Spartans triumphant in Local Derby

Spartans triumphant in Local Derby

Spartans seized victory over a strong Tamworth side in a match which mirrored the reverse fixture played in October of last year. On the last occasion the boot of Danny Norton struck on multiple occasions to ensure the visitors took the spoils from Coppice Lane by the narrow margin of 4 points. However, roles were reversed on Saturday and this time it was the boot of Tom Hardy which secured the victory for the men in black.

The home side had elected to play on the smaller and narrower of their pitches and the recent poor weather ensured that the playing surface at a Wigginton Park was chewed up within minutes of the kick off. The poor conditions leant themselves to tighter phases of play which led to some crunching hits going in within the first 10 minutes. As a direct result Spartans lost flanker Ed Lambert due to a shoulder injury. Thankfully Spartans had cover
in the form of ex-Tamworth man Daniel Wayne and a slight re-jig of the forwards ensured that the Spartans continued their strong start to the game.

Unfortunately the condition of the pitch worsened as the game progressed and the match was reduced to slow trundles and scrummages. Both teams were struggling to stay on their feet at the breakdown but it was Tamworth who were the first to lose a player to the sin bin and Hardy scored the first of his Spartan penalties as a result.

Hardy was able to add two further penalty kicks to his tally early in the second half to set Spartans up with a 9 point lead. The normally reliable boot of Tamworth’s Danny Norton missed two penalty kicks earned from ruck infringements but the Tamworth 10 was able to take advantage of a Spartans sin bin and make some amends by setting up the best Tamworth attack of the game. A series of phases saw the Spartans defences tested until Tamworth old boy Gary Jones managed to sneak through for the try which was duly converted.

Both sides continued to exchange blows for the remainder of the game and Tamworth looked to have taken advantage of a yellow card against Jamie Owen when they made a break down the wing with the final play of the game. However, the Spartans defence managed to hold strong again and the Tamworth player was mobbed by 3 black shirts and was held up over the try line. The final whistle went with the score 7-9 to Spartans much to the relief of the travelling supporters.

Spartans take a break from league action next weekend when they face Kenilworth in the semi-final of the cup with the game to be played at a neutral venue.