It was an enjoyable trip to South Oxfordshire for the Junior Colts A XV as they defeated Radley in an exciting game which yielded 13 tries and a half-century of points for the light blue army.

The generosity of Radley’s lunchtime hosting seemed to last into the first quarter of the match as Sherborne surged into a 19-0 lead. JP was first to cross the line with a sizzling break, followed in short order by Christian P and then Harry B, returning a kick-off for another length of the pitch score. Now, it was Radley’s turn to get on the scoresheet following a close-range lineout. Two more Sherborne tries followed in immediate response – a second each for JP and Harry – and, with Hector H having a good day off the kicking tee, the lead was extended to 33-7. Again, Radley powered back as, using their forwards in a succession of drives, they scored twice to close the margin to up to 14 points at the break. It had been a breathless first half, none more so than for the referee who had to limp off with a strained hamstring, having done a brilliant job to keep the game flowing.

Our hosts continued their good form after the interval, and another score made it 33-26, with just a converted try separating the sides. However, Sherborne now dug in with some excellent defence halting any further attacks. When this defensive solidity frustrated our opponents, George E was next on the scoresheet before Harry B completed his hat-trick after a great break from Christian P. Finally, Hector H capped a commanding performance with a lovely try of his own. There was time for one last Radley score, but the light blues were – rightly – thrilled at the final whistle and utterly deserving of their 50-33 win.

From the coaches’ perspective, there were a number of huge positives to take away from the match. The defence was considerably more effective than in previous weeks, with three of our tries coming from turnovers deep in our own half, and a far better tackle completion rate throughout. Indeed, there was a far greater sense of urgency and focus from the whole team, and it was good to see the boys responding so well to a raft of substitutions and positional changes. Amongst the forwards, Jamie H and Fin G maintained their excellent standards of recent weeks, and the whole pack combined well to produce a steady stream of possession. Lastly, the ability of the backs to identify and exploit space was rewarded with some superb tries which, at times, simply cut the Radley defence to pieces.

Next Saturday sees a final away trip, with the chance to avenge our Cup defeat at the hands of Canford and the possibility of an eighth win of the season; do join us if you can.