They say there’s nothing quite like a local derby and when your opposition are quite literally OVER THE HEDGE, there’s absolutely nowhere to hide!
Friday night saw Leamington Colts welcome our neighbours, Old Leamingtonians, for a much-anticipated league clash under the floodlights.
No lengthy away journeys, no sat nav required, just two local sides, a healthy rivalry and plenty of pride at stake.

And what a night it turned out to be!
Nine tries between the two sides, 71 points on the scoreboard, a fantastic crowd and a clubhouse full of celebrations afterwards!

THE BATTLE OF THE HEDGE BEGINS!

There was a brilliant atmosphere at Moorefields as supporters from both clubs turned out in force.
Parents, grandparents, friends, injured players, senior men’s and women’s players and plenty of familiar faces lined the touchlines, creating exactly the sort of atmosphere that makes Friday night rugby so special.

And with both clubs so close to one another, there was certainly no shortage of friendly rivalry! OL’s came out ready for battle, opening the scoring with a converted try to take an early 7-0 lead. But Leamington weren’t about to let the neighbours have all the fun!

Captain Ewan Mort led the response, crossing the line to get Leamington on the scoreboard. VC Harry Unsworth added the conversion, bringing the scores level at 7-7.

Game on!
And from there, Leamington began to find their rhythm.

THE COLTS FIND ANOTHER GEAR!

The home side started putting together some fantastic passages of rugby, moving the ball, supporting each other and putting pressure on the OL’s defence.

Will Keeshan was next to cross the whitewash, putting Leamington ahead for the first time. Harry Unsworth added the extras to make it 14-7.
And the lads weren’t finished!
Jacob Haddow got himself on the scoresheet, extending Leamington’s advantage to 19-7 and another successful conversion from Harry took the score to 21-7.

OL’s responded with another try and conversion, reducing the deficit to 21-14 and reminding everyone that this local derby was far from over.
But Leamington were finding their confidence, and the home crowd were loving it!

MORE TRIES, MORE NOISE AND ONE VERY ENTERTAINING SECOND HALF! ???

With both teams determined to get the better of their neighbours, the second half continued to deliver plenty of action.
Jacob Haddow crossed again, securing his second try of the evening and extending Leamington’s lead to 26-14. Joe Blackwood produced a swan dive over the try line! Now, whether that was entirely necessary or whether Joe had spotted club photographer Abby King pointing her camera in his direction, we’ll leave you to decide!

Either way, it was another five points for Leamington. Harry Unsworth added the conversion, taking the score to 33-14.
Still the tries kept coming...
Jacob Haddow completed his hat-trick, crossing for his third try of the evening. A fantastic individual achievement, but one made possible by the work of the players around him. Harry was once again successful from the tee, extending the home side’s lead to 40-14.

Credit to OL’s, though, because they weren’t giving up. The visitors continued to battle, adding further points and ensuring Leamington couldn’t afford to switch off.

But the home side had one more try up their sleeves! Oliver Powell rounded off the scoring for Leamington, taking the home side to 45 points.
OL’s continued fighting until the end, adding a conversion to their final try and bringing the score to:

LEAMINGTON COLTS 45 – 26 OLD LEAMINGTONIANS COLTS

A cracking local derby and another fantastic league victory for Leamington!

A PERFORMANCE TO BE PROUD OF

There was plenty for the coaches to be pleased about on Friday evening. The attacking rugby, the teamwork, the determination and, perhaps most importantly, the confidence that comes from seeing all those hours on the training pitch paying off. It was also brilliant to see so many members of the wider club coming down to support the Colts. Having some of the senior men’s and women’s teams watching, alongside parents, friends and injured teammates, made the evening feel like a real club occasion.

Coach Callum Manley was full of praise afterwards:
“The lads put on a performance to be proud of. In front of the men and the women’s team, the result shows all the hard work all the lads have put in.
It’s a sweet feeling to get this result and last week’s result, 100%!
So, so proud of every lad playing or even getting down to support tonight.”

And that really sums it up. Two league victories in consecutive weeks, against Stratford and now OL’s, are a fantastic reward for the effort the whole squad has been putting in.

AND THEN THERE WAS THE CLUBHOUSE…

Now, we’d love to tell you that everyone headed straight home afterwards for an early night and some sensible post-match recovery.

But this is Colts rugby.
And there was pizza. LOTS of pizza.
The clubhouse was absolutely buzzing after the game, with players, parents, coaches and supporters enjoying the evening together.

Although, as it turns out, the rugby wasn’t the only impressive performance of the night.

STEP FORWARD, JON!

Because apparently, Jon has a rather unexpected talent. The ability to make a pint of liquid disappear at a speed that genuinely left people questioning whether they’d actually witnessed it!

One minute, full pint.
Next minute… gone.
His teammates were on their feet, jumping up and down, cheering like he’d just scored the winning try in a World Cup final! ?

And his dad?
Well, despite the evidence suggesting this might not have been Jon’s first rodeo, Dad was maintaining a very firm position of ABSOLUTELY NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE!
Of course, we believe him.
Entirely. Not suspicious in the slightest.
Whether Jon’s performance makes it into the official club statistics remains to be seen, but it certainly deserves an honourable mention!

MORE THAN JUST A LOCAL DERBY

Friday night was about much more than beating the neighbours. It was about young players growing in confidence, developing their skills and learning to work together. It was about teammates supporting each other, whether they were on the pitch, on the bench or watching from the sidelines. It was about parents, coaches, volunteers and the wider club coming together to support the next generation of rugby players and it was about two local clubs putting on a fantastic evening of rugby.

A huge thank you to Old Leamingtonians for a competitive and entertaining fixture.
To everyone who came down to support, thank you for creating such a brilliant atmosphere. To the coaches and volunteers, thank you for everything you do behind the scenes and a special thank you to Abby King for capturing the action with her fantastic photography!

Most importantly, a massive well done to every single Colt who pulled on the shirt.

Two Friday nights. Two league victories. Plenty of tries and one very happy Colts squad!

COME ON LEAMINGTON COLTS! ????

⸻

? MATCH SUMMARY

Leamington Colts 45 – 26 Old Leamingtonians Colts

? Friday 16th October 2026
? Moorefields, Leamington RFC
? League Fixture
? The Battle of the Hedge!

LEAMINGTON TRY SCORERS

? Ewan Mort (Captain) – 1
? Will Keeshan – 1
? Jacob Haddow – 3 ?
? Joe Blackwood – 1 ?
? Oliver Powell – 1

? Conversions: Harry Unsworth (5)

? FINAL SCORE: 45-26

? Photography: Abby King