereeing decisions, leading to a stop-start contest littered with yellow cards. The visitors capitalised on another contentious call, crashing over for a crucial try that also saw Moore sin-binned in a decision that left the home side frustrated.
Earlsdon battled until the final whistle, adding another penalty to bring them within a converted try of victory. The pack dominated up front, but despite sustained pressure, they couldn't find the final breakthrough. One positive for the home side was the outstanding performance of Charlie McCranor, who put in a tireless shift in the forward pack, carrying hard and making key tackles. His work rate earned him the Man of the Match award in an otherwise frustrating afternoon for Earlsdon.
Reflecting on the game, Fitt admitted his side must learn from their mistakes: “This is the level we want to play at, but we need to cut out the errors and bring more tempo to our game. We struggled with our line out and Astons midfield carries, which put us on the back foot. We go again next week and aim to put things right ahead of Birmingham & Solihull away. With four games remaining, Earlsdon know they need to respond quickly to maintain pressure at the top of the table. A big week of preparation awaits as they look to bounce back in style.
