Ross capped off a great season by winning the North Midlands Cup and beating a determined Bromyard side last Sunday, at Dudley Kinswinford RFC, taking the silverware with a well deserved 23-14 victory.

Ross were winners of this cup in 2008 and 2009 and were determined not to let a very good season go by without a trophy. Bromyard had won their league convincingly and Ross knew that only a very good performance would be enough, and this they delivered. Whether it was at the set piece, with ball in hand or in defence, Ross was the better side throughout. However, Bromyard kept the scoreboard close, and it was only in the last quarter that Ross put daylight between them and prevented a nerve racking last few minutes.

Ross were the first to trouble the scorers. Aaron Ryder’s quick feet put him through a small gap and he stretched out to score, he added the two and Ross were 7-0 ahead.

Bromyard hit back quickly. A fortunate bounce saw their winger collect the ball and deliver a great inside pass. In the blink of an eye they were under the posts and drawing level at 7-7. Ross went back to basics; Gavin Oates and Josh Walker were putting immense pressure on the Bromyard lineout, and with the front three of Louis Morgan, Josh Element and Jon Baynham doing the same, Bromyard were finding it difficult to deliver quality ball. As pressure continued to build Ross squeezed out every Bromyard attack and it was Ross who re-took the lead with an Aaron Ryder penalty, after a ruck infringement, which put Ross 10-7 ahead.

Ross continued to dominate, and with Dave Mince and Chris Price getting them over the gainline, it was only a matter of time before they added another score. Matt King went clear and he had enough pace to score wide on the left, to put Ross 15-7 ahead.

Bromyard hit back with a long pass out to the left, found their winger, and from 75 yards out he had enough gas to outpace the cover defence. From nowhere Bromyard were back in the game, only a point down 15-14. As the half came to a close, Aaron added another penalty and Ross went in at the break 18-14 ahead.

After a calm and clear half time talk Ross went straight back to business. The continued pressure on the Bromyard lineout and scrum meant quality ball was hard for them to come by. With the fresh legs of Henry Tilling, Keiron Smith, Thai Hayward and PJ Muldowney added to the fray, the Ross defence was even stronger. Some great tactical kicking from Huw Bellamy, Aaron Ryder and Ben Element pinned Bromyard back deep into their own half. Eventually, as the game entered the final quarter, Ben Element added the killer score. This put Ross two clear scores ahead at 23-14 and they comfortably wound down the clock to finish the season on a high with a convincing victory and silverware to go with it.