Ho What a day!!”
It started well, all players and officials accounted for and off for a Sunday outing to Twickenham.
Halfway there, at the junction of the M40 and M25 a vehicle on fire delayed us by 40 minutes. On arrival at Twickenham there was a rush for the players to get ready for Photographs and preparation time eaten into.
At 3pm they took the field, no bus nerves, Soon the opposition conceded a penalty which Jacob Fewtrell slotted over. However a lack of concentration allowed Northumberland in for a well converted try, 7 – 3 to them.
Campaign Top try scorer Mauro Miller, 8 tries in 3 matches before today, scored and Fewtrell converted. He also added another penalty to put us 13 – 7 ahead. Soon after John Tuia crossed and Fewtrell added the extra points. Now it seemed that the North Midlands were well in control. However just before halftime Northumberland scored two quick tries, both converted to take the halftime lead 21 – 20.
The second half started with a bang a sweet backs interchange allowing Sam Grimshaw to barrel his way to the line. Fewtrell converted this and a further penalty which opened the lead to 30 – 21. Northumberland came back into the game 10 minutes before the end with another converted try, 28 – 30.
Those last 10 minutes appeared to last hours with North Midlands defending but the final whistle went and the players, officials and supporters raised the roof. It was a well fort and entertaining match from both sides.
With an impeccable kicking display Jacob Fewtrell was awarded the North Midlands player of the match.
Caps for 10+ matches were awarded to Michael Ho, Ben Tibbetts, Will Tanner, Nathan Fisher, Adam Shaw, George Meader and Will Parks.
Senior Men’s Match Report
This game was nip and tuck for the first quarter with nobody gaining the upper hand and both sides creating chances but failing to convert them into points.
A mistake by the Herts fullback allowed Micheal Ho to charge down a clearance kick and then he was able to drop on the ball for the first score. A few minutes later a well constructed back move allowed Rhys Williams to cross the line. Neither of these tries were converted. Herts got on the scoreboard with a penalty. However just before half-time Mauro Miller out sprinted the defense to touch down and Jacob Fewtrell added the conversion points making it 17 – 3 to the home side at half-time.
As in the previous matches the second half belonged to North Midlands with Sam Grimshaw scoring within seconds of the start. Fewtrell added the conversion. However Herts hit back with a converted try of their own almost immediately. There followed a succession of tries from Chris Idehen and a second to Miller both being converted by Will Tanner.
A moment of indiscipline cost North Midlands a yellow card and Herts the opportunity to score another converted try.
In the last 3 minutes North Midlands finished strong with tries from Reiss Price and Ben Mealin, neither converted to finish 48 – 17 winners.
An outstanding performance by prop Ben Rhodes earned him the Man of the match award.
As Pool winner North Midlands are now in the semi-final against Devon at Brixham RFC on Saturday 30th May 2026 with the ambition of securing a Twickenham final spot.
Thanks given to Andrew Jepson on the photographs. Here’s the link for more…. https://wetransfer.com/…/f3ae91b3d896cc71a11fcb4…/1c455f
The North Midlands Men’s Seniors squad recorded a strong second victory against Staffordshire RFU yesterday in what proved to be a true game of two halves.
The opening 1st half was closely contested, with North Midlands edging ahead 22–21 at the break. However, the second half saw a dominant performance, as North Midlands pulled away with a series of well-worked tries.
Standout performer Jacob Fewtrell was deservedly named Man of the Match. He delivered an excellent kicking display, converting 7 out of 8 attempts and adding a penalty, alongside providing outstanding leadership in the backs.
It was also a great collective effort, with players representing six different North Midlands clubs contributing to the win.
Attention now turns to the final pool fixture against Hertfordshire, taking place at Droitwich RFC on Saturday 23 May, with a 3:00pm kick-off.
North Midlands Senior Men win their first game 60 – 21 over East Midlands RFU on Sunday 10th May @ Worcester RFC in the Bill Beaumont Competition.
So many great photos, can’t show them all so please use this link:
Senior Men’s Photo’s V East Midlands 10th May 2026
With the North Midlands Senior men’s program due to start in May the fixtures are as follows:
Sunday 10th May Home v East Midlands at Worcester RFC KO 2pm
Saturday 16th May Away v Staffordshire at Stafford RFC K/O 2:00pm
Saturday 23rd May Home v Hertfordshire at Droitwich RFC KO 3pm
We are pleased to announce joining John Tibbetts we have an experienced coaching team of:
C J Osazuwa – Nigerian International, Moseley, Richmond, Chinnor and Bournville forwards coach
Tom Jarvis – Gloucester, Hartbury, Stourbridge, England Counties player, coach at Bournville and Old Halesowens
Mark George – Gloucester, London Irish, England Counties and Stourbridge’s most capped front row
Will James is heading up the physio team
Charlie Hemmings Team Manager.
Wishing all the players and Coaching team the best of luck for this season.
County Championships Regulations:
There will be no information until 2026 for the Men’s Senior Representative Squad (or end of this year). All archives and photos from last years event can be found here: https://northmidsrfu.co.uk/nmrfu-senior-xv-24-25/
Any enquiries, please contact Charlie Hemmings