Painswick Road, Gloucester - Saturday 8th October 2016

Match report by Ed Phillips.

The season so far has been one of “ifs, buts and maybes” for the Bulls, but the result they have been searching and working hard for came on Saturday away at Old Centralians, who went into the game 3rd place in the league.

The match started at an electric pace, and possession changed hands as both teams searched for the early try, and it was the Bulls who were to cross first. Banbury were patient with possession, and this paid off. If was from slow ball that skipper Ian Isham (pictured) received the ball from a breakdown with no real options or support, but with decent footwork and great strength broke the Old Cents line and charged from his own half into the oppositions 22, the ball was recycled and Cash Chilvers, in much the same style as Isham’s break, made something out of nothing and powered over to score his second try in as many weeks. Ed Phillips slotted the conversion from the 15 metre line, 7-0 Bulls.

Then came Banbury's poorest period of the match, they were guilty of being over confident when in possession and ended up relinquishing the ball in critical areas of the pitch. Old Cents didn't need a second invitation, and crossed twice to turn the game on its head, former Banbury Colt Alex Cox was off target with one of the conversions, making the score 12-7 to the home side.

Where Banbury in previous weeks have been guilty of not addressing their faults, this week they were quick to put things right. They kept hold of the ball for an extra phase or two when required, rather than trying to force an offload or a 50:50 pass. This paid dividends and they were now playing rugby in the Old Cents half. With the penalty advantage at a maul Phillips looked to break around the fringe, after stepping one man he looped a pass over the next to the on rushing Sam Stoop who ran a great support line before somehow out pacing the opposition to the line. Uncharacteristically Phillips pushed a kickable opportunity wide of the uprights 12-12.

The last scoring opportunity of the half was a penalty 40-45 metres out with a slight angle, Cox stepped up and slotted it with ease. This meant Old Cents went in to the break 15-12 ahead, but with the game very much in the balance.

The start of the second half would be key, the next side to score could take control of the game. It was the Bulls who did this, Phillips was giving his once understudy a torrid time, especially at the base of the scums and this pressure finally told in the form of Phillips disrupting the ball at the back of the scrum, then hacking through and winning the foot race to score. He converted his own try to make the score 19-15.

The Bulls were now in their stride, keeping the ball for multiple phases and making yards at the same time. The next score was a carbon copy from the Oxfordshire Cup Final! A blind-side move from a scrum deep in the 22, Joe Mills sucks the defence in and Phillips finds Deegan out wide who finished well. Another well worked move from the Banbury trio and with the conversion made Banbury were now 26-15 ahead.

Jack Briggs was next to get in on the act, with another first phase score. Again from a scrum Banbury had clean ball, and Briggs ran a hard line, collected the ball from Stoop, broke through the Old Cents defence and scored, Phillips again added the extras, 33-15 and surely the game was in the bag?

Banbury were aware of how their own errors had let teams back into games they could and should have closed out this season and the Banbury faithful must have feared the worst when Old Cents crossed for their 3rd try, although Cox missed the conversion this would be a crucial time, with Banbury's character tested.

For the last 15 minutes Old Cents battered at the Banbury defensive line but the Bulls held strong. Veteran Matt Brock was yellow carded with 8 minutes to go for an infringement at the breakdown, but this galvanised the visitors, and when the ball spat out of the back of a Bulls scrum with time up, man of the match Phillips hacked the ball out to confirm the bonus point win.

Banbury knew they had this performance in them and now the challenge is to reproduce it week in and week out and put themselves higher up the table. With a week off their next test will be a home clash vs Old Patesians at Bodicote Park on Saturday 23rd of October.