Bragging rights go to Kenilworth after derby win

Kenilworth returned to Midlands Two West (South) action after the festivities with a vital bonus-point win at near-neighbours Leamington, writes Ralph Murray.

In a busy start, Kenilworth provided the early threat with a series of runs inside the Leamington 22.

From one such attack Leamington attempted to clear their lines but the kick was skillfully gathered by prop Jake Dodd who took a direct line toward the in-goal area.

With the defence closing, Dodd found Simon Tyler on an inside line and he ran the ball in from 15 metres to open the scoring against his former team.

Almost from the restart, Leamington drove to within ten metres of the visitors’ line after an initial break from Tom Jewitt. But despite a five-minute spell of pressure, Ks’ disciplined defence denied them any reward.

This series was eventually brought to a halt by a bullocking run out of defence from Bobby Thompson, with the ball finding its way to Jimmy Middleton who set off down the left wing.

The play came to an end with a Leamington scrum, from which the hosts mounted another attack. But, with men outside, the centre kicked straight into the arms of Nyle Beckett.

A series of disrupted scrums followed, with the deadlock being broken by Gaz Renowden putting a smart kick behind the defence and finding touch inside the home 22.

Ks won the lineout but lost possession and Leamington broke out with a kick and chase and a score looked on only for an infringement at the tackle to hand a penalty to Kenilworth.

Ks won the ensuing lineout and set up play in midfield with the ball moved right towards Beckett on the wing where Ross Lowthian was also in attendance. The front-rower showed great agility to step the first defender, hand off the second and then outfox the last man to slide over for the second try of the afternoon.

As from the previous restart, Leamington drove to within ten metres of Ks’ line but again the visitors’ defence was solid and play was brought to an abrupt halt with a shuddering tackle from Renowden who was playing with his customary commitment.

Leamington did get on the board before the break, however, with a Jewitt penalty bringing it back to 14-3.

After a fairly ordinary first half, Leamington began the second period at a rush with Nick Maxwell, Craig Smith and Jack Secher combining well. But again, the final pass went astray and the opportunity was lost.

From the first scrum of the second period Renowden picked up and darted up the middle of the field. With his pace taking him past the first line of defence he had options either side but a final step beat the last defender to allow him to touch down under the posts.

Another two from Kendall extended the lead to 18 points and a rout looked likely.

Leamington had no intention of folding, however, and from the restart drove inside Ks’ 22 and were awarded a penalty.

A quick tap-and-go saw the ball spun left to Jack Secher who stepped his man smartly to score close to the posts.

That score sparked Kenilworth to greater urgency and from the restart they surged forward with a series of good phases moving the ball right and left.

The backs showed great patience in their execution and the gap eventually opened for Middleton to dive over for the bonus-point score.

As the final quarter approached, Leamington were enjoying their best period of the match.

But the visitors were resolute in their defence and kept the home side at bay for long periods until a five-metre scrum provided a real opportunity to narrow the gap.

Despite the front rows standing up, play continued and a blindside gap provided the avenue for Spa’s second try, scored by Greg Melville.

The tempo of the game was on the up and the increased speed brought with it additional handling errors which squandered chances for both teams.

As Leamington pressed, another thundering tackle from Renowden snuffed out the threat only for the referee to adjudge that he arrived early and issue a yellow card.