As it was Bees lost but this was another vast improvement on the form they showed either side of New Year in a run which saw them lose 50-7 to rivals Coventry at the start of the month.

The return to something approaching form is just as well with the Powergen Shield home semi-final against Bedford next weekend.

Director of rugby Phil Maynard said: "We should have won. If Tim Walsh had kicked all his points and we had not thrown an interception pass we would have won."

A brace from winger Nick Baxter and an opportunist try by scrum-half Paul Knight were not enough to more than rock Albion, particularly as Walsh missed all but one of the conversions as well as a routine penalty.

Maynard was less than impressed by the handling of the game by South African referee Bruce Robertson, especially his interpretation of driving mauls, claiming Albion were repeatedly driving into their own players ahead of the ball --a tactic which lead to two tries.

All in all, though, Maynard was not too displeased by a display which showed character and signs that Bees were again finding their sting.

He said: "It was not too far off our early-season performances.

"We are not interested in the league any more. We have a big game coming up and that is what we are building towards now."

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