Banbury made it 15 wins in a row with a second half comeback to beat Beaconsfield 16-21 in a physical encounter.

The original date for this fixture was December 18th but with Covid cases in the Beaconsfield squad and it being so close to Christmas it was decided to postpone the game to a later date. In fact, the whole league had rescheduled games this weekend as the games keep coming.
The Bulls were missing a few players but have rotated frequently this season allowing greater depth and team cohesion amongst the squad. Similar to the previous weekend it was another cold and windy one but thankfully for all involved, no rain.

Banbury’s opening try was a fantastic team effort. The Bulls have at times this season tried a little too hard to force things, but the opening try was a fantastic show of patience and composure. Banbury went through phase after phase and worked their way all the way up to the Beaconsfield try line before Jacob Mills darted his way over. James Miller added the extras, 0-7.

Beaconsfield responded well though and exploited a 2 vs 1 down the right wing to allow Robbie Cartwright to score in the corner. Conversion missed, 5-7.

Two penalties for Beaconsfield before the half time whistle put them in to a strong position at the interval. Aled Lewis kicking the points to make it 11-7 at half time.

The Bulls had the wind in the second half but when Tommy Gray had a try held up and then Beaconsfield scored a try of their own you worried things weren’t going to go Banbury’s way. The Bulls argued it had been a double movement, but the referee wasn’t interested in any protests to allow Robbie Cartwright a second try of the game. Conversion missed, 16-7.

The score seemed to fire Banbury up and although they’d played pretty well all game, they definitely found another gear for the final 20 minutes. Banbury went straight up the field and into the opposition 22 before the defence finally gave way allowing James Leonardi to crash his way over from close range. Converted, 16-14.

Banbury kept the pressure on but couldn’t turn their possession and territory into more points. In fact, it was a Beaconsfield mistake that finally allowed Banbury to re-take the lead. Tommy Gray pounced on a loose pass to kick the ball up field. Gray sprinted after his own kick and hacked the ball on again. With the ball now rolling over the try line it was a straight sprint between Gray and two Beaconsfield defenders to decide if it would be a try or not. All three dived for the ball but it was Gray who would win the race by the finest of margins with a fantastic finish. Converted, 16-21.

The Bulls had the momentum and pushed for a late try bonus point but were also conscious that their lead was a narrow one and any mistake could be costly. In the end it wasn’t too be and a forward pass from Beaconsfield trying to play it out from their own 22 brought up the full-time whistle.

A really good contest. Beaconsfield were physical and a different outfit to the one Banbury played at the beginning of the season. With Oxford also winning narrowly the title fight shows no signs of letting up any time soon. Banbury are back at home vs Grove next weekend.

Match Stats:
Tries: Jacob Mills, James Leonardi and Tommy Gray
Conversions: James Miller (3)

Speaking to Matt Goode after the game:
16-21, really close game today, what were your thoughts on that contest?
“It was a better performance than the last few weeks, so I’m happy with that side of things. We came up against a really strong Beaconsfield side. They were physical, relentless for 80 minutes. Credit to them for an excellent game. The conditions were tricky, and we could have done more with them but it’s a testament to the boys that we’ve come away with another win and four more points. The performance was good.”

Beaconsfield were really impressive, if you want to stay at the top is it about just finding a way to win on days like today?
“Coming here, starting against the wind against a pumped-up Beaconsfield isn’t easy. Ideally you want to get that try bonus point but I’m happy with the win today. The result has to come first and I’m happy we managed to come back and win today.”

It should have been a weekend off for the Bulls but because of Covid and re-arranged fixtures the games keep coming thick and fast. Has that been a struggle for you to manage?
“It’s not been too bad. It’s the little injuries and niggles where you want to give the boys a week off to rest up but actually, we’ve got a very good squad at Banbury at the moment. Our strength in depth has been crucial this season. There’s competition for places and even with some of the boys unavailable today we’ve still got a strong squad.”

Grove at home next weekend. There are no easy games in this league with teams causing upsets every week. What are you expecting from that game?
“It’ll be a tough contest as always. We’ll look at training how we’re going to approach that game and make sure the right squad is selected. We’re back at home for the first time in a while and we’re excited to play in front of our supporters again.”