RUGBY UNION: Banbury pipped (From The Oxford Times)

RUGBY UNION: Banbury pipped

10:30am Tuesday 5th March 2013 in Rugby

Midlands 2 West South

BANBURY Bulls were left frustrated by a 21-17 home defeat to 14-man Earlsdon.

The visitors had No 8 Iain sent off for a second yellow card and were down to 13 men at one point after scrum half Robert Jones was sin-binned, but edged home.

Lock Andrew Clarke scored both of Earlsdon’s tries to give them a 10-5 half-time lead.

In between, Banbury No 8 Simon Brand bagged a pushover try.

Brand went over from a tapped penalty to make it 10-10, but centre Rhys Roberts scored for Earlsdon.

Forsyth’s red card and Jones’s yellow preceded a try from Banbury flanker Chris Phillips, who barged over for fly half Jed Boyle to convert.

But two penalties from fly half Chris Scott won it for Earlsdon.

Banbury are 11 points above the relegation zone, but Shipston-on-Stour have a game in hand on them.