Banbury Bulls claimed a vital victory in the Regional 1 Midlands title race with a gutsy 19–14 win over fellow contenders Bromsgrove in a bruising battle at the Graf UK Stadium.

From the first whistle, the Bulls were on the front foot. On a brisk but dry afternoon, it didn’t take long for the scoreboard to move. A sharp pass from Gus Stapleton released Quinten Blythe, who outpaced the defence and dove under the posts for a superb opening try. The conversion followed: Banbury 7–0.

Bromsgrove hit back quickly with a slick move through their backs, finishing in the right-hand corner. The difficult conversion was missed, and Banbury’s lead was trimmed to two.

Tensions flared mid-half in a fiery exchange that saw three yellow cards brandished – Tommy Gray and Simon Bell sent to the bin for Banbury, with Bromsgrove’s hooker joining them after a multi-player confrontation sparked by Banbury backing up a teammate on the ground. It was 13 vs 14 for ten minutes of chaos.

Banbury responded with grit. Their defence turned over Bromsgrove inside their own 22, and Stapleton capped the move he started, finishing in the clubhouse corner. With the extras added, Banbury led 14–5.

Just before the break, Bromsgrove closed the gap slightly with a penalty after Banbury were penalised for not rolling away.

Half Time - Banbury 14-8 Bromsgrove

The second half began with the same intensity. Bromsgrove slotted another penalty early on to narrow the gap to three — Banbury 14–11 — but the home side refused to be rattled.

Moments later, Banbury’s defensive pressure turned into a counter-attacking masterclass. A turnover inside their own 22 sparked a sweeping move, featuring some smart offloads and ending with Olly Venni releasing Charlie Cranley to finish brilliantly. Though the conversion was missed, Banbury extended their lead to 19–11.

Bromsgrove again responded, this time through the tee after Banbury were penalised for a high tackle near their line. That cut the score to 19–14, setting up a nail-biting final quarter.

As the tension rose, Bromsgrove’s discipline slipped. Two yellow cards in quick succession – the first for persistent scrum infringements and the second for backchat from the scrum-half – left the visitors with just 13 on the field. Banbury managed the game expertly from there, seeing out the final stages to secure a crucial and hard-earned win.

Full Time - Banbury 19-14 Bromsgrove

Player of the Match – Kelvyn Togia
Togia led the defensive charge, throwing himself into every contact and making countless tackles in a display full of heart and bravery. A standout performance in a gritty team effort.

Thank you to match sponsor Eastwood Farms, who presented the award.

Banbury now turn their attention to next week, welcoming Dudley Kingswinford to the Graf UK Stadium, hoping to carry this momentum with them on the road.

Banbury
Starting XV
15 Quinten Blythe; 14 Owen Wildgoose; 13 Augustus Stapleton 12 Daniel Hale 11 Charlie Cranley 10 Thomas Gray 9 Joseph Mills;
1 James Leonardi; 2 Kelvyn Togia; 3 Simon Bailey; 4 Jacob Turner; 5 Douglas Backhouse; 6 Matthew Dandy; 7 James Hibbert; 8 Edward Berridge;

Replacements
16 Sean Woollard; 17 Jacob Drabble; 18 Oliver Venni;

Bromsgrove RFC
Starting XV
15 Oliver Ingram; 14 Thomas Sadler; 13 George Amphlett 12 Will Tanner; 11 Jordan Maddocks; 10 Will Harris; 9 Benjamin Tibbetts;
1 William Parkes; 2 James Gunther; 3 Finn Haynes; 4 Wiliam Llewellyn; 5 Jack Medley; 6 George Meader; 7 Thomas Cubitt; 8 Steven Leach;

[b] Replacements [/b
16 James Constantine; 17 Dylan Beech-Bailey; 18 Ross Attwood