TENBURY Rugby Club’s players have been urged to put their cup heartbreak behind them and round off a memorable season by clinching the league title in style this weekend.

A 36-19 defeat to Mellish in the RFU Midlands Junior Vase final in front of a packed Palmers Meadow put paid to Tenbury’s hopes of a trip to Twickenham for the national final.

But they can still end the campaign with silverware, needing only to avoid defeat in their final game, at home to Chaddesley Corbett this Saturday, to secure the Midlands Five West North title.

Director of rugby Andy Black said: “We have to live off the positives of what we have achieved and I believe the lads can put the cup disappointment behind them and finish the job off in the league.

“We want to finish with some good rugby and another victory for our supporters who came out in force in the wind and rain again last weekend.

“We want to make another day of it for them. The whole club is building on the field and off it – it’s been a really good season.”

Tenbury lost the cup final in the first half as an interval deficit of 29-7 – including two Mellish tries just before the break – proved too much to overturn.

Having decided to play into the wind, Tenbury fell behind to an interception try.

They responded well, taking the lead for what would prove to be the only time, as sustained pressure culminated in Callum Spires going over and Zac Thompson converting for 7-5.

However, Mellish scored two quickfire tries, one converted, to lead 17-7 and despite a yellow card temporarily reducing them to 14 men, they scored another two before half-time.

An early second-half score gave Tenbury hope after they worked their way into Mellish’s 22 with a series of penalties and skipper Ben James went over, with Thompson converting.

But Mellish’s winger scored straight from the kick-off to make it 36-14 and when Tenbury had three tries held up over the line, they knew it was not their day.

To their credit, Tenbury pulled another try back as Ben Spires showed good footwork to score in the corner.

Black added: “We knew the wind was worth 20 points so at 7-17 we were still hopeful but letting those two tries in prior to half-time left us a bit too much to do.

“Mellish are a good side with some very good ball handlers but, at the same time, we had three disallowed tries where the referee couldn’t give a decision with the ball under a pile of bodies.

“If you work out the plusses and minuses of those decisions going our way, it could have been different.

“We gave a good account of ourselves. The players have done the club proud this year and, yes, you want to win these games, but if you can’t, you just take as much out of them as you can.”