Table-topping Towcester completed their unbeaten League sweep with a final victory over Northampton rivals Old Scouts.

But early on, the match looked like an end of season game too far for Tows, who had struggled to find 18 fit players to travel to Scouts.

Their growing injury list saw scrum half Harry Hopewell playing in the backrow while prop Sam Smith dropped to the second row.

Tows’ shaky start saw them concede two penalties but side-stepping full-back James Falvey kept them in the game with fine solo effort out wide.

Scouts bagged a try of their own as the shuffled Tows side struggled to find a rhythm and added another penalty to lead 14-5 at half time.

Fired up by the half time team talk, Tows hit back through Smith who burrowed over after relentless pressure from the forwards.

A fourth penalty for Scouts increased their lead but they then casually allowed the ball to bounce at the restart.

Following the kick like a bloodhound, hooker Richard Tustian pressurized the last defender over the try line for flanker Joe Threlfall, who played brilliantly, to score.

Falvey’s conversion brought the scores level at 17-17. An injury to Martyn Harvey saw Hopewell move from the backrow to fly half and Tows looked more like their normal selves.

A free-flowing more saw Chrissie George score out wide and Falvey landed his best kick of the day from the margins to put Tows ahead.

In the final quarter, coach Darren Snook and non-playing captain Marc Yeates came on as replacements for their first games of the season.

Tows went further ahead through James Cartwright but Scouts pinched a score back to make it 22-29.

Using the wind to peg back the hosts, a catch and drive from an ensuing line-out saw Tustian muscle over for the final try of the Tows season.