Banbury Bulls battled bravely at the Graf but ultimately came up short against a powerful Stourbridge side, falling 29–15 in a hard-fought, bruising encounter. In a match that saw four yellow cards and one red shown to the visitors, it was the Bulls' injury woes and lack of firepower out wide that made the difference on the day.

Banbury started the match brightly, exploiting two early yellow cards for Stourbridge to take a deserved lead. Joe Mills dotted down in the clubhouse corner, followed by a smart quick tap from Tommy Gray setting up Calum Tarbit to extend the advantage to 12–3.

Stourbridge hit back as Tarbit saw yellow for a deliberate knock-on, taking full advantage of the extra space to score under the posts and close the gap to just two points at the break.

Half Time - Banbury 12-10 Stourbridge

The second half was always going to be a challenge for Banbury after three first-half injuries left them with a heavily reshuffled side — at one stage fielding 11 forwards and just 3 backs. Stourbridge wasted no time, scoring twice in quick succession to take control at 22–12.

Tommy Gray nailed a monster penalty from near halfway to give the hosts hope, and a red card for a reckless high tackle from Stourbridge momentarily tilted momentum. But a costly knock-on while trying to attack from deep allowed the visitors to pounce and extend their lead once more.

Despite two late yellow cards reducing Stourbridge to just 12 players and a bizarre second yellow — and sending off — for their hooker in stoppage time, Banbury couldn't find a way through.

Full Time - Banbury 15-29 Stourbridge

It was a gutsy, never-say-die effort from the Bulls, made all the more impressive given the injury crisis and lack of backline options in the second half. They’ll look to regroup quickly as Syston visit the Graf next weekend.

Banbury RUFC
Starting XV
15 Joe Mills; 14 Jacob Drabble; 13 Callum Tarbit; 12 Gus Stapleton; 11 Charlie Cranley; 10 Tommy Gray; 9 Dan Kirwin;
8 James Hibbert; 7 Matt Dandy; 6 Quade Leo; 5 Jacob Turner; 4 Will Thurlow; 3 Simon Bailey; 2 Sean Woollard; 1 James Leonardi;

Replacements
16 Thomas Greatorex-Sanderson; 17 Louis Tooth; 18 Alexander Nicholls;

Stourbridge RFC
Starting XV
15 Dan Johnson; 14 Edmund Morgan; 13 Ty Lewis; 12 Arthur Morgan; 11 Dallas Ororo; 10 James Westwood; 9 Michael Heaney;
8 Drew Harper; 7 James Rodley; 6 Callum Bradbury; 5 Dylan Davies; 4 William Webb; 3 Ryan Smeilus; 2 Nicholas Selway; 1 Mark George;

[b] Replacements [/b
16 Ryan Wainwright; 17 Finlay Hayward; 18 Russell Brown;