Banbury Bulls fell agonisingly short of toppling league leaders Syston in a dramatic comeback attempt at Bodicote Park, eventually going down 21–17 in a tale of two halves that showcased real character from the home side.

It was a nightmare first 40 for the Bulls, with Syston showing exactly why they’re top of the table. Two smartly executed chips in behind the Banbury defence yielded quickfire tries, and a yellow card to James Leonardi only added to the pressure. Syston made full use of the extra man, driving over from a rolling maul to lead 21–0 by the break.

Half Time - Banbury 0-21 Syston

But whatever was said in the Banbury changing room at half-time worked wonders. The second half saw a renewed Bulls outfit come storming back into contention. Quinten Blythe scored early after a sharp pass from Tommy Gray, before Syston lost a man to the bin for a high tackle.

As the visitors began to creak, Banbury seized the moment — James Hibbert powering over from a stolen scrum to bring it to 14–21. A well-taken penalty from Gray narrowed the gap to just four points, setting up a grandstand finish.

Despite playing large periods of the second half with a man advantage due to Syston’s indiscipline — including a second yellow card for a deliberate knock-on — Banbury couldn’t quite find the match-winning score.

Full Time - Banbury 17-21 Syston

A frustrating loss on paper, but one that showed heart, grit and immense improvement after the break. The Bulls will take confidence from running the table-toppers so close, and look to turn that into points when they travel to Kenilworth next weekend.

Banbury RUFC
Starting XV
15 Callum Tarbit; 14 Dan Kirwin; 13 Quinten Blythe; 12 Oscar Triggs; 11 Charlie Cranley; 10 Thomas Gray; 9 Oliver Nicholl;
8 James Hibbert; 7 Jacob Drabble; 6 Matthew Dandy; 5 Jacob Turner; 4 William Thurlow; 3 Simon Bailey; 2 Ethan Gudge; 1 James Leonardi;

Replacements
16 Sean Woollard; 17 Louis Tooth; 18 Sam Cox;

Syston RFC
Starting XV
15 Finlay Nockles; 14 Adam Riley; 13 Morgan Wayte-McPherson; 12 James Smith; 11 Charlie Neale; 10 Matthew Steward; 9 Alexander Andrews;
8 Luke Stewart; 7 Jamie Skerritt; 6 Niall Hurley; 5 Christian Mutch; 4 Harry Foster; 3 Joseph Sutton; 2 Angus Knight; 1 William Roberts;

[b] Replacements [/b
16 Matt Ferguson; 17 Robert Clay; 18 James Rudkin;