REDDITCH Ravens slumped to a 76-14 defeat at home to a far more experienced Leicester Phoenix side.

But the Studley-based outfit produced a battling display and the scoreline was much improved on their first encounter with the East Midlanders.

Injury and work commitments had also taken their toll on the Ravens who were forced to play without a number of key players.

The first 20 minutes were quite even with both teams trying to gain the initiative. Ravens showed great enterprise and pressurised the Phoenix line but failed to make a breakthrough due, in large, to poor decision making.

The Ravens' heads dropped and the Leicester experience began to show as in the last 20 minutes of the first half they ran in five tries.

The second half started with three quick tries from the visitors but this spurred Redditch on and they hit back with three well-worked tries, two of them coming from Mark McGrann burrowing over close to the line after coming on as a substitute. Lee Jones scored the third, powering his way over the line.

Gareth Thomas managed to kick just the one conversion but it meant he maintained his record of scoring in every Ravens' game.

John Hannah was Redditch man of the match.