IT WAS another week and another win for Swindon College Old Boys as they claimed a 27-12 away victory over Crowthorne.

Tucker Blinkhorn, Florin Palcau and Charlie Grabe all dotted down as Martin Lloyd’s side registered their 13th successive Berks, Bucks & Oxon Premier win of season.

The result means College are now 20 points clear of second-placed Drifters at the top of the table, although head coach Lloyd admits his troops were pushed all the way against a tough team.

“We knew they were quite a tough old outfit. We ran away with the first half the first time we played them and it was kind of a mirror image at the weekend,” said Lloyd.

“We started really well and it looked like we were going to rack up a score but they just dug in and defended.

“They started to do well in the breakdown area and dominate that so when they were going forward, they were a real handful.

“They were a really good rugby side and to be honest, I think there was parity in the forwards but we were just that little bit too slick and sharp in the backs.”

Lloyd believes the tough game will benefit his troops in the long run, as opposed to some of the more straightforward encounters.

“When you play against a team which is strong up front, it’s more realistic for us and it is a really good test,” added the College boss.

“What it does is it shows areas where we need to improve. When you score lots of tries and run away with it, you don’t really get to know what it is like to be put under pressure.

“It showed us some areas that we need to concentrate on. There are some areas in our defence that we need to work on.

“It’s nothing too worrying and it is easily addressable with a few training sessions just to tighten things up.

“Our defence is very good, you can tell that from the number of tries scored against us, but like most teams, we do lose concentration sometimes.”

Meanwhile, in the Dorset & Wilts One North, Supermarine failed to end their winless run as they were beaten 24-12 by second-placed Warminster.

Nigel Hire’s side have now gone nine games since their last victory, which came in early November, and they now sit one place above basement side Devizes 2nd.

This weekend, College tackle Didcot at home, while Marine host Bradford on Avon.