Banahan stars as Bath run hot

Bath crushed Leeds 41-10 at the Recreation Ground to go top of the Guinness Premiership table - for 24 hours at least.

Winger Matt Banahan scored a hat-trick of tries, his third also clinching the bonus point as in-form Bath claimed their seventh win in eight games.

Scrum-half Michael Claassens also crossed for a try and Olly Barkley landed seven kicks out of seven.

Leeds, second from bottom and already with the worst defensive record in the league, suffered late withdrawals in their pack but stuck to their task until their meagre source of possession finally ran dry.

Bath got off to the best possible start as Banahan crashed over in the right corner after just 38 seconds.

Leeds had collected the ball at the kick-off but promptly lost it and Bath switched play left, then right before Nick Abendanon fed the big wing with the scoring pass.

Stretched

Barkley landed a difficult conversion and, when Leeds were stretched again in the seventh minute and caught offside, Barkley added a 30-metre penalty to put his side 10-0 up.

Despite their record of only one Premiership win all season, Leeds were initially competitive at the breakdown and even forced a scrum turnover.

But Bath also littered their display with errors in the first half, bombing a nmumber of scoring chances.

As Leeds refused to roll over, Barkley contented himself with a second penalty on the half hour.

For Leeds, Alberto Di Bernardo landed a penalty from 20 metres out in the closing minutes of the half.

Bath came out firing for the second half and again scored early through Banahan.

Leeds turned over possession in the Bath half and the home side swiftly moved the ball left before Barkley and Abendanon set Banahan free to run in from 30 metres.

Ominously, possession began to dry up for Leeds, and they had a lucky escape when Leigh Hinton only just saved the try when Butch James charged down Di Barnardo's clearance.

The Leeds fly-half attempted a penalty from inside his own half but it backfired badly as Bath ran the ball back from under their own posts, recycling steadily for nearly two minutes before Claassens strolled over through an exhausted defence and Barkley added the conversion.

Hat-trick

Banahan celebrated his hat-trick almost immediately from another long range attack, Barkley having a hand in the try and also adding the conversion.

Tom Biggs did get a late consolation for Leeds with an opportunist effort after 69 minutes, but it was the impressive Barkley who slid in a clever grubber kick for Abendanon to score Bath's fifth try on the final whistle. Inevitably, Barkley notched the conversion.

The vistory takes Bath four points clear of Gloucester but their fierce rivals can again overhaul them on Sunday with a bonus-point win at Newcastle.