Bath's Matt Banahan is stopped in his tracks by the Exiles defence

Bath (14) 19
Tries: Banahan, Stephenson
Pens: Barkley (3)

London Irish (9) 16
Try: Broadfoot
Pens: Hickey (3)
Cons: Broadfoot

Bath held off a late London Irish fightback to move to the top of the Guinness Premiership.

Ross Broadfoot's try and conversion on 72 minutes had given the Exiles hope but they were unable to score again.

Bath scored two length-of-the-field tries either side of the break through Michael Stephenson and Matt Banahan.

Olly Barkley and Eoghan Hickey each managed three penalties apiece but Hickey missed two further efforts which could have given the visitors victory.

"These guys have worked very hard. We are not rapt with the performance today but we got the result we wanted.

"The players know they have to deliver now - train hard and play well in the matches. The younger players especially are getting more experienced and getting used to the speed of the Premiership and its physicality.

"I was delighted to see a couple of younger guys in the squad seeing opportunities and taking them. Matt Banahan's try was what we are striving for."

"I imagine it's mathematically possible to get into the top four but whether it's really achievable is another matter. We will shift our attention now to getting a Heineken Cup qualification place.

"It was a tight game - we knew it would be. We created chances but didn't capitalise on them. In this very competitive championship, if you don't kick your goals you get punished.

"The Bath boys said to me afterwards that they found it rather fatiguing. If I'm honest, for the second week running we played well with the lions' share of possession but came up short."

Bath: Abendanon, Stephenson, Crockett, Fuimaono-Sapolu, Banahan, Barkley, Claassens, Flatman, Mears, Stevens, Borthwick, Grewcock, Faamatuainu, Lipman, Browne.
Replacements: Dixon, Bell, Short, Goodman, Baxter, Berne, Cheeseman.

London Irish: Ojo, De Vedia, Mapusua, Catt, Tagicakibau, Hickey, Hodgson, Dermody, Paice, Rautembach, Kennedy, Casey, Danaher, S. Armitage, Thorpe.
Replacements: Lea'aetoa, Mackie, Johnson, P. Murphy, Tiesi, Fury, Broadfoot.

Referee: Sean Davey (RFU)