National League Two North: Otley 19 Stourbridge 27

SIXTH-placed Otley, whose squad was described as "wafer thin" by director of rugby Peter Clegg, came within a conversion of clinching a losing bonus point against third-placed Stourbridge at Cross Green.

The home side could only name four players on the bench, but the performance was redemption of sorts after a heavy defeat against Tynedale the previous week on Newcastle Falcons' artificial pitch.

Tynedale triumphed 50-17, and Clegg said: "It was a surface that we had never played on before or even trained on, and the lads were out on their feet by the end against pacy opponents.

"It also cost us a couple of hamstring injuries, and we were wafer thin today.

"Neither Freddie or Henry Watson were available, we had another prop unavailable and James White pulled out overnight as his wife has just given birth and the youngster kept them up all night.

"Maybe we should have made more of our opportunities in the first half but we could also have caved in after they scored two tries at the start of the second half, and I was proud of our last 15 minutes.

"We created one or two opportunities, and I was disappointed in the end that we didn't come away with a bonus point – we would have been happy with that.

"We have had a solid season, we work for each other, we have progressed, we are together as a team and as coaching staff and we can look forward to next season."

Some spectators, having seen the home line-up, were not optimistic before kick-off but Otley started brightly, winning the first two penalties from the whistle of Claire Hodnett.

Stourbridge then had centre Joe Heatley yellow carded in the eighth minute for a deliberate knock-on as the hosts continued to press in and around Stourbridge's 22.

Unfortunately, Otley lost two attacking line-outs, but, found another way to score when, in the 16th minute, skipper Stephen Depledge took a quick tap penalty and caught Stourbridge out on their right, Otley left winger Toby Harris going over for full back Nick Coupland to convert superbly from the touchline.

The Midlanders then threatened for the best part of 15 minutes, fly half Chris Scott falling short with a penalty from just inside the Otley half, and full back Rodney Petty making good ground down the left wing before being shoved into touch.

Two minutes later, in the 26th minute, the hosts had flanker James Wood sin-binned for a no-arms tackle, and Stourbridge then went through the phases, often making decent ground as Otley were missing their first-up tackles.

In the 29th minute, the hosts were penalised for not releasing in the tackle, and Scott popped over an easy penalty from straight in front on the 22.

However, the home side went back on the attack, only to concede a soft seven points two minutes later when Stourbridge left winger Joshua Trinham picked off a floaty Michael Coady pass between the visitors' 22 and ten-metre line to run 60 metres and plant the ball under the home posts, Scott's conversion giving them an unlikely 10-7 interval lead.

Stourbridge looked much more focused when they came out for the second half, and within seven minutes had run in two relatively soft tries.

Heatley got the first in the 43rd minute, right winger Ashley Elvers carving through even more easily four minutes later, Scott converting the first as the visitors stretched their advantage to 22-7.

Otley put all four of their replacements on in the 53rd or 54th minute, Will Rigg, Simon Raper, Joe Armitage and Joshua Cruise replacing George Burkinshaw, Sam Cook, Wood and Depledge.

But Stourbridge got their fourth try and the bonus point in the 63rd minute via centre Ransford Otutaha, and there really looked no way back for the home side.

However, Wood, who came back on in the 64th minute for centre Henry Roberts, was starting to make inroads down Stourbridge's left, and he created a try five minutes later for Coupland, who accepted his inside pass, Cruise converting to reduce the margin to 27-14.

Coupland almost turned creator for Wood in the 74th minute, dabbing the ball through only for the latter to dive on it just beyond the dead-ball line, but Otley did get a third try four minutes later when Stourbridge were expecting a third long pass to the right, centre Coady sensing his opportunity and darting through a gap to score on a diagonal run.

Unfortunately, Cruise's conversion, which would have brought Otley a losing bonus point, was off target but they can console themselves with a season of steady improvement.