The morning started out chilly and windy, but luckily the threatened rain held off, making the day a lot more pleasant than it could have been otherwise.

The first game pitted the Spartans against the first of their two Banbury RFC opponents. The Spartans started strongly and were immediately on the front foot with some particularly strong attacking play, showing great use of the whole width of the pitch to stretch the opposition defence to score a number of overlapping tries.

Pleasingly, the Spartan’s defence stood firm on the occasions Banbury had possession of the ball and a number of strong tackles near the try line and in one-on-one foot races between Spartan’s defenders and Banbury attackers were a real highlight of the match. A notable mention though to the beautiful cross-field kick that was caught on the full and finished with style to add to an impressive haul of tries. One from the training ground to be proud of. A very good start to the day!

The Spartans continued in the same vein during their second match against Banbury. Consistently disciplined rucking and a number of wins against the head in the scrum allowed the team to retain possession and build momentum in the match. This possession was utilised well with a wide variety of squad members scoring to secure another solid win.

In their final match, versus Old Richians, the team were not as effective at the ruck, which led to a much more closely contested match. However, the Spartan squad dug deep and some determined defence prevented the Old Richians from scoring from their strong surges up field. In the end some good individual runs managed to score enough tries to separate the two teams and secure their third win of the day.

Another positive display from the Spartan squad. The skills of the entire squad are improving all the time, which bodes well for the future.

Many thanks to Banbury and Old Richians for such fantastic day of rugby. We wish you all the best for the rest of your season.