Spartans on a high against visiting Ludlow

Spartans got their league campaign off to a fine start at Coppice Lane against a somewhat unknown opposition.

Ryan Devine, Jack Bingham and Chris Bench made up a powerful front row with Andy Bennett and Jamie Owen in the engine room. Perry Bates-Powell started at 6, with Captain Mike Bennett on the other flank and Andy Bushall at number 8.

Sam Friend made his league debut at scrum half with Tom Hardy in the 10 shirt. The midfield consisted of Jack Sharpe and Sherry Blair with a pacey back three of Matt Southam, Jamie Parker and Alex Garbett.

Adam Bennett, Brett Garbett and debutant Will Sanders made up the replacements.

The first half started brightly for the home side as they attacked down the hill. The forwards looked dominant in the tight and the backs sharp in attack as Spartans looked to play at pace against their visitors. A number of opportunities were carved out in the wide channels and it was only the last pass that stopped the men in black from scoring early on. Despite the pressure the key talking point in the first ten minutes was not a try but a badly broken finger suffered by Captain Mike Bennett. With bone clearly visible he made way for young Will Sanders to make his first team debut.

This early change didn't disrupt the home side too much though as a sustained period of pressure eventually saw Bates-Powell crash over on one of his trademark running lines for the first score, expertly converted by Hardy.

It wasn't long before Spartans we're on the charge again. A superb take from the restart gave Sanders chance to stretch his legs, he carried well and found Bench who charged down the blindside releasing Bushall who sprinted in from 40m out for another excellent score.

It seemed at this point that Spartans could well run in a substantial first half score but again the last pass struggled to go to hand whilst the discipline in defence was allowing the visiting side to establish possession and territory.

Although not looking as creative in attack, Ludlow offered some powerful ball carriers and Spartans did well to hold out in defence until the 30 minute mark when Jamie Owen succumbed to a team yellow. Spartans defended well and clung on for 9 of the 10 minutes until the pressure eventually told and Ludlow crashed over for a converted score.

The early exchanges of the second half would prove to be key as Ludlow looked to use the downhill slope to their advantage. It was a tight affair as Ludlow looked to use a power game whilst Spartans were clearly offering more in the wide channels. The defence held firm with Sharpe and Friend leading the way, punching well above their respective weights. Eventually the deadlock was broken after Ludlow won a string of penalties, eventually opting for a three pointer bringing them to just 2 points behind Spartans.

On 70 minutes, after some nervy defensive spells, it was Alex Garbett who came to the rescue. A turnover won in the midfield by Andy Bennett saw him make a break and charge up the field, the support lay was good and with Hardy screaming for the ball it was fired wide for Garbett to execute a neat step and touch down for a superb counter attacking try once again converted by Hardy.

With a slender lead and just minutes to play it was Bennett again who went storming upfield, superbly supported by his onrushing pack including Sanders who took the offload and looked to have scored, only to be stopped just short. The resulting play once again saw sharp hand from the backs as the ball found Alex Garbett who sprinted in from short range to complete a brace. Hardy slotted the conversion from the touchline to round off a solid first league win for Spartans.

Although the coaching team will no doubt have areas to work on this was a solid win for Spartans with glimpses of the forwards power and the skill and pace of the back line. It will be an interesting league campaign for Spartans as they take on some relatively unknown opposition but a resounding cup win last week against Leamington and a well deserved bonus point win against Ludlow will leave them fairly happy with their start.

Final score Spartans 26-10 Ludlow.