Banbury made two changes to the side that beat Oxford Harlequins. Ed Berridge started at 8 as he has fully recovered from his injury sustained in the opening fixture. Ed Phillips started at 10 with Tommy Gray moving to full-back.

Early Saturday morning it was clear the conditions were going to dominate the fixture. Sustained heavy rain meaning it wasn’t going to be a fast paced, flowing game. Credit to the Royal Wootton Bassett ground staff who had prepared a terrific pitch which held up really well considering the amount of rainfall.

RWB had the best of the early chances with Joe Pettit knocking on 5m out. Tom Macdonald doing brilliantly to put in a last-ditch tackle to force the error. The Bulls worked their way in to the RWB 22 following a lovely run from Ed Berridge, but Banbury could not find a way through the RWB defence despite being metres from the try line.

The Banbury pack were doing fantastic and clearly had an advantage in the set piece, but a tough day was made harder when Ken Key was forced off for the remainder of the game with a calf strain.

Troy Cusack kicked RWB into the lead after Banbury were penalised for being off their feet at the breakdown. RWB 3 Banbury 0.
Within minutes though Banbury had levelled the scores. Ed Berridge won a penalty as RWB were penalised for holding on and Ed Phillips stepped up to make it 3-3.

RWB nearly scored the opening try of the game but a foot in touch metres short of the line prevented them scoring. RWB had a penalty advantage though and Troy Cusack kicked the home side back in front. 6-3.

Ed Phillips levelled the scores after Tom Eyston was taken out without the ball. 6-6. RWB went close in the closing minutes but knocked on over the try line after some good defence from Will Thurlow.

Both teams opened up in the closing stages but after Duncan Leese won a penalty in his own 22 in extra time the Bulls elected to kick the ball out and settle for a draw. The conditions obviously played a big part but both teams played well, and each had periods of sustained pressure and territory. Ed Berridge was selected as Banbury’s Man of the Match. The number 8 constantly looked like a threat running off the back of scrums (of which there were plenty) and appears fully back to the fine form he finished last season with.

Speaking to Matt Goode after the game:

A 6-6 draw, the conditions obviously played a big part. Are you happy with a draw?
“How the game went through the 80 minutes, yes. I think it was really scrappy. A draw was probably a fair result. If you’d have asked me before the game, I’d have taken a draw. We’ve lost here the last 3 years in a row, so it was good to end that run. 2 points, away, at top of the league is a good result. The boys put their bodies on the line. It could have gone either way towards the end, but the boys are building well.”

Was there a particular player that stood out for you today?
“Ed Berridge. He’s not been well. Some kind of bug but he was outstanding. He had us on the front foot. The scrum looked dangerous for 60-65 minutes. It tired a little bit at the end their and we started to go backwards a bit. We were carrying some niggles and the pack had put in a big shift and Ed did well to get the ball out the scrum and attack the line. He made some crucial carries near the end right on our own line.”

The forward pack have been really impressive the last few games. The conditions play a part, but they’ve looked good in the scrum, lineout, breakdown. Have you been pleased by the progress they’ve shown recently?
“Absolutely. Obviously when the suns out and it’s dry your backs get all the glory. When we’ve got these kinds of conditions the forwards take over. They work hard and they show what they can do. They looked really good.”

Next weekend you’ve got Salisbury who have been struggling a bit. It’s a league where you can’t underestimate anyone though. How will you be preparing for that one?
“We’ll sit down on Tuesday as ever and see what needs improving after today. We’ll have a look at what we practiced this week and see what worked and what didn’t. Then we’ll refocus on Salisbury and how they’ve been doing. I think you’ll see a couple of different names. It’s important to give some players a rest and there’s some boys that definitely deserve a shot in the first team.”

Points scorers:
Penalties: Ed Phillips (2)

15. Tommy Gray (Sponsored by: Edd Frost & Daughters)
14. Tom Burman
13. Duncan Leese (Captain) (Sponsored by Wednesday Strollers)
12. Jack Briggs (Sponsored by: Wykham Park Farm)
11. Dan Brady (Sponsored by: Allsafe Scaffolding)
10. Ed Phillips (Sponsored by: P Montanaro – ITSM Consultancy)
9. Justin Parker (Sponsored by Wurzel Broadband)

1. James Leonardi (Sponsored by: Tim Varney)
2. Chris Davies (Sponsored by: GDC Rail & Civils)
3. Ken Key (Sponsored by: Lockwoods Ski and Outdoor)
4. Kallum Dixey (Sponsored by: Gallagher Insurance Brokers)
5. Sam Carr-Archer
6. Tom Macdonald (Sponsored by Liberis)
7. Jacob Mills (Sponsored by: Hire Safe Solutions)
8. Ed Berridge (Sponsored by: BKR Property Floorplans and Lease Plans)

Replacements:
16. Tom Eyston
17. Will Thurlow
18. Alex Caviezel Cox (Sponsored by: Jamie Briggs Removals & Storage)