Banbury Bulls fell to a frustrating 43–27 defeat at home to Long Eaton in their eighteenth outing of the season, in a match where defensive lapses and missed opportunities cost them dearly.

The visitors struck early, dominating possession and territory before crossing for two well-taken tries to build a 14–3 lead. Tommy Gray gave Banbury their first points with a long-range penalty, but it was Ollie Nicholl’s sharp footwork and finish that gave the Bulls a lifeline before half-time.

Half Time - Banbury 8-14 Long Eaton

The second half began brightly for the hosts. Dan Hale capped off a brilliant counter-attack to bring the score to within a point, but the Bulls couldn’t sustain the momentum. Each time Banbury clawed back into contention, Long Eaton hit back with quickfire scores, punishing missed tackles and capitalising on yellow cards.

Charlie Cranley’s try, set up by a silky Tommy Gray break, made it 20–21, but Long Eaton’s efficient response took the sting out of the comeback. Despite a late burst from Tom MacDonald under the posts, the visitors sealed the win with a final flourish — their sixth try of the afternoon.

Full Time - Banbury 27-43 Long Eaton

Doug Backhouse was named 1st XV Player of the Match for his tireless shift, while match sponsors Graf UK Ltd were in attendance to present the award. Banbury will need to regroup quickly as they look to return to winning ways next week.

Banbury RUFC
Starting XV
15 Joe Mills; 14 Callum Tarbit; 13 Gus Stapleton; 12 Dan Hale; 11 Charlie Cranley; 10 Tommy Gray; 9 Ollie Nicholl;
1 James Leonardi; 2 Sean Woollard; 3 Simon Bailey; 4 William Thurlow; 5 Douglas Backhouse; 6 Quade Leo; 7 Jacob Drabble; 8 Jacob Turner

Replacements
16 Louis Tooth; 17 Tom Macdonald; 18 Sam Cox;

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

[b] Replacements [/b
16 Toby Keen; 17 Max Chambers; 18 Caled Smith;