Five-star Oxfordshire power into last four
Division 2 round-up
OXFORDSHIRE scored five tries with their best performance of the campaign to grab a 34-27 bonus point win over Warwickshire and claim the fourth and final semi-final berth.
Blindside Mark Roberts put in a try-scoring man of the match display while Banbury half-back Joe Mills kicked seven points at Chipping Norton RFC.
Banbury wingers Charlie Cranley and Quinten Blythe, as well as Witney hooker Marcus Reading, all crossed the try-line to help send Greg Goodfellow’s side into the knockout stages, where they are expected to face top seed Gloucestershire.
East Midlands topped Pool 3 with a three try 28-19 victory over a solid Eastern Counties side away at Bury St Edmunds. Oundle full-back Ben Youngs kicked 13 points while Kettering loosehead Jos Cox was man of the match.
Eastern Counties started brightly with prop Shaun Sprinddell muscling over for an early lead. But Brackley’s Tommy Gray and Oundle’s inside-centre Harry Winch gelled perfectly to score a try apiece and put East Midlands in front, with No.8 Will Cardell also scoring. Isa Sloot and Elliot Foley also dotted down for Eastern Counties.
Gloucestershire secured the top qualifying spot and a home semi-final with a six-try 45-26 win against Essex at Thurrock. Outside-centre Joe Warner of Cheltenham Tigers put in a sublime two-try scoring display, with the West Country side surviving three yellow cards in the second-half to ensure they qualified from Pool 2.
Full-back Alex Nelmes also scored a double, while Gordon League fly-half Luke McMahon kicked four conversions.
In the other Pool 2 clash, Sussex won 22-21 in a nail-biting clash against Buckinghamshire.
Cheshire scored seven tries to beat Cumbria 4212 and complete a clean-sweep of victories in Pool 1, while securing a home semi-final. Fly-half Charlie Attis scored a try and kicked three conversions in the clash at Chester, with Macclesfield’s Tom Burden, centre Harry Oliver, prop Dan Percival, Wirral wing Tom Cole and Stockport’s Rory Austin all getting on the score-sheet.
Northumberland won 53-48 against Staffordshire.
