Sat 23 Nov 2019
Reading Abbey 27 Bicester 34
Mark Hoskins
Abbey staged a brave second half fightback in their Wadworth Southern Counties North clash with Bicester at Rosehill. The visitors led 31-8 shortly after half time after dominating the bulk of the game, but the home forwards, with replacements Gerry Sutherland and Will Woodward very much to the fore, took control and eventually reduced the deficit to just seven points. Abbey get two deserved bonus points from the game, but Didcot’s shock victory at Marlow means that Abbey are now second from bottom in the table.
Second row Toby Staker caught the kick off and received good support from hooker Conor Slaven as Abbey mounted a promising early drive. Flanker Ed House and centre Brad Thomas both made important early tackles, and there was good work from skipper Mike Beckly and flanker George House as the home side forced Bicester into mistakes. Coach Luke Harding, once again standing in for Will Bevan at scrum half, made a clever blindside break from a scrum, but the ball was lost in a tackle. Harding then slowed down a Bicester attack by disrupting No.8 Ollie Cassidy as he attempted to get quick ball away from a scrum. Second row Treacle Knights then combined well with Slaven, and after ten minutes of play Abbey appeared to be growing in confidence, despite much of the game having taken place in their own half.
However, everything was about to change, and Bicester took control of the contest with tries in consecutive moves. First, after 14 minutes, full back Charlie Bethell burst through the middle from a planned move, and with no Abbey defenders in sight he ran 40 metres to touch down under the posts. Outside half Dan Walker, who kicked superbly from the tee all afternoon, added the conversion, and within a minute he was lining up his second successful kick. Abbey’s restart kick was worked to centre Christian Mann who broke from 60 metres out. Both winger Christian Floyd and full back Darren Hunter attempted to hold him, but neither succeeded as the centre ran in a fine individual try. Worse was to follow for Abbey five minutes later when Walker added a penalty to make the score 17-0.
Abbey made an aggressive response in the next few minutes and instantly looked hungry for points. Prop Adam Postlethwaite began a good move, and Staker and winger Max Boucher took the ball to the visitors’ 22. Outside half Sol Wallis-Robinson and centre Charlie Shackleford both handled as the ball was moved to the right, but after possession was lost Abbey were awarded a penalty. Shackleford’s attempt at goal from 25 metres was a good one, but the ball dropped just wide of the target. After this Cassidy made a 40 metre break for Bicester, but Floyd did well to stop Mann, who was up in support, and the visitors were penalised. Wallis-Robinson found a good touch, but the lineout throw was not straight and possession was lost. This was the start of a bad period for Abbey’s lineout, and little went right in this area during the remainder of the first half.
With 26 minutes gone, all three Abbey replacements came on together. They were forwards, and all three, Lewis Jones and the aforementioned Woodward and Sutherland, made an instant impact. Soon after this, Ed House forced a turnover and earned his side a penalty. Wallis-Robinson’s excellent kick took play to within five metres of the line, but Slaven’s front throw to Staker didn’t work and despite good pressure from the home pack Walker made a good clearing kick. Abbey lost the next lineout as well, but when they recovered possession a move involving Wallis-Robinson, Harding and prop Jack Stevenson resulted in Bicester being penalised again. This time Shackleford landed a good kick from 25 metres to record Abbey’s first points.
Sutherland produced the first of numerous good runs from the next phase of play, and then, at long last Abbey won a clean lineout through Beckly. Staker drove well, and Abbey were awarded a scrum on the Bicester 22. With the Abbey eight looking very steady, Woodward picked up and ran to the right before sending a smart pass to Harding. The scrum half grubber kicked to the corner, Floyd chased the ball and added a second kick, and Hunter sped through to touch down Abbey’s first try. Shackleford’s difficult touchline conversion dropped short, but with half time approaching Abbey appeared to be back in the game. Sadly, this was not the case, and after Bicester were awarded a penalty they decided to go for a scrum on the home 22. A series of forward drives to the right seemed to have failed thanks to good Abbey defence, but Walker’s long pass to the left found winger Reece Sullivan unmarked, and he ran in his side’s third try. Walker’s brilliant conversion from wide out gave his side a commanding 24-8 half time lead.
Abbey began the second half in promising fashion, with Wallis-Robinson making an excellent 20 metre break. But the home side were soon in deep trouble again, and after Ed House was, to his very obvious annoyance, shown a yellow card, Bicester scored their bonus point try when a good break from centre Josh Wordsworth sent winger Remi Coventry over the line. Once again Walker added an excellent conversion, and the score was now 31-8 with just five minutes of the second half played.
George House’s crunching tackle forced a Bicester penalty, and with Thomas standing in as a flanker in Ed House’s absence, the home pack drove well after opting for a scrum. A further penalty was awarded in the Bicester 22, and Coventry was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock on. Abbey again took a scrum, and Woodward’s control of the ball was masterly as the pack drove forwards. Bicester conceded a third penalty five metres from the line, and once again a scrum was called. This time the pack could not get a good forward shove, but Harding fed Shackleford, and a good pass from Thomas gave Sutherland ample room to charge over in the left corner for a well-deserved try. Again Shackleford failed with a difficult conversion attempt, and in a rare second half attack Bicester increased their lead soon afterwards when the ever-reliable Walker kicked a penalty.
By now the sin-bin period was over for Ed House, but Beckly, who had been replaced earlier, came back instead of him. The game had now entered the final quarter, and suddenly Abbey looked by far the stronger side. Brilliant driving by Stevenson, Sutherland and George House, plus a great 15 metre burst by Woodward ended up with Abbey getting another five metre scrum. Sutherland broke well after Abbey had won the ball, and Thomas was stopped just short of the line. Then, when Abbey won another scrum seven metres out, Woodward picked up and rolled back the years with a trademark burst to the line to earn a great try. This time Shackleford’s conversion from the left was good, and there was a glimmer of hope for Abbey.
It was all Abbey now, with Sutherland involved time and again as the home pack battered away inside the Bicester half. One magnificent Sutherland burst made a good 30 metres, and soon Abbey found themselves once again with a scrum inside the Bicester 22. Woodward picked up from the base and moved the ball right to Thomas. The centre’s pass then found George House, who in turn handed on to Wallis-Robinson. Then, the outside half sent a brilliant overhead pass to Beckly, who had a clear run to touch down under the posts. Abbey had got their try bonus point, and Shackleford’s simple conversion put them in losing bonus point territory as well.
Could Abbey complete a remarkable recovery and at least draw the game? They had five minutes in which to do it, and for a while it looked possible with Jones, Sutherland and Beckly all making good ground. For a brief second it looked as if Wallis-Robinson had been given a clear run to the line, but he was called back for an infringement, and this was to prove Abbey’s last chance. To their credit, the Bicester pack rallied and controlled possession in the final two minutes, and an absorbing contest ended with the visitors still ahead.
This game was effectively won and lost in the first half. Abbey conceded two tries which could have been avoided with stronger defence, and this clearly handed an early advantage to Bicester. The visitors had a speedy set of backs who generally handled well, and Abbey were rarely in the game in the opening half hour. The home lineout gave cause for concern, and with Walker’s accurate kicking an added factor only one result looked possible at the break. It was a totally different story in the second half, which Abbey won 19-10, and it was a shame they had so much ground to make up. The forwards played magnificently, with Sutherland outstanding and Woodward not far behind him in terms of excellence. The latter was a most welcome returnee to Abbey’s ranks, and it is to be hoped that this will not be a one-off appearance. Elsewhere, George House gave another gutsy performance, and Wallis-Robinson looks increasingly assured as he build up his experience of senior rugby. Luke Harding too did a fine job at scrum half and was splendidly vocal in organising his players. When they get going, and when the pack is in full cry, Abbey do not look like a team at the wrong end of the table. The players now have a week’s break before facing crucial fixtures against Chesham and Didcot, the other sides in the bottom three.
Abbey: D Hunter, C Floyd, C Shackleford, B Thomas, M Boucher, S Wallis-Robinson, L Harding, A Postlethwaite (L Jones 26), C Slaven, J Stevenson (A Postlethwaite 35, L Jones 76), J Knights (G Sutherland 26), T Staker (J Knights 47), G House (W Woodward 26), E House (M Beckly 56), M Beckly (captain, G House 47)
Bicester: C Bethell, R Coventry, J Wordsworth, C Mann (O Dolbear 60), R Sullivan, D Walker, O Dawkins, A Macdonald, W Anns (captain), J Sawyer (D Horwood 68), T Horwood, A Faulkner, O Linfoot (W Westaway 53), J Sibun, O Cassidy
Abbey:
Tries: Hunter, Sutherland, Woodward, Beckly
Con: Shackleford (2)
Pen: Shackleford
Yellow card: E House
Bicester:
Tries: Bethell, Mann, Sullivan, Coventry,
Con: Walker (4)
Pen: Walker (2)
Yellow card: Coventry
Referee: Julian Rainford (Berkshire)
Mark Hoskins
Abbey staged a brave second half fightback in their Wadworth Southern Counties North clash with Bicester at Rosehill. The visitors led 31-8 shortly after half time after dominating the bulk of the game, but the home forwards, with replacements Gerry Sutherland and Will Woodward very much to the fore, took control and eventually reduced the deficit to just seven points. Abbey get two deserved bonus points from the game, but Didcot’s shock victory at Marlow means that Abbey are now second from bottom in the table.
Second row Toby Staker caught the kick off and received good support from hooker Conor Slaven as Abbey mounted a promising early drive. Flanker Ed House and centre Brad Thomas both made important early tackles, and there was good work from skipper Mike Beckly and flanker George House as the home side forced Bicester into mistakes. Coach Luke Harding, once again standing in for Will Bevan at scrum half, made a clever blindside break from a scrum, but the ball was lost in a tackle. Harding then slowed down a Bicester attack by disrupting No.8 Ollie Cassidy as he attempted to get quick ball away from a scrum. Second row Treacle Knights then combined well with Slaven, and after ten minutes of play Abbey appeared to be growing in confidence, despite much of the game having taken place in their own half.
However, everything was about to change, and Bicester took control of the contest with tries in consecutive moves. First, after 14 minutes, full back Charlie Bethell burst through the middle from a planned move, and with no Abbey defenders in sight he ran 40 metres to touch down under the posts. Outside half Dan Walker, who kicked superbly from the tee all afternoon, added the conversion, and within a minute he was lining up his second successful kick. Abbey’s restart kick was worked to centre Christian Mann who broke from 60 metres out. Both winger Christian Floyd and full back Darren Hunter attempted to hold him, but neither succeeded as the centre ran in a fine individual try. Worse was to follow for Abbey five minutes later when Walker added a penalty to make the score 17-0.
Abbey made an aggressive response in the next few minutes and instantly looked hungry for points. Prop Adam Postlethwaite began a good move, and Staker and winger Max Boucher took the ball to the visitors’ 22. Outside half Sol Wallis-Robinson and centre Charlie Shackleford both handled as the ball was moved to the right, but after possession was lost Abbey were awarded a penalty. Shackleford’s attempt at goal from 25 metres was a good one, but the ball dropped just wide of the target. After this Cassidy made a 40 metre break for Bicester, but Floyd did well to stop Mann, who was up in support, and the visitors were penalised. Wallis-Robinson found a good touch, but the lineout throw was not straight and possession was lost. This was the start of a bad period for Abbey’s lineout, and little went right in this area during the remainder of the first half.
With 26 minutes gone, all three Abbey replacements came on together. They were forwards, and all three, Lewis Jones and the aforementioned Woodward and Sutherland, made an instant impact. Soon after this, Ed House forced a turnover and earned his side a penalty. Wallis-Robinson’s excellent kick took play to within five metres of the line, but Slaven’s front throw to Staker didn’t work and despite good pressure from the home pack Walker made a good clearing kick. Abbey lost the next lineout as well, but when they recovered possession a move involving Wallis-Robinson, Harding and prop Jack Stevenson resulted in Bicester being penalised again. This time Shackleford landed a good kick from 25 metres to record Abbey’s first points.
Sutherland produced the first of numerous good runs from the next phase of play, and then, at long last Abbey won a clean lineout through Beckly. Staker drove well, and Abbey were awarded a scrum on the Bicester 22. With the Abbey eight looking very steady, Woodward picked up and ran to the right before sending a smart pass to Harding. The scrum half grubber kicked to the corner, Floyd chased the ball and added a second kick, and Hunter sped through to touch down Abbey’s first try. Shackleford’s difficult touchline conversion dropped short, but with half time approaching Abbey appeared to be back in the game. Sadly, this was not the case, and after Bicester were awarded a penalty they decided to go for a scrum on the home 22. A series of forward drives to the right seemed to have failed thanks to good Abbey defence, but Walker’s long pass to the left found winger Reece Sullivan unmarked, and he ran in his side’s third try. Walker’s brilliant conversion from wide out gave his side a commanding 24-8 half time lead.
Abbey began the second half in promising fashion, with Wallis-Robinson making an excellent 20 metre break. But the home side were soon in deep trouble again, and after Ed House was, to his very obvious annoyance, shown a yellow card, Bicester scored their bonus point try when a good break from centre Josh Wordsworth sent winger Remi Coventry over the line. Once again Walker added an excellent conversion, and the score was now 31-8 with just five minutes of the second half played.
George House’s crunching tackle forced a Bicester penalty, and with Thomas standing in as a flanker in Ed House’s absence, the home pack drove well after opting for a scrum. A further penalty was awarded in the Bicester 22, and Coventry was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock on. Abbey again took a scrum, and Woodward’s control of the ball was masterly as the pack drove forwards. Bicester conceded a third penalty five metres from the line, and once again a scrum was called. This time the pack could not get a good forward shove, but Harding fed Shackleford, and a good pass from Thomas gave Sutherland ample room to charge over in the left corner for a well-deserved try. Again Shackleford failed with a difficult conversion attempt, and in a rare second half attack Bicester increased their lead soon afterwards when the ever-reliable Walker kicked a penalty.
By now the sin-bin period was over for Ed House, but Beckly, who had been replaced earlier, came back instead of him. The game had now entered the final quarter, and suddenly Abbey looked by far the stronger side. Brilliant driving by Stevenson, Sutherland and George House, plus a great 15 metre burst by Woodward ended up with Abbey getting another five metre scrum. Sutherland broke well after Abbey had won the ball, and Thomas was stopped just short of the line. Then, when Abbey won another scrum seven metres out, Woodward picked up and rolled back the years with a trademark burst to the line to earn a great try. This time Shackleford’s conversion from the left was good, and there was a glimmer of hope for Abbey.
It was all Abbey now, with Sutherland involved time and again as the home pack battered away inside the Bicester half. One magnificent Sutherland burst made a good 30 metres, and soon Abbey found themselves once again with a scrum inside the Bicester 22. Woodward picked up from the base and moved the ball right to Thomas. The centre’s pass then found George House, who in turn handed on to Wallis-Robinson. Then, the outside half sent a brilliant overhead pass to Beckly, who had a clear run to touch down under the posts. Abbey had got their try bonus point, and Shackleford’s simple conversion put them in losing bonus point territory as well.
Could Abbey complete a remarkable recovery and at least draw the game? They had five minutes in which to do it, and for a while it looked possible with Jones, Sutherland and Beckly all making good ground. For a brief second it looked as if Wallis-Robinson had been given a clear run to the line, but he was called back for an infringement, and this was to prove Abbey’s last chance. To their credit, the Bicester pack rallied and controlled possession in the final two minutes, and an absorbing contest ended with the visitors still ahead.
This game was effectively won and lost in the first half. Abbey conceded two tries which could have been avoided with stronger defence, and this clearly handed an early advantage to Bicester. The visitors had a speedy set of backs who generally handled well, and Abbey were rarely in the game in the opening half hour. The home lineout gave cause for concern, and with Walker’s accurate kicking an added factor only one result looked possible at the break. It was a totally different story in the second half, which Abbey won 19-10, and it was a shame they had so much ground to make up. The forwards played magnificently, with Sutherland outstanding and Woodward not far behind him in terms of excellence. The latter was a most welcome returnee to Abbey’s ranks, and it is to be hoped that this will not be a one-off appearance. Elsewhere, George House gave another gutsy performance, and Wallis-Robinson looks increasingly assured as he build up his experience of senior rugby. Luke Harding too did a fine job at scrum half and was splendidly vocal in organising his players. When they get going, and when the pack is in full cry, Abbey do not look like a team at the wrong end of the table. The players now have a week’s break before facing crucial fixtures against Chesham and Didcot, the other sides in the bottom three.
Abbey: D Hunter, C Floyd, C Shackleford, B Thomas, M Boucher, S Wallis-Robinson, L Harding, A Postlethwaite (L Jones 26), C Slaven, J Stevenson (A Postlethwaite 35, L Jones 76), J Knights (G Sutherland 26), T Staker (J Knights 47), G House (W Woodward 26), E House (M Beckly 56), M Beckly (captain, G House 47)
Bicester: C Bethell, R Coventry, J Wordsworth, C Mann (O Dolbear 60), R Sullivan, D Walker, O Dawkins, A Macdonald, W Anns (captain), J Sawyer (D Horwood 68), T Horwood, A Faulkner, O Linfoot (W Westaway 53), J Sibun, O Cassidy
Abbey:
Tries: Hunter, Sutherland, Woodward, Beckly
Con: Shackleford (2)
Pen: Shackleford
Yellow card: E House
Bicester:
Tries: Bethell, Mann, Sullivan, Coventry,
Con: Walker (4)
Pen: Walker (2)
Yellow card: Coventry
Referee: Julian Rainford (Berkshire)
