Banbury suffered their first defeat of the season in a narrow 33-28 defeat to league leaders Bracknell.

Both teams came into this game with two wins from two and the match certainly lived up to the pre-match hype. Banbury were missing some key starters with Ian Isham, Dan Brady, Duncan Leese, Angus Johnson and Ken Key all unavailable. Such is the depth these days at Bodicote Park though the Bulls still pulled a strong squad together. Bracknell had dropped down from the South West Premier Division but the club still had all the feel of a national league setup.

The game kicked off in unseasonably hot conditions. The humidity meant it was going to be a long 80 minutes for all involved. Banbury were firmly in control in the opening exchanges and took a deserved lead when James Leonardi drove his way over from close range. The forwards showed fantastic skill and strength to pick and go from the edge of the 22 all the way across the try line to the right of the posts. James Miller converted, 0-7.

Banbury piled on the pressure again and worked their way in to the opposition 22 again but just as Banbury looked like they’d extend their lead, Ian Burch intercepted and went the length to score under the posts. Jake Findlay converted, 7-7.

The Bulls could have been disheartened about being level, but they got their heads switched straight back on and re-took the lead. Ian Burch went for another intercept, but this time didn’t get near the ball allowing Quinten Blythe to break down the left wing. Quinten drew the last man before playing in Charlie Norton to score his second try of the season. Miller pushed his conversion wide. 7-12.

The Banbury pack had a brilliant first half and won penalty after penalty to keep Bracknell pinned in their half. When the Bulls were presented with a very kickable penalty, James Miller took the easy three points to extend the lead to 7-15.

Bracknell got back into the game after a try of their own. The home side went quickly with a penalty and with the Bulls retreating Bracknell showed great composure to work their way through the phases before Jamie Johnson crashed over under the posts. Converted, 14-15. James Leonardi picked up a calf injury in the build up which would prove to be a big loss for the forward pack on an especially hot day.

Ken Hodgson was yellow carded for Bracknell after final warnings from the referee were ignored. James Miller concluded the half with a long-range penalty after Bracknell were penalised for coming in at the side to make it 14-18 at the half time whistle. Banbury will have been pleased with their first half performance but frustrated not to turn it in to more points.

Bracknell turned a 0-0 half-time score line last week in to a 0-34 victory and they started this second half in similar fashion. The Banbury backs did well to keep Bracknell out but John Maybey drove over from close range to score out wide. Conversion missed, 19-18.

The Bulls responded well though and re-took the lead with another try of their own. Bracknell were penalised for not rolling away and whilst Banbury had the advantage James Miller chipped in behind. Quinten Blythe showed Burch a clean pair of heals and gathered brilliantly off the deck before scoring in the corner. Miller’s conversion came off the post and trickled over the bar for a massive conversion, 19-25.

The second half was end to end and it was Bracknell’s turn to cross the try line. The Bracknell forwards went through the phases and eventually Ken Hodgson crossed to the right of the posts. Tom Eyston was yellow carded for Banbury for no arms in the tackle after the try had been awarded. Converted, 26-25.

With the extra man the home side piled on the pressure. Bracknell were awarded a penalty try after Dan Kirwin was adjudged to have been offside close to the try line. The penalty looked harsh, and the penalty try and yellow card for Kirwin harsher still. 33-25.

The Bulls did well to reduce the impact of being down to 13 men and good kicking from the backs helped pin Bracknell in their half. When the Bulls got back up to a full complement of players, they won another penalty after Bracknell went off their feet again. James Miller made it a one score game when he slotted the ball through the posts. 33-28.

Banbury’s hopes of a comeback were cut short when the ball was knocked on at the restart and the referee blew the final whistle. A great game for the neutrals but one the Bulls will think got away. Banbury controlled large sections of the game, but Bracknell were more clinical when they had their chances. Last week was a win full of negatives, this week a loss full of positives. Banbury will look to get back to winning ways at home vs Buckingham next weekend.

Match Stats:
Tries: James Leonardi, Charlie Norton and Quinten Blythe
Conversions: James Miller (2)
Penalties: James Miller (3)

Speaking to Head Coach, Matt Goode, after the game:

33-28, so close yet so far. That second half just got away from you, didn’t it?
“The two yellow cards definitely didn’t help. I thought the boys played really well. It was a real step up from the first two wins. To come here and get a point, look we’re not happy with that. We know what we’ve got to do to be up there. With the young squad we’ve got, we’re learning. In the first half we were unreal. Overall I’m fairly happy. It’s hard to lose but we lost against a good side. They’re a well drilled side. They used the pitch well in the second half. They weren’t near us in the first half. That slow start to the second half, killed us. Small margins made big differences. We’ll analyse what went wrong and we’ll be better for it.”

The forwards in the first half were exceptional, weren’t they? Do you think all those injuries and cards just took the wind out the sails?
“Yep. Exactly right. They took their chances. To lose Leo, to lose Taff, they’re incredibly tough to replace. We’ll bounce back. I’m gutted to lose, I think we should have won but fair play to Bracknell they played well and took their chances.”

Back at home next week. Bit of a derby vs Buckingham. What are you expecting from that game?
“Buckingham will be a tough test for us. We know what they bring. They bring heart, bring desire and they’ve got some good players. If we bring the intensity like we did today, then I think we’ll be fine. We need the supporters to make it noisy for us, it should be a good game.”