CLEOBURY Mortimer came up agonisingly short in their quest to complete a memorable Midlands 4 West (North) and North Midlands Vase double.

They were squeezed out 10-9 by Evesham in the Vase final at Dudley last Sunday and outgoing skipper Will Bache admitted: “It wasn’t meant to be.”

Bache has stood down as captain because of a knee injury which saw him booked in for surgery at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital at Oswestry earlier this week.

He missed Sunday’s showdown, and instead helped coach and cajole from the sidelines as Cleobury came so close to overturning an early 10-point deficit.

Bache said: “It seems we have a hoodoo in finals and can’t seem to win them.

"That’s two finals we have lost this year, we also lost in the Vase final two years ago and at Twickenham in the National Junior Vase in 2006.

“We certainly didn’t play like we are capable of playing on Sunday but the defeat can’t take away from what has been a tremendous season for us. The guys have done brilliantly.”

Evesham, beaten 27-3 by Cleobury earlier in the season, raced into a 10-0 lead, with Cleobury pegging back an Allan Shields penalty before half-time.

Two more successful kicks from Shields then got them to within one score of victory and with five minutes left they were awarded another penalty.

However this time the reliable Shields was off target and Evesham held on for a tense win.

Bache added: “I have enjoyed my season as captain and it would have been nice to have finished with another trophy. I think the team needs to move forward with a fully fit playing captain at the helm.”