Banbury had to give best to Midland 2 West (South) leaders Kenilworth at Bodicote Park, going down 36-5.

Winger Simon Tyler went over in the corner and Jonny Cresswell added the extra points to give the visitors the lead after ten minutes.

A late tackle on Banbury captain Ed Phillips saw Kenilworth flanker Steve Todd sin-binned and the home side took advantage of the extra man to get on the scoresheet.

A quick break by Phillips from a scrum on the Kenilworth 22 was offloaded to full back Andrew Joubert, who scored out wide.

Joubert narrowly failed to convert his own try.

Banbury continued to attack but then came a turning point as an interception led to a try from scrum half Gareth Renowden, which was converted by Cresswell.

Banbury responded well with a period of impressive pick-and-go drives from the forwards, Simon Brand and Rory Dymond leading the way. After the interval, Kenilworth went 17-5 clear with a Cresswell penalty and then turned the screw.

A tap penalty caught Banbury napping and prop Ross Lowthian went over for the visitors’ third try.

Cresswell converted for a 24-5 lead.

Kenilworth sensed the kill and Alex Selby notched their fourth try which full back Tom Kendall converted.

Centre Tak Norton went over in the corner to complete the scoring.