Bath 16-13 Leeds Carnegie: Abendanon try highlight of an edgy win for stuttering Bath

A SUPERB Nick Abendanon try straight after half-time helped earn off-colour Bath their second win in eight days at the expense of Leeds Carnegie.

Abendanon latched on to a cleverly disguised inside pass from fly-half Butch James and outpaced the cover, rolling over to touch down as he was caught on the line. Olly Barkley converted and added three penalties.

Otherwise, it was another patchy performance from Bath, who failed to subdue the Leeds pack as easily as they had London Irish on New Year's Day.

It was frustrating for the bottom side, who had plenty of possession and territory and overcame the loss of scrum-half Warren Fury to the sin-bin in the first half to lead 6-3 at one stage.

Despite talk of Bath "narrowing" their game to win ugly when necessary, they opened up with plenty of pace and width, but could not finish off. Eventually Barkley kicked a tenth-minute penalty from 40 metres.

The visitors were quickly back on the attack and on 25 minutes, Leeds' persistence - and Bath infringements - earned Ceiron Thomas the chance to level the scores from 30 metres.

Fury was then yellow-carded for killing the ball and it looked grim for Leeds when half-back partner Lachlan MacKay was forced off with an injury but Bath continued to butcher opportunities.

Just before Fury returned from the sin-bin, Barrow put his side ahead with a drop-goal - the lead lasted only six minutes, however, as Barkley landed a penalty on the stroke of half-time.

Within 60 seconds of the restart, Bath shrugged off the mid-winter blues with Abendanon's classy score.

Leeds could quickly have gone further behind but Leeds set up camp in the corner and England hooker Steve Thompson eventually peeled off a maul to score.

Thomas added the conversion to bring the sides level at 13-13 - but Barkley's 68th-minute penalty secured an edgy Bath victory.

Scorers: Bath: Try: Abendanon. Con: Barkley. Pens: Barkley 3. Leeds Carnegie: Try: Thompson. Con: Thomas. Pen: Thomas. Drop Goal: Barrow.

Bath: Cuthbert; Banahan, Barkley, Hape, Abendanon; James, Claassens; Barnes, Mears, Wilson, Hooper, Grewcock, Skirving, Moody, Taylor. Subs: Dixon, Bell, Jarvis, Fernandez Lobbe, Van der Glessen, Cook, Vesty, Biggs

Leeds Carnegie: Thomas; Blackett, Fa'afili, S Barrow, Stephenson; MacKay, Fury; Hardy, Thompson, Swainston, T Denton, Wentzel, Oakley, Fourie, Browne. Subs: Nilsen, MacDonald, Denman, Myall, To'oala, Mathie, Burrell, Hinton..

Referee: J Doyle.