Spartans 28, Leamington 19.

On a grey day at Coppice Lane two evenly matched sides attempted to lift the gloom and bring some sunshine in by playing open, attractive rugby and an enthralling contest followed as the game ebbed and flowed.

The opening quarter belonged to a powerful and lively Leamington side, who used their strong midfield to great effect and Spartans were forced to defend. It was inevitable the early pressure would turn into points and the visitors scored a fine converted try through winger Garrett Bell. Spartans were determined to stay in the game and gradually worked their way upfield, and an elusive run from Matthew Southam saw him stretch for the line in the corner to leave a two point gap. Minutes later Spartans struck again through Southam and a fiercely contested first half ended with the home side hanging on to a three point lead.

The second half started very well for the Men In Black with Leamington twice being penalised and Tom Hardy bisecting the uprights for a nine point lead. The visitors continued to compete well in every area, but further black pressure saw Jack Sharpe squeeze through the defence for a try beneath the sticks, and from under a pile of bodies Ed Lambert emerged as the bonus point try scorer on the sixty minute mark. But Leamington seemed to take rhythm from the Blacks' tempo and charged back into their 22m area. As Spartans conceded a penalty just off their line Leamington went for the lineout and their inspired forwards worked hard before a flicked short pass led to a score. Patrick Northover at scrum half was a livewire for Leamington and another penalty with four minutes left led to another driven lineout and a try that got Leamington to within nine points. However, a refocussed Spartans were back on song, securing the restart and keeping the ball tight until the clock ticked over 80 minutes when Tom Hardy booted the ball well into touch to end the game.

Both sides should take great credit for their respective contributions to an excellent game played in great spirit.