Cirencester's first 15 were condemned to another loss at local rivals Painswick on Saturday.

Ciren were looking to kickstart their league campaign after a poor opening but a slow start and inadequate defence saw them slip to a 42-12 defeat which leaves them at the foot of a closely-fought table.

Painswick, with a pacy threequarter line, started on the attack from the off and Cirencester were quickly two tries down having allowed their opponents to run around them.

The game threatened to even up when No 8 Tristan Chippendale managed to power his way over the line and Andy Thompson converted but the hosts continued to use their backs and half-time saw a demoralising scoreline of 31-7 .

Cirencester managed to produce a more competative display in the second half but Painswick had a clear enough lead not to be concerned by the improvement.

The visitors scored their second try through Thompson following a well-engineered penalty move and the defence improved somewhat but Painswick cantered to a 30-point victory.

The first team can regroup this weekend before the next league fixture at home to Aretians a week on Saturday.

Ciren hope that injured and absent players will return to their fortunes.

The second string enjoyed a more favourable result against their Painswick counterparts at the Whiteway and eventually ran out comfortable 22-10 winners.

The first half was an even affair with Cirencester's only score from young full-back Martin Crouch, which he also converted.

Painswick also scored to leave things at 7-7 .

The second half saw some shrewd tactical changes from home captain Paul Mason and these paid handsome dividends with a converted score from new RAC recruit Tom Payne and a further try claimed by winger Mason Crouch who converted and added a penalty goal to take his personal tally to 12 points .

The third team travelled to Stroud neighbours Cainscross last Saturday to play their second team and were narrowly beaten 10-17.

This was the first match between the two clubs for a number of years and it was played with an excellent spirit with the hosts kindly lending Ciren a player. The Cirencester team contained seven players under 18 with scores coming from Matt Carter who used his

immense strength to drive over from 15 metres out.

Newcomer Scott Lee added a second touchdown after sidestepping the home defence inside his own half and sprinting over from 50 metres as the mix of youngsters and veterans put in an encouraging performance.