Match Report Courtesy of Martin Easton.....

KC’s 46 Leamington 10

This match was a personal triumph for KC’s flyhalf Andy McLellan who amassed thirty one points with four tries,four conversions and a penalty but the result was also reward for a great team effort by all fifteen players and the three replacements who avenged in some style the heavy defeat they had suffered at the hands of their opponents back in December.
The No 10 opened the scoring in the very first minute with a penalty from in front of the posts which needed the help of an upright before dropping over the bar.Five minutes later lock Ewan Thompson stole a Leamington lineout on KC’s 22 and McLellan put in a clearance kick which was returned by the visitors and fielded by skipper Stu Such.He fed the ball inside to his flyhalf and McLellan ran threequarters the length of the pitch to score under the posts for a try which he converted himself to put the hosts ahead 10-0.Their blistering start was sweeping the visitors aside and they should have scored again when the on fire McLellan seized on a loose ball in midfield to launch another attack which was continued by centres Jake Evetts and Nick Martin until wing James Whitehouse was forced inside and Kidder knocked on under Leamington’s posts.The reprieve was,however,shortlived and with the visitors in complete disarray Evetts picked up yet another wayward pass to touch down under the posts.McLellan converted and he then put in a terrific kick to set up an attacking lineout from which No 8 Layton Wilkinson drove over for KC’s third try and a 22-0 lead with less than twenty minutes on the clock.
Having played with such intensity for the first quarter,KC’s inevitably went off the boil and began to concede too many penalties which allowed the visitors back into the game and they were rewarded with a try on the half hour mark.Martin was then yellow carded for tackling a player off the ball,although the collision appeared purely accidental,and KC’s were happy to reach halftime without further mishap.
Martin returned to the field shortly after the restart but KC’s were almost immediately again reduced to fourteen men when Such was sin binned and they were now becoming a little bit ragged and no longer able to dictate play.Unsurprisingly,ten minutes into the half Leamington ran in a second try to reduce the deficit to 22-10 but the experienced Ben Turner and Matt Bennett were introduced in response to the score and gave KC’s a new lease of life.Five minutes later a fine move almost put prop Matt Rigsby in at the corner and midway through the second period the two replacements took the ball on from a ruck on Leamington’s 22 and when McLellan got his hands on it he burst through the visitors defensive line for a bonus point try which he duly improved.Ten minutes later KC’s won an attacking right side lineout and after a couple of drives moved the ball infield and when the irrepressible No 10 got possession he ran around the outside defence to score in the left corner for his hat-trick try.
Now 34-10 ahead,KC’s were again rampant and more good work by the forwards and scrumhalf Chris Pinner,who had probed well round the fringes all afternoon,created a one on one for McLellan which he was never going to spurn for his fourth try and with the final play he combined with Evetts who sent Rigsby over for Kidder’s seventh try ,duly converted,to seal a thoroughly deserved and very convincing win which moves them up a place in the table.
KC’s are playing with self belief under new coach Ian Bletcher and after the Easter break they can look forward with confidence to their last two league fixtures away to Pershore and Cheltenham North who occupy the bottom two positions.Two wins for KC’s could well see them finish a respectable eighth whilst two defeats could spell trouble,so there is still everything to play for.