The Bulls arrived at a dry but breezy Hartwell Lane off the back of a defeat to Stourbridge last time out. With a long injury list, the last four games of the campaign will be a tough task ahead. With a young Bulls side out, performance was very much on the agenda. Before kick off there was one change to the line up as Will McCubbin was ruled out with Matt Goode now starting and Sanyham Shrestha added to the bench. The Bulls started brightly, but inside the first five minutes in trying to regain possession Owen Wildgoose was sent to the bin for a harsh yellow after an adjudged deliberate knock on. A fourteen man Bulls defended their line strongly stopping the driving maul from the lineout after a kick to the corner. Stoke made the most of a gap and with a pick and go where they went over for the first score of the afternoon. The conversion was missed [5-0]. Moments later it was the Bulls turn to make their impact on the match. From an excellent move from the backs Bulls were rewarded for a great spell since conceded, Charlie Cranley dotted down in the corner. The conversion was missed [5-5]. Cranley was not finished there, the backs' appetite was strong and with space in their own twenty two they made it count. Quinten Blythe and Dan Hale teams up brilliantly with some excellent running Rugby before offloading to a waiting Cranley who sprinted into the corner. With the wind strong and the Bulls playing into it, the conversion was missed [5-10]. Stoke hit back shortly after with a quickly taken lineout which the Bulls were not ready for, with the Stoke forward touching down. The conversion was successful [12-10]. Stoke extended their lead as the match slowly moved into the second quarter. A wayward pass from the Bulls lead to the ball falling in behind where a ready Stoke attacking line picked the ball up and touched down to the left of the posts, the conversion was successful [19-10]. The final points of the half again went to Stoke, this time from the scrum with a waiting forward line peeling off to draw the lasts man in defence to score. The conversion was unsuccessful [24-10]. At the close of the half the Bulls were hanging on. With the ball Banbury were looking dangerous but a defiant Stoke team were able to starve them of all possession in the first period. With the Bulls going downhill and the wind behind them, fortunes were hoping to be changed with all to play for.

Half Time - Stoke 24-10 Banbury

The half started very brightly for the Bulls with a fantastically well worked try from seventeen year old Riven Smith. Started by a bullet pass from Soane Tonga'uiha, Smith took the pass very well on the wing to finish off wonderfully in the corner. The conversion was very impressively slotted [24-17]. The Bulls continued with a fantastic break from Blythe finding a bolting Hale on his inside shoulder to outsprint the defenders in his way to score and bring the Bulls on level terms with a successful conversion to come [24-24]. In an incredible all action match, Stoke then took advantage of what seemed to be an unnoticed forward pass to sneak over in the corner. The conversion was successful [29-24]. Gaining confidence from the previous score managed to pull together a string of offloaded passes before finding a gap in the Bulls defense to go over and score, the conversion was successful [36-24]. The Bulls made the next few minutes their own scoring twice in quick succession, the first coming from a great line from Ed Phillips who went over to score, the conversion was successful [36-31]. The second came from the wealth of experience in the Bulls ranks. Using their experience, Tonga'uiha broke the line and threaded a brilliant pass to the backs. From that move the backs found Owen WIldgoose out wide who dived over in the corner for the Bulls. The conversion was successful [36-38]. Moments later, Stoke were incredibly fortunate again, escaping what looked like a very borderline but forward looking pass, overlooked by the officials the try stood, the conversion was also successful [43-38]. Stoke built on the previous try again and from a good rolling maul the Bull defence was successfully drawn in where the backs took advantage to score to the right of the posts. The try was converted [50-38]. It was the Bulls to have the final say of the match through an excellent run from Blythe, perfectly setting up Sam Cox who is found on his outside shoulder with the scrum half sprinting over to score, the quick conversion was successful [50-45]. On the final whistle Stoke came away with the win, with the Bulls coming close to sealing it late on only for a forward pass ironically to end the match. An incredible contest for the neutral with neither team deserving to lose, but congratulations to Stoke today, worthy victors. Next week the Bulls host Oxford Harlequins in a derby clash in Regional 1 Midlands.

Full Time - Stoke 50-45 Banbury

Stoke
Starting XV
15 William Plant; 14 William Kay; 13 Peter Ascroft; 12 Joseph Maskrey; 11 William Teasdale; 10 Ciaran Shone; 9 Christopher Rowley;
1 Josh Hewitt; 2 Samuel Yorke; 3 Tom Dodd; 4 Jordan Binns; 5 James Salt; 6 Zack Heath; 7 Laurence Rawlins; 8 Jacob Bailey;

Replacements
16 Archie Bell; 17 Jordan Grimshaw; 18 George Sigley

Banbury
Starting XV
15 Quinten Blythe; 14 Loic Radegonde; 13 Daniel Hale; 12 Owen Wildgoose; 11 Charlie Cranley; 10 Oscar Triggs; 9 Sam Cox;
1 James Roberts; 2 Ethan Gudge; 3 James Leonardi; 4 Louis Tooth; 5 Riven Smith; 6 George Ding; 7 Jack Briggs; 8 Matthew Goode;

Replacements
16 Soane Tonga'uiha; 17 Sanyham Shrestha; 18 Edward Phillips;