Indiscipline haunts Leamington

Leamington’s 12th Midlands One West defeat of the season suggested better times ahead, with the home side only wrapping up victory in the closing stages.

Spa started the brighter and in the early exchanges Mark Baldwin broke through at pace and then Simon Tyler put further pressure on the home side with a powerful jinking run.

The deadlock was broken in the 15th minute when Worcester slotted over a penalty.

Spa continued to probe the Worcester defence and their positive play was rewarded with a Patrick Northover penalty.

The visitors took the lead with a further penalty for Northover after Simon Harry was impeded on his way down from claiming a 22-metre dropout.

Hopes of a half-time advantage disappeared, though, with Worcester scoring a try just before the break.

Worcester hit Spa from the restart with a barrage of attacks down the far wing. The home side were awarded four scrums in succession and Spa had to dig deep to resist the pressure, Northover eventually alleviating the danger with a long-range clearance.

Indiscipline has been a feature of Spa’s season and it returned to haunt them, with Worcester extending their lead with a penalty.

The game was still evenly poised, with Simon Tyler repeatedly punching holes in the Worcester defence.

However, the home side’s resilience was eventually rewarded when they scored an unconverted late try to put the game out of Leamington’s reach.