On a bright Autumnal day in Leicestershire, the inform Sutton team and their loyal travelling supporters endured a frustrating, forward dominated game but Sutton were able to match their difficult opponents and show enough of their attacking flair and sparkle to secure a 29-3 bonus point victory over a powerful Syston side, who are more dangerous than their lowly league position would suggest.

Although the game was dominated by scrums and forward play as preferred by their opponents and was not the open flowing rugby that Sutton prefer, the visitors showed good judgement and game management to produce a four try to nil winning margin with centre Alex White leading the Sutton scorers with 2 tries plus 3 conversions and a penalty for a personal tally of 19 points. The other tries were scored by flanker Brook Davies and freerunning no8 Fraser Tait respectively.

With the league table corrected to award Sutton the bonus point that the results service failed to include in the win over South Leicester the previous week and with Old Halesonians losing last weekend, this latest convincing win moves Sutton into a clear second place on 45 points, 1 point behind league leaders Nuneaton and 1 point ahead of Broadstreet in 3rd place with early pace setters Old Halesonians dropping to 4th place on 42 points, in a tight top of the table battle with the games this weekend marking the midpoint of the season.

Sutton started the game strongly and within 5 minutes they had taken a 7-0 lead when the ball was spun out from the base of a ruck in the Syston 22 and quick ball from scrum half Mark Rayner to flyhalf Josh Groom set up flanker Brook Davies, who charged over to score close to the posts giving centre Alex White a simple conversion and Sutton the perfect start.

Syston came back strongly following the restart and they clawed back 3 points when Sutton were penalised for not releasing after the tackle and their tall flyhalf Ian Smith struck an accurate 40 metre penalty to close the score to 3-7 after 12 minutes of play.

The game continued to ebb and flow with neither side taking control and with both sides guilty of unforced errors in the early untidy exchanges, the play was somewhat disjointed with scrums being the dominant element of play but gradually Sutton came to terms with their difficult scrummaging opponents and 6 minutes before the interval centre Alex White powered over for a try following a break down the right wing by Sutton captain Dave Edwards, which took play deep into the Syston 22. Alex White converted his own try to give Sutton a 14-3 lead and then the centre extended the Sutton lead to 17-3 with the last kick of the first half when the home side were penalised in front of their own posts.

The second half proved to be a scrappy affair with both sides showing strong defence to snuff out any promising attacks but it was the visitors who enjoyed the best of the exchanges and mid way through the final period Fraser Tait, standing at the back of a Sutton lineout in the Syston 22, caught a long throw to the back of the line and a few long strides plus a long reach allowed the talented no8 to stretch over the try line for Sutton's 3rd try. Alex White added the touchline conversion to extend Sutton's lead to 24-3 with 20 minutes to play.

With the game all but secure, Sutton went in search of the all important 4th try and a valuable bonus point but a defiant Syston were not going to concede easily and it took all of Sutton's new found maturity and discipline to keep up the pressure on their powerful hosts, who to their credit were now playing for pride but with great conviction. However, as the final play developed, the relentless Sutton pressure created an opening for no8 Fraser Tait, who raced to the try line through the heart of the Syston midfield defence before releasing the ball which was quickly fed to Alex White who raced in to clinch the game and land the all important 4th try with just 5 minutes to play...

This weekend Sutton welcome Bedford Athletic to the delights of the Roger Smoldon Ground, Walmley Road for their first visit in many years to the home of Sutton rugby. This game will mark the end of the first half of the season and is Sutton's last home game before the Christmas break... so all rugby fans in the Sutton Coldfield area are invited to come along and enjoy a sporting start to the festivities at Sutton Coldfield's premier rugby club, where all will be assured of a warm welcome both at pitch side and in the clubhouse afterwards. KO 2.15