DROITWICH boosted their bid to retain their status in Midlands Two West (South) with a battling 16-15 win at fellow strugglers Old Leamingtonians.
It was not the most fluent display from second bottom Spa who were four points behind the Leamington side before the game.
But their first half performance which included a try from Sean Porker and solid kicking from Bobby Scott-Walker, helped the visitors record a valuable victory.
With plenty riding on the encounter, director of rugby Duncan Hughes expected a tight affair, but after the opening 40 minutes the match appeared to be going one way.
Despite an early penalty from Ciaran O’Connor, which gave OLs the lead, Droitwich controlled the first period and eventually turned pressure into points.
Good phase play and attacking lines from Sam Davenport and Dan Wilkinson saw Spa pin the hosts back before Scott-Walker added two penalties.
Droitwich were growing in confidence as Luke Topping turned the ball over in midfield which allowed Nick Godfrey to attack the opposing line.
Hughes’s men continued to gain metres before Ed Wormington and Gregor McLeod created an overlap for Porker to score in the corner. Scott-Walker added the extras.
The fly half slotted home a further three points from the tee as Spa opened up a 16-3 lead at half time to put them in a strong position going into the second half.
And Droitwich would have been looking to start from where they left off after the break, but OLs had other ideas as they came storming out of the blocks.
Spa started to lose their way as the hosts reduced the deficit with a try from Bradley James. Numerous penalties against Droitwich also did not help their cause and after a rolling maul the Leamington side added a converted try to put them within a point.
For the last ten minutes, Spa were forced to defend their line, but they clung on to secure a much-needed win thanks to big tackling from skipper James Shewell and Davenport.
