Spartans Vs Leek

Spartans 11, Leek 10.

Christmas arrived early at Coppice Lane as Spartans pulled off the crime of the century in a tight and tense affair with a strong Leek side, in a stalemate that probably deserved to be a drawn game. The home side started brightly and ignored the damp and murky conditions, throwing the ball around nicely as if it were summer touch. Leek showed they have a very capable defence and managed to soak up everything Spartans could find to test them, but the scoreboard finally changed when Tom Hardy banged over a penalty from forty metres. Leek responded by gaining a good field position and stayed in Spartans territory for long periods, using forward power to set up camp and eventually cross the tryline to take the lead. Neither side was able to string any phases together as the rain began and cold hands saw plenty of dropped balls turn the game into an absolute slugfest, punctuated by an occasional break for a lineout. Both sides lost a player to the sin bin as the contest intensified and tempers frayed, and as half time arrived it was clear that the game would not be pretty or for the feint-hearted.

The second half was an action replay of the first; good intentions from both sides but tempered with realism and frustrated by the cold and wet. Whatever Spartans tried went wrong, but they kept plugging away and stuck to their guns, just about shading territory but facing a brick wall Leek defence built on solid foundations. The visitors showed no signs of cracking but the penalty count was on the up, and a series of scrums eventually saw the Men In Black squeeze over the line to narrow the gap to two points. Some coach killing moments followed as Spartans searched for a winner but Leek escaped and really should have scored out wide, only being denied by some frantic black defence. With the game appearing over Spartans made a final visit into the Leek half and were awarded a mystery penalty in a difficult position, but up stepped Tom Hardy who bisected the uprights perfectly. Leek had time for a kick off which Spartans made a complete hash of, and with time up the visitors had a thirty-five metre penalty directly in front of the posts to reclaim their game. With everyone holding their breath and hiding their eyes Leek hooked the shot and it was game over. Ronnie Biggs would have been delighted.

Spartans take a well-earned break from league action over Christmas and will be looking for a big improvement in the New Year.

Merry Christmas All