Bletchley do the double over Oxford to return to winning ways
It was a return to winning ways for Bletchley
Bletchley produced a dominant forward display to claim a 24–10 home victory over Oxford at Manor Fields, securing a valuable bonus-point win.
The result also completed a season double over Oxford, following Bletchley’s earlier win away earlier in the campaign.
The hosts made their intent clear early on through a powerful set-piece performance. On 12 minutes, a well-executed driving maul from the lineout allowed hooker Tom Perkins to peel off the back and ground the ball for the opening try, giving Bletchley a 5–0 lead.
The forward pack continued to apply pressure, and after 22 minutes, after a series of hard pick-and-go phases, prop Aaron Fitzgerald powered over the line to extend the advantage to 10–0. Outside centre Elliott Hales, stepping in as kicker with the regular goal-kicker unavailable, converted on 23 minutes to make it 12–0.
Bletchley struck again shortly afterwards. After 25 minutes, a powerful break from captain and number 8 Hugo Govett split the Oxford defence before he offloaded to scrum half Jack Sharp, who sprinted down the 15-metre channel to finish the move. Hales added the conversion, pushing the lead out to 19–0, which remained the half-time score.
Oxford came out strongly after the interval and managed to get themselves on the scoreboard. They crossed for tries on 43 and 48 minutes, but both conversion attempts were missed, reducing the deficit to 19–10.
Bletchley regained control as the second half progressed. On 62 minutes, another dominant lineout and driving maul saw Perkins claim his second try of the afternoon, grounding once again at the back of the pack to extend the lead to 24–10.
Despite a late push from Oxford, Bletchley’s defence remained solid, with the forward pack continuing to dominate both the scrum and lineout platforms throughout the match.
Bletchley are without a game this coming weekend but travel to Gosford All Blacks on Saturday March 21.