Trinity Guild 13

Atherstone RFC First XV 8

ATHERSTONE'S race for the Midlands Five West (South East) title suffered a major setback as their promotion rivals took the points from their top-of-the-table clash.

Atherstone remain top of the table with a superior points difference but, with only two more league fixtures against Guild's three, the Ratcliffe Road outfit are now reliant on other teams throwing down a banana skin for their rivals.

The home side had the bit firmly between their teeth early on as Atherstone failed to find their rhythm.

Guild clocked up 10 points from two unconverted tries in the first 10 minutes and Atherstone had to work hard to get into the game, with James Redman doing well to provide his colleagues with an attacking platform.

Every break made by Atherstone was met with strong opposition, and indiscipline then provided Guild with their final points of the half as they added a penalty.

The Atherstone pack continued to work hard to secure ball and eventually scored a penalty through Nick Cameron to make it 13-3 at the break.

Atherstone started the second half well with an unconverted try cutting the deficit to just five points.

Dan King received Cameron's pass and worked his way through the defence, dragging his tackler over the line with him as he grounded the ball.

Guild were not content to sit back and defend their lead, forcing the visitors to continually up their work rate to try and bridge the gap.

The packs locked horns in a battle for dominance and possession, trying to provide their backs with the platform they needed to add more points to the board.

Unforced errors and indiscipline were rife in the second half and Atherstone found it difficult to break their way through Guild's back line.

Whether it was the importance of the outcome or a cumulative lack of form on the day, nothing went right for the visitors.

As the game entered its final phase with one score in it, a series of penalties in Atherstone's favour raised hopes but as with most of the game, the luck was not with the men in black.

Atherstone's next league fixture is a home match in two weeks' time while Guild travel to Copsewood.

Atherstone RFC Second XV 3

Trinity Guild Second XV 24

ROB Webster scored the only points for Atherstone in an encounter which saw the home side going down to 13 men.

Guild took the upper hand in the first half, with two tries, one of which was converted.

The home side fought well, with Tom Swinerton making an excellent debut at scrum half. However, the visitors were able to capitalise on their two-man advantage to run in 12 more points.