Rugby Town suffered their heaviest defeat of the season as local rivals Daventry Town picked up the Championship trophy on Easter Monday at Elderstubbs.

The margin of defeat was harsh on a Town side that had arguably edged the first half, but Kieran Fitzgerald's brace and a Rico Alexander goal ultimately further demonstrated the home side's domination of Rugby's division this season.

Daniel Kavanagh and Lee Thomas replaced Keenah Rosser and Lewis Rankin in Town's starting eleven for the fixture, as Rugby sought to avenge the crucial defeat they suffered at the hands of the hosts at Butlin Road back on Boxing Day.

The first chance of the game fell to Daventry, with Valley keeper Matt Hill pulling off a good reaction stop to Alexander's hooked effort.

Edwin Ahenkorah's free-kick from a central position around twenty five yards out sailed over Iustin Cerga's bar, although a subsequent set-piece delivery from the same Rugby player from a wider position did force Cerga to punch clear - as the visitors applied some early pressure.

The home side responded well though, and after Dom Perkins had surrendered possession too easily, Adam Confue played a ball in behind the Town defence, which saw Luke Emery shoot straight at Hill from twelve yards.

The opening goal came on 38 minutes when Fitzgerald chased down and then claimed what appeared to a hopeless ball down the left hand side, before slipping it inside to Emery - whose effort came back of the post to allow Fitzgerald to slot in the rebound.

Rugby nearly equalised with half-time approaching though, after a well-worked move saw Charlie Evans help Justin Marsden's cut-back just off-target.

Valley struggled against the wind in the opening exchanges of the new period, and they were pinned back into their half for long periods.

Evans did send a shot into the hands of Cerga after his initial free-kick had come back to him off the defensive wall though, and Marsden struck one well over the bar, as the visitors tried their best to get back into the game.

However Daventry scored again from a goal out of nowhere, when Fitzgerald jinked past a couple of Town defenders before striking past Hill for the second time.

The Daventry winger almost secured himself a hat-trick shortly after, when Perkins again gave the ball away too easily, but this time Hill was equal to his effort - saving with his legs.

It was not long before the home side did grab a third though, when the unmarked Alexander headed home Adam Creaney's ball into the box after Valley had failed to clear their lines properly after a Daventry corner.

Town sub Rankin had a couple of late half chances for a consolation, but neither of his strikes troubled Cerga.

Valley Line-up: Hill; Recci, Thomas, Francis (Holloway); Kavanagh, Tulloch, Perkins, Marsden, Bako (Rankin); Evans, Ahenkorah. Subs not used: Connor, Steele, Rosser. Booked: Evans.

Daventry line-up: Cerga, Merrill, Lukeman, Harris, Alexander, Confue, Fitzgerald, McGowan, Emery, Cassidy, T.Orosz. Subs: Creaney, Childs, J.Orosz, Stanbridge, Dumbleton.