Old Leamingtonians First XV produced a superb display of attacking rugby to secure a record 71–19 victory over local rivals Leamington RFC in front of a packed touchline on Sponsors’ Day.

Local derbies always carry something extra, but OL wasted no time in taking control. From the opening scrum, the forwards established their dominance, giving scrum-half Mark Foley quick, clean ball and allowing the backs to play with pace and ambition.

The breakthrough came after just three minutes and set the tone for what followed.

OL attacked relentlessly, combining powerful forward carries with fast, clinical rugby out wide. Leamington battled to stay in the contest, but the home side’s intensity with and without the ball kept them under sustained pressure.

One of the highlights of the first half came just before the interval. A perfectly judged cross-field kick found the OL right wing in space, who gathered cleanly and raced in beneath the posts.

Half-time: OLRFC 33–7 Leamington RFC.

Leamington came out fighting after the break and scored early, but OL’s response was immediate. Another home try restored the momentum before the forwards demonstrated their power by driving their local rivals backwards over their own line for another converted score.

Leamington added a third try from an interception, taking them to 19 points, but that would be their final score.

From there, OL took complete control.

The defence remained aggressive, the forwards continued to dominate and the backs exploited the space created as OL pushed relentlessly towards the 70-point mark.

By the final whistle, eleven tries and eight conversions had delivered a remarkable 71–19 victory and a result to remember against our nearest rivals.

Try scorers: Charlie Thwaites (4), Ben Miller (2), Will Monks (2), Toby White, Jose Vale, plus a penalty try.

Mark Foley was outstanding at scrum-half, but this was ultimately a complete team performance — power up front, pace and precision behind, determined defence and an exceptional work rate across the XV.

A Sponsors’ Day to Remember

To produce a record victory against our local rivals would have been special on any occasion. To do it on Sponsors’ Day, with so many of the businesses and individuals who support OL watching from the touchline, made it even more memorable.

A huge thank you to all our sponsors who joined us. Your support plays an important part in everything we are trying to achieve as a club, and we couldn’t have asked for a better performance to share with you.

Full-time: OLRFC 71–19 Leamington RFC.

A derby. A record win. And a Sponsors’ Day that will live long in the memory.

Next up: OLRFC First XV travel to Berkswell & Balsall on 14 November.