A Blistering Plymouth Albion 11-game winning streak came to an end at Brickfields as promotion rivals Blackheath secured a 34–26 win in front of 2,550 supporters.
The defeat ends Albion’s 100 per cent home record and tightens the National One promotion race with five fixtures remaining.
Blackheath seized control early. Three penalties handed them territory and they punished Albion through their driving maul. League-leading try scorer Billy Harding crossed twice, taking his season tally to 39, as the visitors built a commanding first-half lead.
Albion struggled at the lineout and trailed 24–14 at the break despite tries from Harry Wilkinson and Huw Taylor, both converted by Iwan Jenkins.
The hosts responded strongly after half-time. Jack Oulton secured the bonus-point try before Bobby Wigginton finished sharply in the corner to bring Albion within reach.
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But a yellow card for Liam Bishop halted momentum at a crucial stage. Albion pressed for a decisive score, only for Blackheath to win a key breakdown penalty before adding a late kick to seal victory and deny the home side a losing bonus point.
Head Coach Ryan Lamb admitted his side were second best in key areas.
“Fair play to Blackheath, out-hussled us in most areas and were more clinical when they got into the 22 and we struggled to stop their maul.
Disappointing for us that we’ve lost our 100% record at home but it’s all still there for us. Challenge for us now is how the group reacts to a setback.”
Despite the setback, Albion remain second in National One, five points off top spot. They return to Brickfields on March 14 to host Rams RFC in a pivotal fixture in the promotion battle.
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