Balsall & Berkswell 11, Spartans 6.

Spartans travelled to a wet and windy Balsall Common where a tireless game of rugby in torrential rain meant there were few scoring opportunities, putting great emphasis on the defensive resilience of both sides.
Despite the poor conditions Tom Hardy gave the Men In Black an early lead from the kicking tee to go 3-0 up, but with both sides struggling to master the conditions play remained fairly central. The home side were determined to play a kicking game to help their big forwards and eventually they flopped over to take the lead. The sides then exchanged penalties to complete the scoring at 11 - 6 with everything to play for in the 2nd half.

Spartans found themselves under pressure for a large portion of the second half but good defence from The Blackness pushed the visitors away from the tryline as they maintained an organised defence. Despite the game turning into a real slugfest, both sides pressured each other and both came close to scoring through the forwards as the backs cancelled each other out, but the scoreboard didn't change and time ran out leaving Spartans with a deserved bonus point.

This week Spartans face a huge challenge when Nuneaton Old Edwardians visit Coppice Lane.