RYAN Sleaford and PJ Hatch scored two tries apiece as Birmingham and Solihull Bees secured a 25-10 bonus point win against Old Wheatleyans.
Sleaford and Hatch crossed for tries in either half as the Bees secured a third successive home win at Portway.
And the result means Solihull sit sixth in the Counties 2 Midlands West (East) table having won four and lost four of their opening eight matches.
Prior to kick-off, the Bees held a lunch for the club’s mini and junior coaches from past and present with more than £230 raised in aid of Orchid run by Darren Court as well as donations to the food bank.
And both teams immaculately preserved a minute’s silence before the match in Solihull’s last home fixture before Remembrance Day.
The Bees were without powerhouses Jack Allen and Calum Antonio which allowed Stephen Johnson to start while Oli Nesbit made his home debut at full back.
Solihull crossed for the game’s first try as Sleaford dotted down in the corner from Lewis Edwards’s sublime 30-yard cross-field kick before the latter added the extras.
And the Bees stretched their lead to 12 points when livewire winger Hatch finished off a wonderful team move with Edwards unable to add the conversion.
Old Wheatleyans made a strong start to the second half and finally troubled the scoreboard with a converted try of their own.
And the visitors kicked a penalty soon after to reduce the deficit to two points with just over 25 minutes still to play.
The Bees stood firm thereafter to keep Old Wheatleyans at bay before Sleaford avoided three tackles with a series of deft side steps before touching down in the corner to score his second try of the game.
And Solihull finally sealed the points with their bonus point try as Hatch received Harry Garratt’s pass and danced down the wing for his second score of the match.
Edwards kicked a late penalty to extend Solihull’s lead to 15 points as the Bees secured their biggest home win of the season.
