DIRECTOR of rugby Dave Irish praised the character of his Malvern squad after being forced into changes for their North Midlands Shield quarter-final.

The hosts beat Midlands Two West (South) rivals Old Yardleians 20-12 at Spring Lane to reach the last four with the help of a fine first-half display.

Irish said: “We had a few changes in the team originally selected. But we had two more late call-offs to contend with when Jamie Anderson’s knee ballooned on Thursday and then Dave Smith was taken ill just before the game.

“However, I was delighted with the performance the lads put in, especially in the first-half when they used the conditions to their advantage and ran Yardleians around to get 20 points up.

“The second-half was much more difficult, especially when they used their superior weight to their advantage, but our defence held up well and we came out of it with a deserved win.”

Third-placed Malvern return to league duties tomorrow (2.15pm) at Newbold-on Avon, who are fourth, as the top four in the division all meet.

Leaders Old Laurentians host Banbury, who are level on points with Malvern.