Sat 12 Mar 2022, 15:00
Reading Abbey 27 Bicester 24
Mark Hoskins
A try from No.8 Mike Beckly in the penultimate play of the match gave Abbey victory over Bicester at a blustery and sparsely-attended Rosehill. In a game of fluctuating fortunes, the host club led 22-10 with 15 minutes remaining, but the visitors fought back to lead 24-22 before the dramatic conclusion. Bicester scored three tries to Abbey’s two, and Abbey were indebted to full back Charlie Shackleford, who accumulated a personal haul of 17 points from goal kicks.
Abbey were ahead within 90 seconds when Bicester were penalised 25 metres from their line and Shackleford kicked a straightforward penalty. But there were signs straight after this that Abbey would not be in for an easy afternoon, with the Bicester pack winning a scrum against the head with an ominous shove. Flanker Gereie Sutherland brought off a great tackle on centre Avetaia Rokosake as Bicester attacked inside the home 22, and after a lengthy spell of advantage the visitors were awarded a penalty. Winger Josh Wordsworth landed the goal from in front of the sticks to level the scores.
Abbey attacked from the restart, with winger Christian Floyd making 15 metres and Sutherland driving purposefully. Sutherland continued to tackle well, flattening Bicester’s other centre, Anthony Lewis, and hooker Jake Leach won turnover ball for Abbey. Scrum half Will Bevan moved the ball to the left inside the visitors’ 22, and after both winger Callum House and second row Scott Holland had handled, skipper ‘Treacle’ Knights was on hand to take Holland’s pass and dive over in the left corner for the first try of the game. Shackleford’s superb touchline conversion put Abbey 10-3 up.
Props Matt Woodrow and Adam Postlethwaite both made ground in the next phase of play, and after a great take from Knights at a lineout, Abbey drove to the edge of the Bicester 22. Centre Jack Peachey broke through, and after good work from Leach, Sutherland, Bevan and flanker Ross Jaffray, Bicester were penalised. This time the kick was from 30 metres out, and Shackleford was on target again to give Abbey a 13-3 lead after 17 minutes.
The rest of the half saw Bicester in the ascendancy. With their scrum well on top, they spent a lengthy spell in the Abbey 22, and it needed some excellent defence to keep them from crossing the line. The visitors’ No.8 Ben Rosson looked particularly threatening, while outside half Jacob Few produced some clever offloads. Lewis Jones replaced Jaffray at the start of the second quarter, with Leach moving to the back row, and Jones was immediately in the action with a fine tackle on prop Tom Horwood. Rosson twice got close to the Abbey line, with Postlethwaite doing well to stop him on the second occasion, and after one of Abbey’s steadier scrums Peachey made another burst through the middle. Woodrow stole Bicester’s throw at the next lineout, but after Floyd and outside half Sol Wallis-Robinson had hacked the ball downfield, Abbey were penalised. Wordsworth sent his kick into the home 22, and Abbey were penalised again after ensuing lineout. This time Wordsworth went for the posts, and he was most unfortunate to see what looked to be a good kick bounce wide off a post.
The pressure remained on Abbey after this, but Beckly managed to steal the ball after the next Bicester lineout. Then Shackleford relieved the pressure with a 30 metre run to halfway. Abbey were awarded a scrum, but they were again shunted off their own ball. Bicester worked the ball back to the home 22, where they won another penalty. Quite understandably opting to take a scrum, the visitors drove well before launching a clever move which saw winger Rupert Dickinson choose the perfect angle to cut through the defence for a very good try. Wordsworth converted, and the half time whistle sounded soon afterwards. Bicester’s players must have wondered why they had only scored one try during their period of dominance, but Abbey’s defenders could take a lot of credit for some sound tackling.
Jaffray returned at the start of the second half, replacing Sutherland, and Abbey began brightly. Woodrow won a lineout, and Jones and Peachey made ground before Wallis-Robinson sent up a high kick. Good work on the ground by Leach won Abbey a penalty, and Shackleford kicked into the Bicester 22. Abbey’s lineout throw was not straight, but Beckly soon won back possession and Bicester were penalised again. Shackleford’s kick was to the left of the posts and some 24 metres out, and he put his side 16-10 up after 43 minutes. Knights won the restart kick, and after Bevan had kicked for touch, Abbey’s skipper pinched Bicester’s lineout throw. Leach drove well and Beckly made a good break from the next scrum. Once more Bicester were penalised inside their 22, but this time, and for the only time in the afternoon, Shackleford was wide with his kick at goal.
Still Abbey attacked, with Bevan kicking shrewdly and Peachy making good metres with his running. Yet again Bicester were penalised, and Shackleford’s kick hit a post before bouncing over the bar to make the score 19-0 after 50 minutes. Bicester’s discipline seemed to have deserted them at this point, and they were penalised again from the restart. Shackleford made 30 metres with his touch kick, and after Knights had won the lineout, Jones, Leach and Holland took play close to the a line. A further penalty quickly followed, and Shackleford made it 22-10 with his easiest kick of the afternoon.
At this point Sutherland returned in place of Jones. Knights won good lineout ball again, and Beckly and Peachey combined well in attack. But Abbey were penalised at the next scrum and Bicester looked threatening inside the home 22. Centre Billy Parrish, who had not received as much ball in open play as he would have wished, did well to tackle Wordsworth, and Sutherland stopped another dangerous burst from Rosson. A brief skirmish broke out after this, resulting in a lecture to the captains from referee Dan White. Shortly afterwards, Ollie Evans and Max Boucher joined the action in place of House and Shackleford.
A good scrum from Abbey resulted in Wallis-Robinson and Parrish making ground, but the ball went out of play on the full and Abbey found themselves back in their 22. Beckly stopped a break from Few, but the ball was moved to the left where Dickinson burst through some weak drift defence to cross the line on the left before running infield to touch down under the posts. Wordsworth’s conversion was a formality, and the score was now 22-17 with 15 minutes remaining. Jones returned in place of Leach soon after this. The momentum had definitely swung in Bicester’s favour at this juncture, and they looked very dangerous during the next few minutes, with Wordsworth pinning Abbey in their own half with some good kicks. Eventually, after a long period of pressure in the home 22, Few scored a brilliant individual try under the posts after dodging and dummying his way to the line. Wordsworth could hardly miss with his conversion, and Bicester now led for the first time.
At this stage, with just five minutes left, it appeared that Abbey had lost their chance of victory, but they were given a way back in when replacement prop Mosesa Tamaidrisi was yellow-carded for a high tackle. The resulting penalty was kicked into the Bicester 22, and after Knights had won the lineout Bicester were penalised again. The penalty was awarded wide on the left, and with time almost up Abbey decided to run the ball. Jones made the initial ground, and after he was stopped close to the line the ball was worked to Beckly, who did really well to stretch out and touch down for the crucial score. Evans saw his conversion attempt bounce wide off a post, and there was just time for one final play. Bicester wisely went for a short restart kick, but Knights made sure that Abbey won the ball and it was hoofed into touch to conclude a game which had looked for all the world like a Bicester victory just minutes earlier.
A neutral might convincingly argue that a draw would have been a fair result, as indeed it had been when these sides met at Bicester back in December. Both teams had periods of dominance, and based on territory and try-scoring opportunities Bicester probably deserved a share of the spoils, However, there was much to admire in Abbey’s play, with Knights, Leach and Jones all making important contributions up front, and Shackleford kicking really well from the tee. Most importantly, Abbey kept calm and disciplined in the final minutes and provided a memorable finale to the match. They now lie in sixth position in Tribute Southern Counties North, with 45 points from their 19 games.
For the record, nine players from each side appeared in the earlier meeting between the teams.
Abbey: C Shackleford (M Boucher 63), C Floyd, W Parrish, J Peachey, C House (O Evans 63), S Wallis-Robinson, W Bevan, M Woodrow, J Leach (L Jones 71), A Postlethwaite, J Knights (captain), S Holland, G Sutherland (R Jaffray 40), R Jaffray (L Jones 21-53, G Sutherland 54), M Beckly
Bicester: O Honour, J Wordsworth, A Lewis, A Rokosake, R Dickinson, J Few, R Coventry, T Horwood (M Tamaidrisi 40), W Anns (captain), J Sawyer (B Whitworth 54-71, T Horwood 72), D Spencer, J Boik, O Cassidy, O Linfoot, B Rosson. Not used: K Barrett
Abbey:
Tries: Knights, Beckly
Con: Shackleford
Pen: Shackleford (5)
Bicester:
Tries: Dickinson (2), Few
Con: Wordsworth (3)
Pen: Wordsworth
Yellow card: Tamaidrisi
Referee: D White (Berkshire)
