Banbury Bulls made it back-to-back wins with a thrilling 28–21 victory away at Long Eaton in a dramatic, momentum-shifting encounter in Nottinghamshire.

It was the home side who struck first on a dry but brisk afternoon. A penalty try was awarded when Quinten Blythe was adjudged to have deliberately knocked a kick behind dead, giving Long Eaton an early 7–0 advantage.

Banbury responded well, with Olly Venni slotting a penalty after Long Eaton were penalised for not rolling away. Soon after, Quinten Blythe atoned for his earlier misjudgment, finishing off a sweeping counter-attack following a crucial Tommy interception. His try reduced the deficit to just one point before a moment of individual brilliance turned the match.

Blythe again was at the heart of it — a sidestep, a hand-off and a perfectly weighted chip through released Charlie Cranley, who dotted down under the posts. The conversion was good, giving Banbury a 15–7 lead.

But Long Eaton weren’t done. A well-executed breakthrough in the midfield brought them right back into the contest, and a yellow card for Ed Berridge, punished for killing the ball, tilted the momentum further in the hosts’ favour. They capitalised, with their scrum-half sniping over to put them ahead 21–15 at the break.

Half Time - Long Eaton 21-15 Banbury

The second half saw a rejuvenated Banbury side take control. Back to a full complement, they moved the ball with increased fluency. Another slick move down the right wing found Cranley in space, and he finished well for his second of the day. Though the conversion was missed, Banbury had closed the gap to one.

With the pressure mounting, Banbury laid siege to the Long Eaton try line. Persistence paid off as Venni darted over in the corner to give the visitors a deserved lead. Another missed conversion kept things tight, but a penalty from Tommy GrGrey awarded for not rolling away gave Banbury some much-needed breathing room at 28–21.

Long Eaton rallied late and laid siege to the Banbury line in the dying moments, but a crucial turnover from Drabble ended the final assault and secured a hard-fought win for the visitors.

The Bulls now turn their focus to next weekend’s challenge at home to Bromsgrove, brimming with confidence after another gutsy performance on the road.

Full Time - Long Eaton 21-28 Banbury

Long Eaton
Starting XV
15 Ben Milton; 14 Jacob Abraham; 13 Ryan Beresford; 12 Harvey Mason; 11 Tomas Kelly; 10 George Finney; 9 Murray McConnell;
1 Declan Neary; 2 Scott Parry; 3 Tinashe Mwashayireni; 4 Jack Collister; 5 Joshua Brookes; 6 Matthew Sanderson; 7 Callum Painter-Heywood; 8 Lewis Michael Giddings;

Replacements [/b
16 Matthew J Freer; 17 Luke Daft; 18 Toby Keen;

[b]Banbury
Starting XV
15 Quinten Blythe; 14 Owen Wildgoose; 13 Callum Tarbit; 12 Dan Hale; 11 Charlie Cranley; 10 Tommy Gray; 9 Olly Venni;
1 James Leonardi; 2 Kelvyn Togia; 3 Sean Woollard; 4 Jacob Turner; 5 Will Thurlow; 6 Matt Dandy; 7 Jacob Drabble; 8 Ed Berridge;

Replacements
16 Quade Leo; 17 James Hibbert; 18 Joe Mills;