Sat 11 Feb 2023, 14:00
Reading Abbey 29 Bicester 17
Mark Hoskins
A fired-up Abbey squad produced far and away their finest performance of the season to achieve a shock victory over Bicester at Rosehill. The visitors started the day six places higher in the Counties 1 Tribute Southern North table, but Abbey got their four-try bonus point within half an hour before defending heroically for much of the second half. Abbey scored five tries in all, with prop Toby Chapman accounting for two of them and scrum half Will Bevan running 70 metres to touch down for a memorable interception try. The win sees Abbey move up one place to eighth in the league.
The club staged a splendid Burns-themed haggis dinner before the game and a piper was on hand to pipe the teams on to the field. An Abbey victory seemed a distant prospect after just 90 seconds when Bicester scored the first try of the game. Full back Rupert Dickinson latched on to a loose kick and ran a good diagonal line before releasing centre Martyn Eilerston, who crossed under the posts. Winger Josh Wordsworth added the straightforward conversion.
Abbey bounced back at once from this early setback. They won a penalty from the restart, and after skipper ‘Treacle’ Knights had won the ensuing lineout, prop Adam Postlethwaite and hooker Ollie Charlton were both stopped just short of the line. The ball then came back to centre Arron Ross, who dodged his way through the defence before possession was lost. Bicester counterattacked, but when Abbey regained the ball full back Max Boucher made 30 metres with a good run. He was supported by Postlethwaite, Chapman and flanker Ed House, and Abbey were awarded another penalty. Bevan sent the ball to the edge of the Bicester 22, and Knights again secured the lineout. Bevan, Ross and outside half Sol Wallis-Robinson all handled, and second row Ed Wisener broke to within ten metres of the line. Abbey recycled the ball, and centre Callum House made ground. No.8 Mike Beckly was stopped five metres out and Wisener and Postlethwaite got even closer. Abbey were awarded a penalty and opted to take a scrum five metres from the line, but the strength of the Bicester pack proved too much and the ball was lost.
Dickinson put in another good run to take Bicester as far as the halfway line, where they conceded a scrum. This time Abbey won the ball, and Boucher, Beckly and Knights took play back to the visitors’ 22. Abbey were awarded a penalty under the posts and Wallis-Robinson opted to go for goal. He would have expected to land the kick nine times out of ten, but this time he hit the post. Fortunately though, Bicester knocked on, and Abbey won the five-metre scrum. Beckly and Ross moved the ball to the right, flanker Matt Eldridge was up in support and his pass sent Wisener over the line for the first home try. Wallis-Robinson converted to level the score after 14 minutes.
Wisener caught the restart kick, and after a drive from Postlethwaite, Bevan kicked high. Bicester ran the ball back, but winger Keegan Timmermans stopped prop Tom Horwood, and Beckly and Knights combined to grab an excellent turnover. The ball was knocked on, but at the subsequent scrum Bevan forced an error from his opposite number Remi Coventry, and Wallis-Robinson booted the ball into the Bicester 22. Winger Ryan Williams caught Bicester’s return kick and Beckly took play back into the 22 again. Then Ross and Wisener handled before Eldridge sent Timmermans clear on the right. The winger was stopped right on the line, but he was able to send a scoring pass inside to Wallis-Robinson. Boucher took over the kicking duties but was unable to add the extras.
The try came in the 20th minute, and three minutes later Abbey scored again. Charlton swooped on a Dickinson knock-on to set up an attack involving Timmermans, Ed House and Bevan. Wisener made 15 metres to get inside the visitors’ 22 and Wallis-Robinson darted towards the right corner. He was stopped just short of the line, but his pass found Chapman, who had the simple task of catching the ball and dotting it down. Boucher added a superb touchline conversion to make the score 19-7.
Abbey gave away a penalty from the restart, but Eldridge did brilliantly to steal the ball when Bicester attacked. Ross made 15 metres, Bevan sent up another high kick, and Callum House tackled Dickinson when he tried to run out of defence. However, Bicester attacked well after this, and they won a scrum on the Abbey 22. The visitors attempted to start a threequarter move, but Bevan intercepted and ran towards the left touchline. It was a superb run during which he brushed off one attempted tackle before diving over for a remarkable try. Boucher could not convert, but Abbey now had a bonus point.
The final minutes of the first half saw Bicester on the attack, but Abbey defended well, while the visitors’ handling let them down several times. Eventually, Abbey conceded a penalty close to their posts, and Bicester elected to take a tap. No.8 Ollie Cassidy, a real threat throughout the game, was held just short, but Abbey were penalised again. This time Bicester chose a scrum, and after another break from Cassidy, centre Anthony Lewis crossed for a try on the right. Wordsworth’s conversion drifted to the left and the half time whistle sounded.
The third quarter belonged to Bicester, who made far fewer mistakes than they had made in the first half. They camped inside the Abbey 22 and the home side relied on the tactical kicking of Bevan and some fine tackling to keep Bicester out. Just short of the hour mark, Bicester nearly scored from a lineout drive, but Abbey were awarded a penalty. Wallis-Robinson stole the ball in the next Bicester attack, but another penalty was conceded. The visitors chose a scrum again, and Abbey’s defence finally cracked as Cassidy burst through for a deserved try which Wordsworth could not convert.
It was game on now with 20 minutes remaining, but crucially it was Abbey who scored next. Wisener, Williams and Wallis-Robinson took the ball into the Bicester 22, and after Beckly got to within five metres of the line Abbey were given a penalty. A tap was taken and Knights and Beckly got close to the line before possession was recycled. Ross, Callum House and Charlton took play to the right, and Wallis-Robinson passed to Chapman. The prop had a bit of work to do as he drove over the line, but he had the strength to get the ball down. Boucher just missed with the conversion, and at this point Abbey made their only replacement of the game, with Mike Cowdery coming on to give Chapman a well-earned rest.
With ten minutes left Bicester put everything into attack. They won a penalty inside the Abbey 22, but the subsequent lineout drive was held up. Abbey were penalised again, and this time Bicester took a tap. Again the defence held firm, and huge cheers from the players greeted the award of a home scrum. Beckly made ten metres before Bevan’s high kick sent the ball away from the danger area. There was still time for another wave of Bicester attacks, but great tackling again kept the visitors out. From the last scrum of the game a prolonged burst of handling ended with Bicester hooker Will Anns knocking on, and it was time for Abbey to celebrate.
This really was a remarkable performance against a strong and successful side. Bicester clearly missed their regular goal kicker, Dan Walker, but this should not detract from a great victory. Abbey’s players never took a backward step all afternoon, and they showed tremendous resilience in the second half when Bicester got their act together. It was a pleasure to see the team playing with more adventure, and the collective confidence was there for all to see. It would be wrong to single out any particular player in what was unquestionably a team effort, and the smiles on the faces at the end told their own story. This was one of those special afternoons at Rosehill.
Abbey: M Boucher, K Timmermans, C House, A Ross, R Williams, S Wallis-Robinson, W Bevan, T Chapman (M Cowdery 64), O Charlton, A Postlethwaite, J Knights (captain), E Wisener, M Eldridge, E House, M Beckly. Not used: C Shaw, J Gadd
Bicester: R Dickinson, J Wordsworth, M Eilerston, A Lewis, G Whiffen, A Eagle (captain), R Coventry, A MacDonald, W Anns, T Horwood(J Spencer 67), J Boik, D Spencer, M Kini (J Rowland 20), O Linfoot, O Cassidy. Bicester only had two replacements.
Abbey:
Tries: Chapman (2), Wisener, Wallis-Robinson, Bevan
Con: Wallis-Robinson, Boucher
Bicester:
Tries: Eilerston, Lewis, Cassidy
Con: Wordsworth
Referee: C Stevens (Berkshire)
