Banbury Bulls unveiled there new First XV playing kit, sponsored by McBurney Group, on Saturday as they hosted Droitwich at Bodicote Park in their latest Midlands 2 West (South) fixture.

Changes abound once again, with players returning in both the pack and backline. Banbury needed to put in a strong performance to regain their confidence following the previous week's heavy defeat and they started well as the visitors were guilty of a number of penalty offences that stemmed their ryhthym. Some excellent penalty touch finders from the boots of fly half Jed Boyle and centre Pete Papenfus, gave Banbury excellent field position deep in the Droitwich half, but time and again the visitors' defensive line held before the ball was cleared.

The Bulls finally broke the dealock, when Number 8, Simon Brand pounced on a wayward lineout and dorve into the Droitwich 22. As he was tackled 5 metres from the line, the Droitwich defence spilled the ball out the back of the ruck, where supporting flanker Ant McLellan reacted quickest. Showing good footballing skills, he nudged the ball into the try area to dive on the ball and score. Full-back Andrew Joubert was on target and Banbury were 7-0 up.

Further pressure in the Droitwich 22, saw the visitors give up a penalty well within Joubert's range, and the full-back's impressive kicking performance continued and Banbury had a 10-0 lead. Droitwich were still struggling to get any flow to their game, with unforced knock ons and numerous penalties, but their dominance in the scrum was a worrying sign for the home side. With just a few minutes to go before half time, Banbury looked to add a further score from a scrum on halfway. However, the promising move broke down and panic ensued as the Bulls tried to regather the ball. The visiting centre managed to put boot to ball and won the foot race, scoring their opening try. The conversion was missed and the half-time score showed Banbury holding a slender 10-5 lead.

Droitwich came out for the second half, all guns blazing and Banbury just seemed to wilt under the pressure. A converted try after just 5 minutes of the second half saw Droitwich go 12-10 up, a lead that they would not give up for the rest of the game. Time and again the Banbury defensive line was breached, despite some sterling tackling from man-of-the-match Papenfus. Banbury simply could not keep hold of the ball for any length of time and Droitwich ran in a further three unanswered tries. Winger Andrew Collett came close to scoring in the second half but couldn't quite ground the ball, following his chip and chase.

This was to be the only bright spot in a dire second 40 minutes for the home side, as Droitwich ran out deserved winners by 33-10. Banbury travel away to Leamington this coming Saturday in what may prove to be a season-defining fixture, and an improved performance by all is certainly required.