The Bulls produced a brilliant first half to beat local rivals Grove 67-3. A hat-trick of tries from Joe Mills as well as a man of the match performance from Tom MacDonald helped secure all the points for Banbury.

For the third week in a row, it was another windy but dry contest. Joe Mills, Tom MacDonald and Jack Anderson all returned for the Bulls. Owen Michael and Kaleem Niazi were in line for their first appearances for the Bulls with both named on the bench.

Tommy Gray got Banbury off to the perfect start with a try in the opening minutes. Gray ran a nice line against the run of play, broke one tackle and handed off one more defender before scoring under the posts. Ed Phillips converted, 7-0.

Banbury’s second try was arguably the try of the game with a fantastic effort from their own 22. Banbury had a scrum on the 22 and the backs used the platform to attack down the left wing. Tommy Gray played in Joe Mills and with only the fullback to beat Mills passed it back inside to Tom MacDonald who cruised over for an easy finish. Conversion missed, 12-0.

After Grove were penalised for being offside, Banbury kicked to the corner. From the resulting lineout the forwards set up a rolling maul and Chris Davies finished the drive off for a score in the clubhouse corner. Conversion missed, 17-0.

Ed Phillips sealed a try bonus point for the Bulls midway through the first half. The Banbury forwards drove another rolling maul up to the line but were stopped inches short. Phillips was on hand to get the ball, spin out of a tackle and dive over the line. Phillips converted his own try, 24-0.

The Banbury backs looked dangerous all game and added another great try from their own half. Tommy Gray found his way through the Grove defensive line and as the covering defenders closed in, he whipped out a pass to Joe Mills on the left wing. Mills still had two defenders closing him down, but he stepped inside them both before scoring in the left corner. Conversion missed, 29-0.

Jack Anderson added a 6th try for Banbury and it was another from their own half. Quinten Blythe broke down the right wing, beating two defenders before playing it to James Miller inside him. Miller found Anderson and he sprinted for the line. The defenders managed to wrap him, but he kept his legs driving and over the line for another try. Conversion missed, 34-0.

The Bulls added one more try before the half time whistle. Some brilliant offloading from backs and forwards released Tommy Gray down the left wing. Gray played in James Miller on his inside shoulder for the easiest of finishes. Converted, 41-0.

James Monks kicked a penalty for Grove after Banbury were penalised for offside to end the first half 41-3.

Banbury continued the second half where they ended the first. Tom MacDonald broke two tackles as he worked his way down the left wing. With one man to beat he played in Joe Mills who jogged over for his second try of the game. Converted, 48-3.

James Leonardi was yellow carded for Banbury after he went for an interception but knocked on. The Bulls stayed hot though, and the tries kept coming. Quinten Blythe showed some fantastic skill to control a bouncing ball with his feet and play in Tommy Gray. Gray outpaced the defenders for another Banbury try. Converted, 55-3.

Joe Mills completed his hat-trick with some great work from the whole team. The forwards drove the ball up field with a rolling maul. With the Grove defenders retreating the Backs attacked and worked the ball from one wing to the other to release Mills in for his third try of the game. Conversion missed, 60-3.

In the final minutes the Bulls backs scored another lovely try from deep. Quinten Blythe sprinted his way down the left wing before finding Owen Michael for a try on his debut for the Bulls. Converted, 67-3.

The final whistle followed shortly after. A really impressive performance from Banbury. The Bulls looked on it from the first minute and the confidence was flowing from 1-18. Tom MacDonald was picked as Banbury’s man of the match. He was everywhere for the full 80 minutes. His stats would have made for some reading. Numerous line breaks, tackles all over the pitch and some big turnovers at important times. Next week is a big one for Banbury with the Bulls travelling to promotion rivals Newbury.

Match Stats:
Tries: Joe Mills (3) Tommy Gray (2) Tom MacDonald, Chris Davies, Ed Phillips, Jack Anderson, James Miller and Owen Michael.
Conversions: Ed Phillips (6)

Speaking to Matt Goode after the game:
67-3 to the Bulls, was that the complete performance from the Bulls?
“First half we were fantastic. I told the boys to take the shackles off. Don’t worry too much about phases and play heads up rugby and the boys delivered. They were clinical with their chances. Usually, I’d say I’m happier only conceding three points but today I was really proud of our attack. Some of the tries today were phenomenal. What pleased me most was that when we made those breaks, there was always 3 or 4 boys there who could finish off those tries. It’s always good to see the boys enjoying their rugby.”

Two more young debutants for the Bulls today, both Banbury products. These young players have really delivered for the Bulls this season, haven’t they?
“Our strength in depth has been incredible. To have Owen and Kaleem come in today and we’re more than halfway through the season is great. They fitted in straight away, it’s a testament to the coaches who have worked with them before that they’re ready for senior rugby when they come into the squad.”

We’ve got a massive pitch here at Bodicote Park, there’s a great team here helping prepare it for games. It comes together on days like today, doesn’t it? Gives the boys a fantastic platform to attack from.
“I mean how good does that pitch look, especially at this time of the year. There’s a lot of volunteers who put a lot of effort in to make sure the pitches are as good as they can be. John Colegrave leads the operation. We’re in the middle of February and it’s looked amazing. It allows our players to run about and score the wonderful tries that they do.”

Newbury away next week, one of the favourites for promotion. Doesn’t get much harder than that does it?
“Newbury away, what a great place to play. We’re going to move the ball about. We’re going to play our style of rugby. They gave us a really tough game here and maybe should have won that day. They’ll have a score to settle, that’s for sure. They’ve had a couple slip ups in recent weeks but we’re expecting a really tough game next weekend.”