THE Warriors crashed to their second successive heavy defeat as they were savaged by the Bulldogs at Perry Common.

The bigger, stronger more aggressive home side ran in 13 tries against their inexperienced opponents to record their biggest win of the season.

With a cricket match being played on the adjacent pitch, the Bulldogs took on the persona of a flat-track bully. Their aggression earned them the wrath of the referee to the tune of ten penalties in the first period alone as their huge side poured down the slope at the Warriors.

With six debutants in the side, there was a lack of cohesion in the Warriors’ play that meant promising field position and possession went unrewarded. The new players showed flashes of their undoubted ability but there was little overall team pattern owing to the makeshift nature of the side.

The scoring began in the first minute as Nigel Burrows went over following a Warriors error from the kick off and he was quickly followed by Drew Harper, Danny Bancroft converting.

The Warriors then enjoyed a sustained period of pressure thanks to the Bulldogs’ indiscretions, but could not break through the solid mass of defenders.

After 20 minutes, the Bulldogs rolled down the hill and Dean Morris slipped over from dummy half, Bancroft again adding the extras but in a scrappy and scruffy game, littered with stoppages for errors and ill-discipline neither side could keep the ball for very long.

The Bulldogs added to their lead before the break through Glenn Farnham, Sam Woodard and Ross Midgeley, Morris and Bancroft adding a goal each to see the home side to the break 32-0 ahead.

With the slope in their favour and the strong wind at their shoulder, the Warriors hoped to give the Bulldogs something to think about but, after conceding a penalty in possession, Chris Humphrey extended the home lead out wide.

The Warriors finally got some reward for their efforts as Ashley Lewis did well to catch a pass under pressure and showed good strength to get to the line for a try. Sam Goatley’s conversion was missed.

Thereafter, the Bulldogs took back control against a Warriors side feeling the heat and the power of the Bulldogs side. Adam Walker and Harper extended the lead further before Jamaican international Ashley Johnson grabbed a hat-trick inside five minutes and Burrows finished the scoring with a break from halfway.

The Warriors held on for the remaining few minutes of the game and kept the Bulldogs from adding further to their tally.

BIRMINGHAM BULLDOGS: Mark Court, Ashley Johnson, Drew Harper, Adam Walker, Raphael Guimaraes, Dean Morris, Dan Bancroft, Ross Midgeley (Capt.), Wes Perkins, Nigel Burrows, Pete Fulthorpe, Sam Woodard, Chris Barnthorpe. Replacements: Adam Bulldock, Sam Bradley, Glenn Farnham, Simon Homer, Chris Humphrey, John Baker, August Chadwick.

Scorers: Tries; Nigel Burrows (1, 74), Drew Harper (4, 57), Dean Morris (20), Glenn Farnham (33), Sam Woodard (36), Russ Midgeley (39), Chris Humphrey (42), Adam Walker (53), Ashley Johnson (64, 66, 68). Conversions; Danny Bancroft 5 from 8, Dean Morris 4 from 5.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE WARRIORS: Callum Leese, John Strutt, Lee Taylor, Ashley Lewis, Josh Kelly, Sam Goatley, Tom Mahendron, Ben Brinkworth (Capt.), Steve Lee, Simon Taylor, Neal Broadbent, Kirk, Lewis, Matt Elston. Replacements: Alex Mulcahy, Sam Halliday, Ed Lewis-Tierney, Sam Chappell-Davies, Jak Evans, Lewis Powell.

Scorers: Tries; Ashley Lewis (49). Conversions; Sam Goatley 0 from 1.

Referee: Peter Parker Man of the match: Warriors: Neal Broadbent Bulldogs: Nigel Burrows Penalties: Bulldogs 8, Warriors 14.

Scoring sequence: 4-0, 10-0, 16-0, 20-0, 26-0, 32-0, (HT), 36-0, 36-4, 40-4, 46-4, 52-4, 58-4, 64-4, 70-4, (FT).