OLD Halesonians RFC bounced back from their first defeat of the season with a 35-10 home victory over Walsall.

It was always going to be a tough encounter with the sides seperated only by bonus points and the first 15 minutes saw the hosts in the ascendancy, as Chris Hooper then sent a kick from inside his own half off the upright.

An opening try finally arrived on the half hour as a splendid passage of play resulted in Taylor touching down in the corner. Hooper added the conversion and two more penalties before the break as Hales opened up a 16-0 lead.

The second half began with Walsall putting sustained pressure on the Wassall Grove outfit’s line and as the Old Hales penalty count began to creep up, they were punished when a kick to the corner led to a catch and drive line out and a deserved try for Walsall’s Stuart Fitzgerald.

But the hosts hit back quickly as Tom Jordan went over and Hooper’s conversion made it 23-5.

Walsall pressed again but were undone by an interception as Luke Smith raced clear to put the game to bed for Hales.

Fitzgerald pulled another score back for Walsall, though the final say was reserved for Ed Parry, who side-stepped the visiting defence before sprinting for the line and earning the bonus point on the stroke of full-time.

Old Hales jump to third in the league with another important fixture coming up against local rivals Bournville away this Saturday.