TWO teams at the opposite ends of the table delivered a scintillating game of rugby in the Midlands 2 West (South) division, but it was Leamington who came out on top against Spartans on Saturday at Moorefields.
Despite languishing at the bottom of the league, Leamington produced one of their best performances of the season to claim a narrow 15-13 win on what was a heavy pitch that cause both sides plenty of problems.
Both sides enjoyed plenty of possession early on with Toby Bruce putting in a superb tackle to halt what looked like a promising attack for the visitors.
The opening try came on 15 minutes when after taking control of the ball, the pace of the attack caught the Spartans off guard and when Ryan Byrne took possession he cut inside to race over the line.
At the other end Spartans finally earned some reward when an infringement led to a penalty which they gratefully accepted to leave the scoreline at 5-3.
Confidence in the Leamington side was high after the break and after Aled Thomas had won a penalty, Will Fievet stepped up in drilled the ball between the posts despite the difficult conditions underfoot to give Leamington a five point lead.
The match was going the way the hosts would have wanted, however, midway through the half the hosts suffered two disappointments as Spartans scored two unconverted tries in quick succession.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Leamington but they managed to record an unlikely victory in the final ten minutes of the match.
Byrne and Ed Boxhall had been superb all afternoon and they combined to bring the house down at Moorefields.
Byrne used his guile and pace to break up field and he managed to squeeze the ball inside to the ever willing Boxhall. The Leamington centre then brushed aside the visitor’s defenders and under advice from the home support, obliged with a score under the posts.
Despite the huge pressure, Fievet, calmly stepped up and stroked the ball over to give his side a crucial two point lead and Leamington held their nerve to secure a narrow win.
This Saturday Leamington continue their adventure in the league with a trip to Malvern (2.15pm).
