Pre-season friendly: Jersey 23-17 Worcester Warriors

Scrum-half Kieran Hardy was one of Jersey's three try scorers

Championship side Jersey Reds overcame Premiership club Worcester Warriors in a hard-fought pre-season clash at St Peter.

Cooper Vuna's try put Warriors ahead but Jersey were in front at half-time thanks to two Jack Cuthbert penalties and Joe Buckle's score from a maul.

Replacement backs Lewis Robling and Kieran Hardy both crossed to extend Jersey's advantage.

Vuna's second and Andy Short's try narrowed the gap, but the Reds held on.

The home side headed into this game on the back of pre-season wins over Coventry and Ampthill, while Worcester had suffered a 35-14 loss at Clermont Auvergne a week earlier in their opening friendly.

Strong wind in the Channel Islands made for a difficult afternoon, and the first half an hour saw no points before Vuna's opener in the left hand corner broke the deadlock.

After a missed attempt from within his own half, full-back Cuthbert slotted through two penalties to give Jersey the lead before Buckle crashed over on the stroke of half-time to put the islanders 13-5 up.

Robling's score wide on the right and then Hardy's try, breaking from the back of a scrum to cross the line, put the Championship side in a commanding position.

But, with the wind at their backs, Worcester forced their way back into the contest with winger Vuna hobbling over the line with cramp for his second and then Short waltzing his way through to further narrow the gap.

Time was not on Warriors' side though, and Harvey Biljon's men saw out the game for an impressive victory ahead of their fifth season in England's second tier.

They begin the Championship campaign with a trip to Richmond on Saturday, 3 September, while Worcester next face Munster in a friendly on Friday night.

Jersey Reds: Cuthbert; Watkins, King, Davies, Otto; Cope, Fisilau; Thomas, Buckle, Kerrod, McKern, Campbell, Freeman (c), Graham, Haining

Replacements: Selway, Woolmore, Tampin, Voss, Kolo'ofa'i, Doyle, Hardy, Katz, Eastwell, Lane, Robling.

Worcester Warriors: Howard; Short, Te'o, Willison, Vuna; Heathcote, Arr; Leleimalefaga, Bregvadze, Johnston, Cavubati, Scotland-Williamson, Dowson (c), Kirwan, Faosiliva

Replacements: Annett, Bower, Daniels, O'Callaghan, van Velze, Baldwin, Lamb, Olivier, Barry, Humphreys.

Attendance: 1,172