Match Report Courtesy of Martin Easton....

The last round of league fixtures saw KC’s outscore their hosts by five tries to four in a thrilling ding-dong encounter to clinch third place in Mids 2 West (S),six points clear of the Warwickshire side.In the process Kidder notched up their fourth double of a largely successful season in which they amassed the most bonus points and were also the second highest points scorers.
KC’s struck after only three minutes when George Morgan,playing at inside centre in order to accommodate Sam Taylor at flyhalf as three first choice picks in the backs were missing through injury,breached Leamington’s first up defence and fullback Jordan Hatch came into the line to finish off a good handling move but the home side responded on the quarter of an hour mark when their captain,prop Danny Phillips,drove over from a five metre lineout to level the scores at 5-5.
Kidder re-took the lead midway through the half when right wing Laurence Hughes popped up on the other side of the pitch to take an inside pass from centre Jake Evetts and cross for a try ,converted by Taylor.Both sides were looking to run the ball at every opportunity,which made for a very entertaining game of attack and counter-attacking rugby,and it took a try saving tackle by Hatch to stop a flowing Leamington move in it’s tracks before KC’s were caught offside and No 10,Earland,knocked over a penalty from the 22 metre line to reduce the arrears to 12-8.A frenetic ten minutes during which both sides’ attacking ambitions were thwarted by some committed tackling did not produce any further scoring and at the interval the result was still very much in the balance.
Kidder took the game to Leamington straight from the re-start but lost possession in centre field and excellent hands by the hosts put in their No 12,Carroll,which edged them ahead for the only time at 13-12.The visitors were relieved to see the conversion attempt shave the outside of a post and took only four minutes to go in front again when a trademark quick tap penalty by scrumhalf Chris Pinner set up a series of rucks right under Leamington’s crossbar.Skipper Rob Delahay was inches short of the tryline but Pinner was on hand to get the touchdown and the try was easily improved by Taylor.
Five minutes later the home side’s No 8 was yellow carded and although KC’s penalty did not find touch a good chase by debutant winger Chris Alosia forced a knock on and No 8 Layton Wilkinson made good ground from the back of the resulting scrum before the ball was moved wide.Kidder got over the line but were held up and when Pinner tried to dart over from the five metre scrum the ball was lost forward in the tackle and Leamington cleared to their 22.A smart Kidder move at the front of the lineout secured possession again and when Alosia came off his wing a try looked on the cards but the home side managed to rescue the situation at the expense of another five metre scrum from which Morgan,a threat all afternoon, almost broke through,only to be felled by an ankle tap.It was now nearly all Kidder and a strong run by Alex Baldwin set up another series of rucks on Leamington’s line but the home side defended well and it seemed that the crucial fourth try just would not come.
However,with fifteen minutes remaining Hughes led a breakout from a KC’s scrum on their own 22 and some fine phases took play all the way to the hosts’ five metre line where Kidder won a penalty and this time the quick thinking Pinner was over the line before Leamington could react.Taylor added the extras and although Hatch was shown yellow for a deliberate knock on the visitors looked home and hosed when they worked the ball virtually the length of the field and Chris Baldwin held off the last tackler for the fifth try which stretched the lead to 31-13.
In the reverse fixture at the very start of the season KC’s had led 30-15 before Leamington snatched two late converted tries to only lose by a single point and,amazingly,it was a case of déjà vu when firstly the host’s No 6 Shuttleworth went over from a close range scrum and then a pass which looked suspiciously forward sent in scrumhalf Patch Northover unopposed under the posts.Earland improved both scores but the final whistle was blown after the second conversion and,as in September,Leamington had to settle for two losing bonus points whilst Kidder celebrated another hard earned but deserved win.