James Leonardi won a penalty for Banbury straight from the kick off. Wimborne penalised for holding on. Ed Phillips settled any early nerves by nailing the kick. Wimborne 0 Banbury 3.

Ed Phillips extended the lead for Banbury with a penalty following an off the ball incident. The Wimborne prop lucky to stay on the pitch after a headbutt went unnoticed. 0-6.

Alex Caviezel Cox came on for the injured Jack Briggs and within minutes of his introduction he scored the opening try of the game. A lovely backs move ended with Justin Parker drawing his opposite man and popping a lovely pass to Caviezel Cox who sprinted over from outside the 22. Ed Phillips converted, 0-13.

Shortly after Alex Caviezel Cox scored his second try of the game. A lovely pass from Tommy Gray released CC down the right wing and as the cover defence closed CC kicked down the line before winning the footrace to gather the ball and score to the right of the posts. Converted, 0-20.

Wimborne narrowed the lead early in the second half with a penalty after Banbury were penalised for going off their feet at the breakdown. Joel Mariner kicking the long-distance penalty for Wimborne, 3-20.

Tom Macdonald was yellow carded for Banbury after he unsuccessfully tried to intercept a Wimborne pass, knocking the ball on.

Following some great work from the forward pack a Banbury scrum was stopped inches short of the try line. Jacob Mills picked and went quickly from the breakdown and stretched over for try number 3. Converted, 3-27.

Banbury secured a try bonus point with the best score of the game. Tommy Gray started the move with a lovely run from his own half before releasing Duncan Leese with a back of the hand pass. Leese was tackled by the last man but he offloaded to Jacob Mills who dived over for his second try of the game. Converted, 3-34.

Jack Young scored a late consolation try following a quickly taken penalty released the winger for a try in the corner. Mariner converted well from the side-line, 10-34.

The full-time whistle followed shortly after. A big 5 points for Banbury in the promotion race. With RWB failing to secure a bonus point, Banbury moved up to 2nd place in the league at the halfway point of the season. Alex Caviezel Cox was selected as Banbury’s Man of the Match. CC brought a spark and energy to the backs from the moment he came on the pitch and two tries capped a fine overall performance. Special mention to Wimborne RFC for their fantastic hospitality and the brilliant post-match atmosphere. We look forward to welcoming you to Banbury later in the season.

Speaking to stand in coach, Ian Isham, after the game:

10-34, a tough place to come but you’ve secured all 5 points are you happy with the performance today?
“It wasn’t the polished performance we’ve had the last couple of weeks, but the goal was 5 points and that’s what we’ve done. Lots of areas we could improve on though. We switched off for about 10-15 minutes and let them back in the game. I think we tried to force things a little in attack but when we played our phases I thought we looked really good. Our backline was causing problems all game.”

We’ve reached the halfway point of the season. 11 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, how would you sum up the first half of the season?
“I think it’s been fantastic. It’s what we wanted as a team and we’ve backed that up on the pitch. Probably the most important thing is how much youth we’re having come through the team. Compared to last season the average age of the squad has dropped dramatically. They’re producing some great rugby and that’s great to see.”

Do you think that added squad depth sets you up well for the second half of the season?
“Yeah definitely. There are no easy games in this league. Especially away from home. We need to make sure we turn up each week. Play our style of rugby for 80 minutes and I think we’ll be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.”

One final game in 2019, away at Buckingham. They were missing a few players when we met earlier in the season. What are you expecting from that game?
“It’ll be a tough game. It’s a local derby. They’ll be full of confidence as they’ve picked up some good results since we played them last time. It sounds like they’ll have some players back, but I’ve got full confidence in this squad to get the win next weekend.”

Points Scorers:
Tries: Alex Caviezel Cox (2) Jacob Mills (2)
Conversions: Ed Phillips (4)
Penalties (2)

15. Joe Mills (Sponsored by: DTC International) *
14. Justin Parker (Sponsored by Wurzel Broadband) *
13. Duncan Leese (Captain) (Sponsored by Wednesday Strollers)
12. Jack Briggs (Sponsored by: Parkinsons Master Thatchers) *
11. Dan Kirwin (Sponsored by: Hollywood Bowl) *
10. Tommy Gray (Sponsored by: Edd Frost & Daughters) *
9. Ed Phillips (Sponsored by: P Montanaro – ITSM Consultancy) *

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. Joel Thomas (Sponsored by: The Troopers)
5. Kallum Dixey (Sponsored by: Gallagher Insurance Brokers) *
6. Jacob Mills (Sponsored by: Hire Safe Solutions) *
7. Tom Macdonald (Sponsored by Liberis) *
8. James Jennings

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