A STRONG second half performance by Church Stretton saw Greyhound lose the North Midlands Vase Plate Final 41-26 at Dudley Kingswinford.

The Dogs led at half-time, but their higher-graded opponents came out stronger after the break to turn the tie around.

Greyhound started nervously and Stretton scored twice inside the opening eight minutes.

It took about 20 minutes before Greyhound started to settle and their scrummaging clicked.

The first try came from a quick penalty by Zac Thompson, who teed up Elliot Phillips.

The ball eventually found prop Mark Austin, who forced himself over the line.

Stretton pulled a try back, before a powerful break by centre Darren Braithwaite took Greyhound within five points.

And the Hereford side led at half-time after Thompson converted Oli Paton's try.

But Stretton flew out of the blocks at the start of the second half and never looked back.

Two tries within seven minutes put them ahead, before Phillips pulled the score back to five points with a try.

But two more tries by the Shropshire side saw them seal the win.

“It was a punishing game in the heat, with both sides suffering, but unfortunately when you don’t get the run of the ball and the opposition do, then tries come out of the blue," said Greyhound spokesman Barry Morris.

"We didn’t expect to finish our season this way, so a big pat on the back for the lads for stepping up against opposition higher in the leagues.

"We were unsure whether we had a men’s side partly into the season due to injuries and availability, but the second half of the season saw a steady rise in numbers, and we finished third in the table and runner-up in the Plate."