Hall double fires Henley fightback

Henley Hawks18

Barnes…………..16

By JIMMY BOOKER

A LATE George Jackson penalty snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for Henley as they completed a roaring second-half fight-back to break Barnes hearts.

The visitors went into the interval 16 points to the good, but three second-half tries and Jackson's telling kick won the day for the Oxfordshire side.

Wing Robbie Martey crossed the whitewash to give the visitors an early lead, with full-back Tom O'Toole adding the extras.

And O'Toole's kicking was on point for the rest of the half as he landed three penalties to put Barnes in command after the first 40 minutes.

However, it was a different Henley that emerged after the break, and they got their first points on the board within three minutes of the restart when Thomas Emery crashed over.

Replacement Tom Hall had a resounding impact from the bench, with the flanker dotting down after 53 and 63 minutes to haul his side back into the match with an impressive double.

Scrum-half Jackson had missed all three of his conversion attempts.

But held his nerve when it mattered most, sending the crucial penalty through the posts in the dying moments to snatch what could be a vital win for the hosts.

TEAMS

HENLEY HAWKS: O'Neil, Rath, Andre, Hayhow, Perry, Butler, Jackson, Hadfield, Emery, Manning, Clements, Albon, Hyde, Haynes, Lowe

Replacements: Philpott, Montout-Alexis, Hall, White, Stevenson-Wright

BARNES: O'Toole, Martey, Cornish, Butler, Carlisle, Williams, Reeves, Galvin, Alteirac, Packham, Cazalet, Crane, Hind, Scott, Crossland

Replacements: Symonds, Kopra, Smyth, Libbey, Davies

REFEREE: Robert Teale

ATTENDANCE: 215

Star man

Thomas Emery – Henley Hawks