Spartans 35, Leamington 12.

The latest round of league fixtures saw Spartans host an excellent 'Spa side at Coppice Lane, and despite a late kick off due to the referee being delayed, both sides produced an excellent game of rugby. Kicking into a strong wind Leamington soon felt the force of the home attack, pulling off timely tackles in the opening seconds but Spartans kept the momentum and went ahead on four minutes with a try. 'Spa replied by breaking through the black defence and a score seemed certain until desperate defending allowed Spartans to clear the danger. Looking to increase their lead, a 50m penalty attempt from Tom Hardy fell inches short but from the restart the ball was moved to debutante Cameron Holland who did well to squeeze over in the corner. Leamington then lost their influential Peter Blunt to injury, but inspired by this they raced down the wing only to be held up short of the line. On the half hour, 'Spa attacked deep into Spartans territory and a fleet footed winger used his pace to score. With Leamington back in the game the contest was fierce, but indiscipline gave Spartans a further three points and a half time score of 15 – 5.
Relishing the advantage of the conditions, Leamington were surprisingly slow out of the blocks and found themselves under pressure from the small but lively black forwards. 'Spa forced one attack into touch but Spartans took their chances well and carved out another try, and offering little or no respite for the visitors they went in search of a bonus point. On 60 minutes the Men In Black cashed their chips in with the fourth try, but Leamington were far from done and good use of the wind earned them territory. However, hard graft from the blacks created crucial possession and allowed another attack, but a stray pass was snapped up by a 'Spa poacher who raced some 60 metres to score under the posts and give Leamington hope. The home side were forced to refocus and managing to steady the ship, Spartans could smell an upset. As time ticked away The Blackness strangled 'Spa before breaking away and adding two further tries to finish surprising but worthy winners.
This week Spartans make the return journey to Leamington, this time facing the other half at Old Leamingtonians.