Bodicote Park - Saturday 28th February 2015

Match reporting by Bob Mitchelmore, action photos and video clips by Simon Grieve.

Missing up to ten players from their preferred starting line-up due to injuries and unavailability it was a youthful and inexperienced Bulls team that took the field against unbeaten league leaders, Old Laurentians.

Whilst the scoreline indicates a heavy defeat it was anything but as the young Bulls showed great commitment and no little skill and enterprise, with their efforts worthy of greater reward.

With the wind at their backs in the first half the Bulls showed that they were not going to lie down easily as they tore into their tackles, not allowing their opponents to get into their stride. Their endeavour was rewarded when Alex Caviezel Cox (pictured), making his first team debut at fullback, opened the scoring with a penalty.

It took Old Laurentians shortly before halftime to take the lead when from a scrum won against the head centre Ian Wallis skipped through the Bulls defence and although stopped just short of the line Rich Parker was on hand to force his way over for the opening try, converted by Dan O'Brien.

Turning to face the wind with a four point deficit the Bulls had a mountain to climb, but to their credit they enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges, with Joe Mills, deputising for skipper Eddie Phillips at scrum half orchestrating the play well, and Carl Daniels running strongly in midfield.

However they could not break the Old Laurentins defence, and when a long touch finder forced Banbury back deep into their own 22, a driving maul from the lineout proved unstoppable. O'Brien again adding the conversion. With the resulting kickoff not going 10 metres Banbury were immediately put on the back foot and fell further behind when the Old Laurentians found space out wide for Reiss Boon to score in the corner.

With the Bulls now chasing the game and attempting to play positive rugby a misplaced pass in midfield was intercepted with Andy Orbison galloping 40 metres to the line. With still 15 minutes to go and the Banbury forwards coming under increasing pressure the floodgates could have opened, but to their credit the Bulls raised their game to dominate the closing stages, but despite going close on a number of occasions could not claim a richly deserved try.