Old Laurentians and Newbold-on-Avon on course for last-day..

...title decider.  Rugby round-up: Both claim handsome wins that keep them neck-and-neck at the head of Midlands Two West (South).

Old Laurentians and Newbold-on-Avon remain on course for a last-day title decider after convincing away victories kept them neck-and-neck at the head of Midlands Two West (South).

Laurentians tamed Spartans 31-10 while Newbold emerged from their daunting trip to Pinley with a 32-3 verdict that keeps them level on points.

On a pitch that started heavy and rapidly deteriorated, Newbold forced a string of penalties before making the breakthrough in the 12th minute, skipper Danny Facer sending in Shaun Pollard for a try that was converted by Ethan Wookey.

The recurring pattern of kicks to the corner and driving mauls yielded a penalty try and, after a Pinley penalty had been eclipsed by two Wookey efforts, the Coventry side began to accumulate yellow cards at an unsustainable rate (five in total compared to one for Mark Hyde).

At one stage they were reduced to 11 men and although, ironically, they produced some of their best rugby of the afternoon at that stage they shipped a third try as Wookey was set up by Joss Andrews’s kick through.

It then became a question of whether the Rugby outfit could add the bonus point – a target that was duly achieved, fittingly enough, by another penalty try.

OLs remain top of the table by virtue of having recorded 13 wins to their neighbours’ 12 – the latest success spearheaded by a hat-trick of tries from Ben Scott.

Despite being forced into a late shuffle – fit-again Liam Deery filling in at prop when Chris le Poidevin suffered an M6 blow-out – OLs led 12-3 at the break with Scott’s first two scores, the second converted by Dan O’Brien.

Laurentians had the slope in their favour after the interval and with Scott and first-XV debutant Luke Billyeald running riot down the wings they took complete control.

Billyeald set up a self-converted try for O’Brien and Scott completed his treble to make it 24-3.

Richard Parker added a fifth try eight minutes from time, O’Brien again obliging, before the home pack engineered a consolation pushover from the final play of the game.

At the sticky end of the table, Old Coventrians leapfrogged Old Leamingtonians with a 19-13 triumph at Bericote Road despite falling 8-0 adrift in the first half when they had two players in the sin-bin.

A Bradley James penalty and a pack-powered try by prop Craig Ellis gave the hosts that early boost but OCs then built up a head of steam. A spell of sustained pressure before half-time saw Sam Farrington cross for a try upgraded by Marc Marren who helped himself to seven more points three minutes after the re-start when Mike Morris, Dan Gover and Matty Fielder did the spadework for his touchdown.

Marren made his man-of-the-match status a formality when his towering kick forced a lineout and he nipped over the make it 19-8 after 50 minutes.

OLs displayed admirable spirit, however, colt Rory Sinnott grabbing every opportunity to stretch the visitors’ cover, and a storming run past three would-be tacklers saw him cross in the corner for a try that earns Old Leams their tenth bonus point of the campaign.

Leamington are looking over their shoulders rather than up the table after suffering a 17-5 reverse at Droitwich.

With the hefty home pack enjoying the best of the conditions in the first half, Leamington were under the cosh for long spells and found themselves trailing 12-0 to tries by Sam Davenport – self-converted– and Dan Wilkinson.

Leamington came into their own in the second period, Jim Robertson desperately close to a breakthrough, but too many passes went astray on a bone-numbing day and a well-executed counter-attack saw Droitwich extend their lead with a try by scrum half Chris Danks.

The Spa men did eventually get over the line, Scott Peters getting the final touch to a rolling maul, but they slipped behind their Worcestershire rivals and are now only nine points clear of the bottom-markers.

Nuneaton coach Phil Lewellyn was a relieved man after his side came from behind to edge out Sandbach 17-10.

A try from substitute Rudi Reid backed up by 12 points from Joe Wilson eclipsed a first-minute try by Billy Seddon and a John Smith effort that edged the visitors ahead in the second period. “We’ve got ourselves out of jail,” admitted Lewellyn. “We talked in the huddle at the end that individual performances need to be better.

“Sandbach are a very good attacking side. We offered them good ball without a good chase and it’s no great shock when teams take the chances we give them. It’s something we need to eradicate going forward and it is something we are looking at but we just didn’t quite execute against Sandbach.”

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