Leek 27, Spartans 12.

Leek 27, Spartans 12.

The long journey north proved a step too far as Spartans travelled to an in-form Leek side backed by a large and noisy crowd, and it was the home side who took the honours.

It was one of those days when Spartans struggled to find their mojo and from the first whistle it was clear Leek would use their massive forwards more than their lively backs. Spartans dug in and managed to stem the flow, breaking into the Leek half occasionally but never looking very threatening and the game was very much a stop/start affair. The Men In Black made sure the scoreboard remained unchanged with some very stubborn resistance and Leek missing a very kickable penalty, but on the stroke of half time Leek drove over from a lineout for a five point lead.

The second half began with Leek taking a direct approach, and their well-fed forwards gradually began to take over as they drove the ball. The Spartan resistance was eventually broken by two mystery yellow cards in quick succession and with two men short Leek needed no invitations to drive their lineouts again and again, scoring two tries in the process. With one carded player back on the field the black backs finally found some daylight and scorched in for a reply, but before the second Spartan could return Leek finally decided to use their own backs to score a fine try. In the final quarter Spartans worked really hard around the field and were rewarded with a great try as the battered forwards won enough ball to release the backs for a try under the posts. Try as hard as they might, Spartans couldn't find another score and the game fizzled out with the home side worthy winners.

This week Spartans make an equally long journey west to Ludlow.