We arrived at Reading Abbey’s ground during monsoon season, with driving rain and a howling Nor’ Easter covering the area. Despite this, the facilities, clubhouse and pitches all looked in great condition. Spirits were high, and the Abs changing room rang to tales of dark deeds and evil misdoings on tour.
If ever the toss was going to be important to win, today was it. The winners would start from uphill, and with the strong wind at their backs. Abbey won, and the game commenced with Abs kicking into the wind.
Abs followed up the short kick, and drove to the 22, then a maul to the 10, and a ball out to the wing saw them make the 5 metre.  Possession was lost here, and with everyone pressing up on attack, a darting run by an Abbey winger, saw a pitch long run for the first try, converted, 7 - 0.
The restart saw a similar story, and again Abs drove following up the kick. This time, on Reading’s 22, most of the backs were involved in a ruck, and when the ball shot out to the Reading wing, there was no defence to counter another try run in from half the pitch. Not converted 12 - 0.
The next restart was handled much better by Reading, and they went on the attack, pushing up to Abingdon’s 22, and winning a scrum. Conditions were deteriorating and the usually solid Abs scrum lost footing, the ball shot out to a Reading blindside winger at pace, who ran in the try, not converted 17 - 0.
For the next 10 minutes Abingdon take possession and put on some fierce pressure. First Will Barker feeds a ball to Alex Lungu , who charges up to the Reading 5. Hard rucking follows, but Reading come away with the ball, and kick to relieve pressure. James Hartley collects, and pushes back right to the Reading 5, where a scrum is awarded. Again Reading manage to clear their lines with a wind assisted kick to the halfway.
Now Reading take up the attack, and some amazing defending is called for by Abingdon.
First a ball is chipped through and looks destined to fall for two Reading players., but Sam sees the danger, races back and collects brilliantly 5 metres from his line, and Dougie gets it out to the 22.
Another push for the line is stopped and held up by Dougie, then from a 5 metre scrum, Dougie clears up a messy loose ball and grounds it. A great spell of defensive play by the nimble fairy. Next, Luke collects the ball under pressure and goes on the attack, to be stopped on his own 22.
Eventually though, this pressure by Reading paid off and they ran in another try out wide on the wing, unconverted. 22 - 0
Half time.
A messy start to the second half, as the rain continues to fall, and the wind makes kicking difficult. Eventually, Thomas Mooring kicks a penalty with the wind, and puts the ball out on Reading’s 5 metre. Despite Reading winning the line out, Alex Lushington steals, and Josh carries to the 5 again. A penalty is awarded to Abingdon, and Alex Lushington taps and goes, and creates one of his trademark breakthrough tries. Thomas Mooring converts. 22 - 07
The wind continues to assist Abingdon, and a kick from Ross goes down to Reading’s 10 from Abingdon’s 10. Ben Kili receives a nasty blow to the head, and has to take some time to regain his feet. A rousing round of applause follows as Ben decides he is ok to carry on.
A bit of over enthusiasm shortly after, and Alex Lungu is invited by the referee to sit out the next 10 minutes.
Reading put together an attack, and skilfully offload as a series of good tackles go in from Ben Hedges, Ben Kili, Thomas Mooring, and Jacob. Each pass out creating an overlap that means they run in for an unconverted try. 27 - 7.
Handling and kicking is now even more difficult as the pitch had started to cut up quite badly, and most of the remainder of the match was a mud bath in mid pitch. One brief breakout by Abingdon saw Jorges chasing down a long kick from Gareth, but it agonisingly bounced into touch before Jorges could collect and run over.
The final whistle blew just as the wind dropped, the rain stopped, and the sun came out!

A bruising, but very entertaining first ever match against Reading Abbey, and talks of rematches and friendlies for next season are already being discussed. In many aspects of the game the two sides were well matched, so fingers are crossed for a less intrusive part being played by Mother Nature next time.

Funny moment of the game : A packed to the rafters club house after the match, when mysteriously an eggy whiff clears a pocket of free space just in front of the bar.

The scram down: The after match food of meaty pasta was well received by the lads, and got a very good report of……….NOM. (This is teenage speak for “Crikey, that’s a tasty treat“ apparently) Thanks to Reading for the food, which considering how busy it was, must have taken some organisation.
This researcher sampled the pre-match bacon and two sausage meaty treat in a large floured bap. Excellent quality, and quantity at a very good price sees it get a healthy 8.8 on the buttyometer.
NB. Apologies to all who turned up expecting to sample the fabled “Reading Roll” of two seasons ago. (This was our first time at Abbey, I got the wrong club. Scram was tip top here too though.)

Guest player : Our second attempt to secure a Pacific Islander as our guest player ended less than well. Henry Tuilagi (brother of Manu, Freddie, Alensana, Anitelea and Sanele) seemed a safe bet as he had no history of jumping off boats, and our research suggested he was the calm one of the family. Our research consisted of a brief chat over a Guinness. It maybe should have stretched to searching out this link before we went ahead and booked him. http://www.rugbydump.com/2009/10/1128/henry-tuilagi-absolutely-smashes-ben-foden
Anyway. So Henry arrives at Abingdon club and prepares to travel with us, but says he has to run into the clubhouse first. We presumed he meant he wanted to go in for a wee, but he just wanted to run into the clubhouse! He dropped his shoulder and hit the main doors at about 40mph. Glass and shrapnel flew everywhere, and the whole structure collapsed in a heap. “Ok, I’m ready to go now” said Henry, smiling from ear to ear.
It was unfortunate that Robin then asked him if he could drive the minibus for us. “Oh yes, I can drive that easily”, he said as he dropped his shoulder, and hit the van so hard he drove it onto the pitch!!
What happened next was messy…..very messy.
“No, no , no”, said Simon. “What we meant was, can you run the team over?”
Personally, I saw the glint in Henry’s eye as he heard these words, and had run away before he had dropped his shoulder. Those screams of pain I heard behind me will stay with me a long time though. I was decided to park Henry on the bench for this one.
After much discussion, the parents and coaches have decided that trying to book celebrity players hasn’t been the greatest success this year, so they will be trying something new next season……what could possibly go wrong? !!!!!!

The weather continues to improve as Abingdon’s hosts Herouville take the field for the second game of the triple header.
This game will be 12 a side, and the playing area is marked out,  slightly smaller than the full pitch, with cones. Gus takes the linesman’s flag, and offers to run the line.
Herouville kick off into a slight breeze, and follow up with a well ordered attack. After losing the ball, Herouville watch as Dan picks up, and runs a diagonal line through a hole in their defence, and over the cones for a try. Converted by Gareth 0 - 7.
A Herouville attack forms, and they chip through into open space. A dangerous moment is countered however, when Ben Hedges collects the ball, and chips through to Will, who passes out to Dan, and out to Jorges making a run on the wing. He dives over for a try, unconverted, 0 - 12.
The next restart is collected cleanly by Josh and he starts a run dragging in defenders, then ships the ball out to Dan making a parallel run, and on up to the 22. From the lineout, Gareth runs in a try, not converted, 0 - 17.
Half time is blown.
The second half starts as a scrappy affair with no great advantage to either side, and a lot of action taking place mid pitch. James Hartley and Thomas Yates put in some fierce rucking, and keep winning the ball, only for it to go loose again during the next phases.
A scrum is called, and the ball pops out quickly, catching Abingdon by surprise as they are pressing forward. A Herouville back is quickly on the loose ball, and runs in a try, converted 7 - 17.
Herouville are attacking hard now, and look destined to score again, until Luke makes a stop just short of the line, steals the ball, and starts a move that leads to Dan charging up field for an unconverted try. 7 - 23.
Two more moments of note before the whistle blows. Ross is fed the ball on the wing, and just manages to stay inside the cones, as he makes a dash for the line. He is taken into touch by a massive tackle as a Herouville defender crashes waist height and in the air, and the pair go down in a heap.
The other moment sees Alex Lushington in the clear and destined to score, when he pops the ball to Dougie chasing in on his shoulder in support. Unfortunately, Dougie forgets the shortened pitch, and puts the ball down just in the dead ball area between the posts.
Shortly after, full time is blown. Again, there is warm applause from both sides and their supporters, to acknowledge another well played game.
The Abingdon squad sit and watch the Herouville V St. Lo match, until the heavens open again, and they prepare for the aftermatch presentation.

The scram down : For the adults it is baguettes with pate and Brie, and cans of beer. For the squad, it is real Pain au chocolat, made with Baguettes and chocolate squares. Both options are wolfed down as plaques and ties, wristbands and future invitations are exchanged.

Every squad member represented their club, and their country in an exemplary manner, and were rewarded with a pair of great results, and an invitation to return next year. Our hosts Herouville, and St. Lo were friendly and gracious, and everyone present would be willing to play again in the future.

Abingdon U15.………undefeated in Europe !

The Abingdon tour coach pulled into Herouville-Saint-Clair, (a suburb of Caen, and our hosts for a 3 way match) , just as the heavens opened. As the team made their way from the coach to the changing rooms they were met by a driving rain that changed quickly to sleet and then a horizontal monsoon.
20 players, 18 pairs of boots, and 7 supporters trudged through the adverse conditions.
Despite the conditions, the stadium itself looked in fantastic condition, and boasted covered dugouts for coaches and reserves, and a raised viewing stand for supporters.
The referee laid down a few local rules, which effectively meant uncontested scrums, and St. Lo are introduced as the first opposition for Abingdon.
St. Lo kick off, and the weather changes to warm sunshine and a gentle Gallic breeze. The ball is received by Hector, who passes out to Thomas Mooring, and onto Will Barker, who bursts through to the 5 metre. A knock on shortly after allows St. Lo to kick to clear, but only as far as Alex Lungu, who goes on a charge, passes inside to Ben Kili, out to Aled who chips a kick through for Dougie to run in for the first unconverted try of the match 0 - 5
On receiving the restart Abingdon pulled the ball from side to side testing the St. Lo defence, until a passing move by Jack, Dan and Dougie supplies Jacob Reid with the space to do  a jinking run and over for another unconverted try 0 - 10.
Jorge Cabral comes onto the field, and is immediately in the action, as he receives the ball at the end of a line of passes, breaks 3 tackles, stumbles, finds his feet again, and blasts over for Abingdon’s third unconverted try 0 - 15.
Half time is blown.
St. Lo restart with a rolling attack, but it meets a very solid Alex Lungu tackle, and the ball goes loose. Jack Campbell runs onto the ball, kicks it forward, and scoops up the bounce to run 25 metres and over the try line. Gareth converts 0 - 22.
The next score for Abingdon is a clever move by Sam, who breaks from the scrum with lightening speed, and touches down for another unconverted try 0 - 27.
A well worked move the next one. Jorge puts in some hard work on the left wing, passes to Alex Lungu in the centre, and onto Luke on the right wing , who runs in for try number six, converted by Thomas Mooring 0 - 34.
Luke has a hand in creating the next score too as he tackles and stops a St. Lo attack, then pops the ball up to Jorge who runs in from distance. Gareth converts from a tricky angle. 0 - 41.
With seconds left on the clock Alex Lushington burrows under the St.Lo defence on the line for a try, and Gareth drop kicks the conversion 0 - 48.

A cheer and rousing applause met both sides as they left the field at the end of a match played in a fair and good natured manner, with very few penalties or intervention from the official,
Time for Abingdon to take on water and prepare for the next match, which was to be a 12 man per side affair, against Herouville, on a reduced playing area.

Interesting opposition fact : St. Lo is known as the ‘Capital of the ruins’ to remember the devastating destruction of the town during WWII. For this reason also, all the trees in the town are of the same height, as they were all planted at the same time after the war.

Herouville report coming soon……can Abingdon do the double?

Perfect blue skies criss-crossed by contrails, and a warm start to summer,  made a pleasant welcome to Grove for this friendly. Despite the lack of sleep due to the clock change, everyone looked alert for the match, and were keen to repeat the result of the first match of the season.
Abingdon kicked off, and as usual, went on the attack. Alex Lushington followed up, gained the ball, and passed to Sam Iwanczak who charged up to the Grove 22.  This attack falters, and only some great tackling by Luke Connolly and Aled Newton prevents a breakout by Grove. Action moves from end to end, with some determined defending by both teams preventing a score for the first quarter of the game.
Eventually Grove build an attack that is stopped on the 5 metre by Aled,  but the ball is shipped out wide to the wing. A scrum is called, and Grove use the blind side to run in the first unconverted try 5 - 0.
Grove followed up from the kick off, and quickly were camped on Abingdon’s 22 with first a line out, then a scrum. A dash from off the scrum again scores a try, this one converted 12 - 0.
Abingdon restart, and a great attack forms. First Luke and Dan forge forward with some nice passing, then Jack Campbell chips through to the 10, and Hector Macduff carries to the 5. The ball is lost briefly, but Ben Hedges tackles and regains possession. The ball is held up short of the line, and Grove get a penalty that allows them to clear their line. The ball is picked up on the half way line and is run in by a Grove winger for a converted try 19 - 0
The hard ground and lack of substitutes is taking it’s toll on Abingdon and Jorges Cabral, Dougie Broad and Sam are all rolling on and off the field with a selection of injuries. Each is patched up quickly, and enters the fray again, but Grove run in one more unconverted try as the half finishes 24 - 0.
Abingdon start the second half as they did the first, and launch a sustained attack. A great flowing and passing move sees Jorge, Sam, Alex and Jack moving forward at pace to Grove’s 10. A scrum called, and Hector carries to the 5. Two penalties are awarded to Abingdon, but the Grove defence holds off some determined runs by Aled, Ross and Jack, and eventually Grove clear the danger with a long kicked penalty.
Scrums go uncontested for a short while as Jorge has to come off for treatment as he is filling in the Hooker position.
Again Grove scythe through Abingdon’s defence, and missed tackles see another converted try run in. 31 - 0.
The next phase was again all Abingdon. Firstly Alex, Thomas Mooring and Jorge drive toward the Grove line, the Aled makes a blistering run, but is held up after diving for the line. The ball moves out wide from the 5 metre scrum, and Thomas makes it to the line with an outstretched arm. Abingdon try. Not converted 31 - 5.
Grove get two more tries and one conversion in the dying minutes of the match, and the whistle for full time blows with the score 43 - 5.

Not an easy day for any Abingdon player today, with the squad depleted, and only one sub. Great spirit shown by all, and particularly the injured who all played on, and those who had to play the whole match without a breather.

Funny moment of the day : All our players sat round the table eating the after match food, all wearing sunglasses. It looked like an FBI agents day out. Later Ross is seen with shades on walking Sam’s Labrador Pepsi across the car park, oblivious to the fact he looked like a guide dog user.

The scram down : Excellent food all round today. The after match chicken curry and rice was really top quality, and huge portions filled even the heartiest appetite. This researcher was very impressed with the sausage and bacon roll pre match. Nicely packaged in a box to aid carrying, the weight of this beauty was down to vast amounts of bacon, a decent roll, and two sausages. Cost was very fair given the amount of filling, and the same roll with egg for £2.50 got rave reviews too. We have a challenger here for the mighty Stratford dustbin lid bun and half a pig!! The buttyometer recorded a very creditable 9.5, well done Grove.

Guest player : The final game of the season, and we were really pleased to get the nod from a true giant of the game. Ex England player, ex Harlequins coach , and soon to be Newcastle Falcon’s director of rugby, Dean Richards. We knew there had been a small ‘incident’ a few years back, but that behind him, we thought he would be quite useful.
Dean turned up , and asked if anyone had a tissue, as he had a bit of a nosebleed. Soon sorted, and we showed him into the changing room. Couple of seconds later, and Dean’s head pokes round the door……‘Have you chaps got a plaster? Seem to have cut myself on my zip, not too much blood’
When he eventually emerged he looked around at the squad, and bit his lip thoughtfully.  Unfortunately, this caused him a slight bleed, but nothing serious. As he jogged out to the training area Dean stumbled and grazed his knee, which we soon had bandaged up.
We had noticed by now Mr Richards was looking a bit pale and wobbly due to blood loss, so we had to sit him down, and give him a sweet cup of tea and a chocolate hobnob. We thought it was probably best to sit him out of this one.
Ah well, there’s always next season I guess.

Voice from the dugout : Many thanks to our friends at grove for hosting this friendly at short notice. Well done lads, we always new this would be a tough match against a team that finished third in the league above us. There was no lack of competitiveness at the breakdown with the difference between us and them being some critical missed tackles, their ability to punch holes in our defence and fitness for some. Its always difficult when you only have 16 players and no subs, but everyone should train to be able to play a high intensity match for 80 minutes (40 min each way next season). Apart from our tour matches that was the last of the season. Its been a season of two halves for us with highs and lows in each. Well done everyone!!!!!

Witney was basking in early spring sunshine as we arrived,  and the pitch looked excellent for this foot of the table clash.  Abs had run out winners in the first game at home, so Witney were looking for revenge.
Witney kicked off and Jack Campbell counters with a searching downfield kick. Two quick penalties against Abingdon see them soon defending a scrum on their own 22 however. The ball is out and a strong rolling maul pushes over the Abingdon line, the maul drops, and the referee quickly awards the first try of the game. Not converted 5 - 0.
Pressure is applied by Abingdon now, searching for a quick reply. Runs by Will Barker, Jack Campbell Alistair Smith and Dougie Broad are all stopped by a solid Witney defence. Abingdon’s scrum is holding firm, and winning all their own ball. Witney attacks are being stopped by fearless tackles from Jorge Cabral, James Hartley, and Ben Kili our ‘None shall pass’ full back. Jorge suffers an injury, and his place is taken by Sam Iwanczak, who immediately starts making the same kind of stopping tackles.
The rest of the half is played out in an evenly contested manner, with desperate defending by both teams near their own line, and some searching runs by the centres and wings. The whistle blows, and both teams take on water and advice.
The restart saw the same kind of to and fro play for the first 10 minutes, until a Witney attack formed and a ruck fed the ball to a winger to run in for a try. Not converted 10 - 0.
Witney applied immediate pressure from the next restart, and drove up to the Abingdon 22. This time a maul is the platform to move the ball to the wing, and they run in another unconverted try. 15 - 0
Abingdon chase up the kick off, and a sustained attack is mounted. A Jack / Sam combination sees Abingdon camped on Witney’s 5 metre for the next 10 minutes. Abingdon are awarded 6 penalties, and each is taken as a tap and go, which Witney find hard to keep out. Finally Abingdon clear the line and ground the ball, but are adjudged to have made an infringement, and have the penalty awarded against them. Witney clear and play returns to the mid pitch.
One last push by Witney see them drive to Abingdon’s 5 metre and a scrum is called. The Abingdon forwards are determined fight this one, and the scrum holds, then pushes Witney back. The ball is fed out to a waiting Gareth Gray steady on the line. A brilliant clearing kick, under a lot of pressure, sends the ball safe to almost the half way line. Soon after, the whistle blows and time is called.

A well deserved first win for Witney, in a very hard fought match. The improvement they have made over the season is noticeable and we will look forward to next year and meeting again. If these two matches are any indication, we will be rewarded with a good game, and great weather.

Funny moment of the day : The look of horror on Ben Kili and Alistair Smith’s face as the mars bar in their pint of lemonade, slithers menacingly down the glass in the drinking competition after match.

After match games : See above. A double of wins for Witney here too, it really was their day.

The Scram down : Thanks to Witney for an excellent after match meal for the lads, nothing left means it was well received. You can’t fail with sausage, beans and chips.
This researcher tried the pre-match bacon and egg sandwich, which was very well presented and cooked. Masses of meaty bacon, and an egg that was cooked to runny perfection, and exploded on biting. Even a plate supplied !!!!! 8 out of 10.

Guest player:  This was a certain winner, and it was almost impossible to see what could go wrong.
We managed to get the services of London Irish Full back, and Ex England speedster Delon Armitage. Now we were aware of a few discipline ‘issues’ with the Delster, so we came up with a plan so cunning it won an award at the ’ Cunning plan awards 2012‘
All we needed to do, we reasoned, was to keep Delon away from any other human until he took the field, meaning he couldn’t get himself into any trouble. So a van was ordered and the back kitted out into a veritable rugby players heaven. Delon was then put inside, and driven to our ground…..all on his own….nobody to annoy, or to annoy him. Genius. Or so we thought.
Have you ever heard the saying “That bloke could pick a fight in an empty room?”
By the time the van arrived at Abingdon, Delon had managed to pick up a 4 week ban for a high tackle, got cited for gouging, and biting (himself), accused of fighting in public, and was finally invited to appear before an RFU discipline committee. Remarkable work rate for a  journey taking all of 15 minutes.
So it was with a heavy heart we had to turn the van around and send him on his way.
Maybe next time Delon.

Voice from the dugout : Commiserations fella's, not the way we want this seasons league to end, with a loss, but Witney were the better team on the day. We lacked our usual go-forward intensity and couldn't find the answers to play the way we wanted. We know what we are up against next time. On the upside we showed how well we can tackle under pressure. Next time!!!

The previous encounter between Abingdon and Stratford had been a runaway whitewash for the Stratford side at their very impressive home ground.  Expectations were not high at the kick off as Abingdon were starting with the bare 15 due to 3 broken bones (Jorge Cabral, Sam Iwanczak and Gus Bremner), flu (Jack Campbell), a shoulder strain (Alistair Smith) and a concussion picked up in training (Alex Lushington). Both captains out, and a steady freezing drizzle……..not ideal.
Abingdon kicked off and Stratford were immediately on the attack. Despite a brilliant tackle by Jacob Reid Stratford run in a try, and make the long conversion against the wind 0 - 7.
The restart, and Abingdon are pushed first to a lineout at their 22, then at their 5, and then a scrum on their 5. From here Stratford run in another try, and convert an equally tricky kick. 0 - 14.
Again Stratford push hard, and are camped for 5 minutes on the Abingdon line. Some fierce defending seems to be holding Stratford, until the ball is shipped out wide, and the try run in. A remarkable conversion attempt hit’s the right hand post, then the left, and finally spits out forward. 0 - 19.
Again from the restart Stratford attack, are stopped briefly by a Ben Kili tackle, then ran in another try. The conversion attempt again hit’s the post. 0 - 23.
Two more Stratford tries, one converted, took us to half time with the score at a daunting 0 - 35.
A mountain to climb for Abingdon, with the weather deteriorating even further, and no replacements to call on, surely heads would drop, and the rout continue.
The first indication this would not be the case came immediately as Abingdon went on the attack.  Ben Hedges passes out to Aled Newton, to Ross Coles, out to Luke Connolly who charges up to the Stratford 10. The ball is intercepted and Stratford look destined to score a breakaway try. Thomas Mooring makes a monster tackle to stop, and Hector Macduff  goes on a charge back up pitch, driving through the opposition and making about 30 yards. Great support comes in from James Hartley Ben Kili, Josh Neal ,Will Barker and Alex Lungu.  This support at the breakdown was crucial to what happened in the next 30 minutes.
Hector and Thomas then go on some bruising runs taking the ball to the Stratford 5 metre, where a driving maul pushes over the line. Unfortunately it is adjudged held up, despite some hard battling. A 5 metre scrum is called, and the Abingdon pack dominate. After moving the ball back it is chipped through, and Ross follows it over the line and touches down hotly chased  by a Stratford defender. Aled converts 7 - 35
The restart, and Dan Mould and Alex Lungu now go on a two man charge at the Stratford defence, carrying and handing off to great effect. Dan crashes over the line, and Aled converts again. 14 - 35.
The conditions, and attrition are now taking effect, and in a short time Thomas, and Ross, are both taken off the field injured, and in a great sporting gesture, Stratford loan two of their players to fill the gap.
Hector again goes on the attack, but this time with Rory a Stratford loan player as his running mate. The two, supported by the pack, rumble up field and Rory scores a try for Abingdon, converted by Aled  21 - 35.
Hector and Alex Lungu begin where they had left off, and again the attack is taken to Stratford. This time it is Hector who breaks through, and over the line for his first try, between the posts. To celebrate this momentous feat, Hector is allowed the honour of converting, and narrowly misses due to the ball never getting above 3 inches off the floor, although the accuracy is pretty good, and it scoots through the centre of the posts.  26 - 35
As the weather turned now to sleet and howling gale, Stratford run in a breakaway try converted 26 - 42 as the whistle is blown.

A game that really did have everything. From the first half of potential heartbreak, to the astounding second half fight back. Played with respect, heart and humour by both teams, the result faded into the background as the game became more important. A display of courage in the face of a blizzard, and the sportsmanship to play hard and fair despite the score, impressed every spectator today. A great job as replacement captain by Will Barker, working with a team with players out of position. Thanks due to Jorge and Jack too, who turned up to cheer on their mates despite injury/illness.

Funny moment of the game : Almost too many to mention!!
Hector’s grasscutter conversion attempt mentioned above.
Belly taking off his shirt to swap with his replacement, and realising it was waaaaaaaaaay too small to fit him.
Jacob shouting “I’ve never scored a try, and he gets one the first time he plays for us” and pointing at Rory our borrowed player.
Rory being told by a team mate “We said PLAY for them, not SCORE for them!!”

After match games : Hector and Rory are chosen as men of the match, and get a pint of lemonade and a mars bar to deal with. A close run thing sees Hector come second, just not quite dealing with the mars bar in time.

The scram down : 10/10 for the parents great selection of food again. Really brilliant effort.
This researcher also dined at the McLushington’s burger bar and tea emporium just before the match, and gave the meat laden sausage and bacon bun a very high score of 8. That was until I found out that Carole was cooking and also celebrating her birthday (26 apparently). I have to award an extra two marks for dedication to the cause, and give the first ever 10/10 for pre match fodder!!.

Guest player :
Hello is that Danny?  “ G’day cobbler, tis I, the Ciprianimeister”
So started our negotiations with Ex England, Ex Wasps, Ex Melbourne Rebel, and soon to be Sale Shark, Danny Cipriani. We thought that we might be able to help him re adjust to British conditions before he joins Sale, and wondered if he wanted to guest for us today.
“Strewth mate, throw another prawn on the barbi” He replied.
We were not quite sure if that was a yes or a no, so we asked again.
“I’ll chuck me thongs in the ute and be with you pronto smart” was his reply.
This was getting difficult now, and as we didn’t have a Oz to English translation manual on us, we thought we would start with a more simple question……..Is that Danny Cipriani?
“Jeeze ya drongo, I’m getting as mad as a cut snake here. Are you straight?” he ranted.
Listen, Mr. Cipriani, we would like you to play as our guest player on Sunday. Abingdon Rugby here. You available at all old chap? We asked, more in hope than anything.
“I’ll have to clear it with the Sheila when she gets off the dunny, but it should be fair dinkum. It’s as dry as a dead dingo’s donger here at the moment, so we could do with a break upstate. I’ve heard you do good tucker and grog at the hotel, so I will bring plenty of fresh Grundies. Ah dear, it will be a real tearjerker to wave goodbye to Oz and the coat hanger, but what the heck.” he rambled.
Not a clue!! We couldn’t even make a guess what he was blathering on about, and so had to count him out of today’s line up. If anybody can translate idiot into English, and sees Danny around…..wish him well for us!!

Voice from the dugout: Well done lads, a great performance for all the right reasons. On a day when fate had predetermined the outcome, at no point did you give up on the pursuit of victory. After every try conceded the desire to get one back was monumental and the team spirit you displayed was second to none.

The premier Oxfordshire club welcomed Abingdon on a spring like morning by the Thames.
Abingdon kicked off and, as so often in their previous games , they applied some quality early pressure. The pack displayed some great scrum control on the Henley 22 which lead to a ball flipped out to Jorges Cabral. He ran into space, then carried into contact, and looked destined to make the extra yard for a try. Stopped short, and the resulting scrum is again won by the Abs pack. This time picked up by Alex Lushington, who dived over, and just missed the try as the ball went loose.
In a brilliant opportunistic move, Henley gather the loose ball, and turn defence into attack. They make a run deep into Abingdon’s half, and after winning the lineout, run in a try in the corner. Unconverted 5 - 0
Abingdon attack from the restart, and captain Gus Bremner goes on a run, and carries as he is hit by two Henley defenders. The loud snap is heard by the defenders, and spectators, as Gus goes down with an obvious bone break. After the initial assessment by a well organised Henley medical team, an ambulance is called, and the decision made to change pitches.
Abingdon scrum at the Henley 5 metre on the new pitch, and a win against the head sees Henley running on the wing and only a great Ben Kili tackle stops this. The ball is soon shipped out to the wing though, and Henley go in for a converted try 12 - 0.
Killer blow from the restart, and Henley run in another converted try 19 - 0.
Henley score again after a clever cross field kick bounces straight into the arms of a winger who carries over unconverted 24 - 0
Abingdon push hard again from the start, and drive to the Henley line, before giving away a penalty, and release the pressure.
Alex Lushington takes an injury, and our second captain leaves the field.
The last few minutes of the half saw two exceptional pieces of rugby.
Firstly a Henley player runs three quarters of the pitch to score beneath the posts, (unconverted 31 - 0) then Thomas Mooring kicks a penalty attempt from almost the halfway mark, and misses by the smallest margin, to receive appreciative applause for his effort from both teams supporters.
Half time.
The second half and Abingdon came out with new resolve. Beating off an early attack by an inch perfect kick by Aled Newton, they went on the attack, and camped on Henley’s line for 5 frustrating minutes. Two held up tries were followed by a very sharp penalty for holding on, and the momentum was lost.
Henley scored two more break away tries in quick succession, and the referee called the game at 41 - 0.

Abingdon encountered a very efficient Henley squad today, and they got a well deserved win. Abingdon’s pack can be proud of the pressure and strength they showed in dominating that part of the play.
Not an excuse in any way, but the loss of Captain Gus in such awful circumstances left the team, and all supporters deeply upset. Latest news from Gus is that he has fractured a Fibula, and is in a cast from above the knee. Pictures apparently being posted on Facebook already! We wish him well.


Funny moment:  The Abingdon team sat eating their after match food wearing a pretty weird set of headwear. Shared 2nd prize going to Josh Neal with his lego hat, and Alex Lush with a decapitated Pumba on his head!! Top marks though to Ben Kili with his knitted lamb and hair thing that was both fascinating and slightly scary. Late entry was Jack’s downhill racer/ power ranger helmet which deserves a prize all of it’s own (Pics of all headwear will be on U15’s gallery soon)

The scram down : Boys after match food was a lovely meaty pasta with French bread, and was very much appreciated. This reviewer sampled the bacon and sausage roll, and was pleasantly surprised at being presented with a loaded bun the size of a dustbin lid, full of meaty goodness. Bit pricey, but hey…..this is Henley upon Thames after all. Good mark of 8.5 out of 10.

Guest player :
Stuart……Stuart………Stuart.

Is this too difficult? We asked for Stuart Lancaster (Interim England coach, and saviour of English rugby)

We get?

Penny Lancaster! (ex model and present wife of Rod Stewart)

Okay, I can see how the mistake might have happened, but give me strength. What use would we have for a shapely attractive blonde woman who wears stunning clothes, high heels, and laughs politely at our jokes?………Oh yeah.

Playing conditions were perfect, both teams had full squads to call on, and the last match having been decided by just a single point, this was one to be enjoyed.
From the kick off Abingdon seemed to be first to settle, and showed some fine handling, and good rucking, to put early pressure on the Chippy defence. A fearsome rolling maul saw Abingdon rumbling up pitch, and gathering momentum. A scrum called, and Abingdon were the driving force, with Chippy being forced backwards at pace, until the ball suddenly shot out the side, and Chippy swooped on it. While Abs tried to re-group, Chippy sent the ball wide and ran in for a try in front of the sticks. Converted 0-7
The restart was followed up by Abs and Alaistair Smith who drove deep into opposition territory. Chippy countered with a really searching chip through, and 3 of their players looked destined to take advantage, until the safe hands of Ben Kili cleaned up, and took the attack back.
A series of scrums saw Abingdon winning every one, even against the head, and start attack after attack. Ultimately, the Chippy defence soaked up all the pressure, and managed to hold firm.
Thomas Mooring kicked accurately and long to touch, and some brilliant rucking by Abingdon followed . Jorge Cabral put in the tackle of the match , with a monster that took an attack into touch, then followed up later with a fine pop pass to Alaistair again on a charge.
End to end play continued until Aled Newton took a really heavy knock, and had to leave the pitch suffering from what looked like concussion.
Half time.
The second half was played with the same passion and the same pace, with neither side able to breach the defence. Thomas Mooring missed a challenging penalty kick from 30 metres out, and Jacob Reid stopped a Chippy counter attack with a hard tackle on the wing. The relentless nature of the game was making it a great one to watch, and both sets of spectators could not have called the result.
Tempers flared briefly, but the referee soon had the match back on track after a shake of hands between two players.
Ben Kili has to leave the pitch due to a blood injury as his nose gets into close contact with an opposition knee while making yet another courageous tackle.
The minutes ticked away, still no movement in the score, and a last kick out by Chippy sees the final whistle blown. 0 - 7

Looking at the score one might assume this match had little action, but nothing could be further from the truth. Tension, great play, passion, and two well matched teams made this a great spectacle. Every sub that went on started at game speed and made a valuable contribution. Josh Neal ,although still recovering from injury, turned up to cheer his side on too. A great team effort.


Funny moment of the match: Belly kicks for touch, and although the ball only travels 10 yards in length, it does about 60 yards sideways, and at least 2 miles in height.

After match games:  Hector decided to bite into his can of sherbet during the drinking challenge, and disappears briefly in a cloud of dust. Not wanting to waste any, he then scoops up the spilled powder, pours it in his glass and washes it down with some blackcurrant squash. He finishes second, and both players look a little queasy.

The scram down : Apologies to Chippy for no bacon rolls as the mini‘s were away today, but hopefully the brilliant after game food made up for it. Yummy shepherd spy, and Nigel’s GILBERT lasagne was superb. Nothing left at the end suggests it was pretty popular scram.

Guest player :  Well, another disaster to report. We didn’t even get that close this time.
Ex England captain, and present Saracens lock, Steve Borthwick accepted our invitation to guest today. We did have one golden rule for him though. Steve has a reputation for flashing imaginary yellow cards at refs during a game to get the opposition sent off. We at Abs don’t condone this behaviour, and made him promise to behave.
We understand the journey to the match started badly when he flashed an imaginary driving licence at the taxi sent to pick him up claiming he was driving early. When they pulled up to allow some kids to cross the road Steve was seen flashing an imaginary lollipop at the lollipop lady, and telling her she had come in from the side.
What led to his arrest and subsequent missing of the game though, was as he passed the butchers in the high street He hung out of the car window and flashed an imaginary sausage whilst shouting “Hands away, hands away”
Case is up next week apparently. Don’t call us Steve, we’ll call you.

The voice from the dug out : Excellent performance lads, well done. There really was nothing to separate the two teams, an exciting match to watch played with commitment, determination and passion.

Chinnor kicked off this return friendly on their number one pitch, with a quite tricky side wind swirling across from the left. Abingdon travelled with only one substitute player having lost 4 players to illness/injury and 2 to other commitments. This would be a test.
This wind was immediately a factor, as the ball veered from the kick and presented Abingdon with the chance to run.
Alex Lushington takes the ball and runs until tackled, passes out to Sam Iwanscak, onto Aled Newton, and finally out to Gareth Gray who charges in for a try on the wing. Great handling skills , and awareness made for an impressive opening 3 minutes. Not converted 0 - 5.
The restart saw Abingdon push again with Ben Kili ripping the ball, then the two Alex’s , Lushington amd Lungu, both carrying the ball into the Chinnor defence. Some good defending saw Chinnor stop this attack , and go on the attack themselves.
The game flowed back and forth now, and the two sides seemed to match each other. A jinking run by Ben Kili, a clearance from Abingdon’s 5 metre by Dan Mould, charges by Will Barker, Alex Lungu, Aled Newton, and a great run by Jorges Cabral that was stopped just short, but each met with a hold, then counter by Chinnor. One of these counters is kicked back to touch by Thomas Mooring , with an accurate kick that regained between 45 and 50 yards!
Another attack started in Abingdon’s half. Dan Mould carries deep, pops the ball to Alex Lushington who carries, then passes to Dougie Broad running at speed toward the corner, a pass just short of the line, and Ben Kili goes over for a well deserved try. Thomas Mooring kicks a vast one out of his hands to try to counter the mini gale blowing from his side, and frustratingly hits the far post.
0 - 10.
Special mention is due to this kick, as it is the only one by any player on either team that actually defeated the wind, and went anywhere near it’s target.
Again a team attack by Ben Kili, Dan, Will and Aled, sees Abingdon win a scrum on Chinnor’s 5 metre. The scrum holds firm, and James Hartley picks up the ball, races round the blindside, and leaps over for a brilliant opportunist try. Not converted. 0 - 15.
Attack immediately from the restart, and this time Thomas Mooring crashes through the middle of Chinnor’s defence carrying four players with him, but passes cleanly as he is brought down, and Alex Lushington drives further, and over for try number four. Not converted 0 - 20.
Half time is blown.
The half started as the first had finished, and a run by Dan and Jorge sees Abingdon contesting a lineout deep in Chinnor’s half. The ball is won, a driving maul forms moving at pace up field, a ruck with Abingdon presenting a beautiful ball for captain Gus Bremner to snatch up and run 10 yards , slipping tackles and diving in for a try. Not converted. 0 - 25.
Although this score looked bad for Chinnor it in no way reflected any lack of determination or effort on their behalf, and every point was hard earned by Abingdon in the face of some determined defence.
The lack of replacements had to tell eventually and some of Abingdon’s players had not been out of the action since kick off. This was especially true of the pack and Ben Hedges at 9, who had been non stop.
Chinnor were still looking for every chance to attack, and their moment came mid half, when a well worked move passed the ball out to the wing, and in for an unconverted try. 5 - 25
Both teams spent the next 5 minutes mid pitch, with some great handling and possession by Abingdon being matched by continued pressure by Chinnor.
Chinnor chip the ball through and Dan Mould has to chase back as the only defender, with two attackers hard on his heels. Panic isn’t in Dan’s vocabulary obviously, as he calmly waits until the ball pops up, scoops it in, turns on the run, and takes defence into attack with a run and chip to touch.
Chinnor get the try they deserve in the final seconds, as sustained pressure sees their huge number 18 drive through Abingdon’s defence and fall, tree-like over the line. Unconverted 10 - 25. Whistle sounds.

A great game to watch, and fantastic to see a hotly contested game played with fairness and spirit on both sides. Chinnor are a developing team, and the improvements over our last meeting were plain to see. Always a pleasure to visit and host this team, whatever the result.

Funny moment of the match : Easy one this. Will Barker is tap tackled as he makes a run for the line. In an effort to stay on his feet he becomes a human windmill. Arms, legs, and all other extremities go into a wild whirl. William Van De Barker will be playing for Holland before you know it!

The scram down : A tale of two foods. The HUGE floury bap which resembled a dustbin lid in size was stuffed to the limit with two rashers and two sausages for £2.50p. With my suspect back, I had to bend my knees to pick this monster up. Scores a very good 8.5 on the buttyometer!
The after match cheesy pasta was according to the lads, an acquired taste.

Guest player : We really needed an extra player this week, so when the strongest prop in the world, Andrew Sheridan offered to help, we were very pleased. Andrew is an almost elite class power lifter able to bench press 33 stone, is 6ft 5 tall, and weighs 19st 10.
What we didn’t forsee, was the trouble this might cause. Paul offered to give Andrew a lift to the game in ‘The Merc’.
Andrew opened the passenger door, and immediately apologised to Paul, explaining…”Sorry mate, it just kinda fell off” While handing over the twisted metal.
He jumped into the passenger seat, and an almighty great TWANG sounded as two shock absorbers shot through the bonnet and the seat collapsed.
“Safety first “said Andrew, as he tugged on the seatbelt. This pulled the door pillar into the car with a screech of tortured steel. Before Paul could stop him, Andrew has tried to turn on the radio, and pushed the whole unit through the dashboard and into the engine bay.
‘The Merc’ was by this time looking like Coco the clown’s exploding yellow comedy car, but rather more damaged, and Paul is staring in horror at his pride and joy.
“Awwwww I’m really sorry Mr. Paul, I guess I don’t know my own strength” apologised Andrew……….and slapped Paul on the back.
Now if anyone finds Paul, could they please return him to Abingdon? We searched a 5 mile radius, but no sign, so might have to widen the area.
It was decided that taking Mr. Sheridan to a clubhouse on two levels was not a wise move, so we had to let him go for this match. Shame really, might have been useful last week. Thanks anyway Andrew.

The voice from the dugout : Well done lads a good performance, some well worked team try's, none of which were gifted to us. A bit to on defensive awareness before we go toe to toe with our old friends Chippy next weekend.

Many thanks to Chinnor for their hospitality.

Simon

A brilliant bright morning with a sharp frost welcomed in the New Year’s first game. In fact the frost was so sharp there were fears that our game against Bicester at their second ground at Chesterton may be called off. Luckily it was judged fit to play after a brief delay.
Abingdon kicked off and applied early pressure, leading to a won scrum in the Bicester half, and a further push up field. Bicester give away a Penalty, but the kick for touch misses target, presenting Bicester with the chance for a runaway try. Unconverted. 5 - 0.
From the kick off Bicester give a Penalty. Aled kicks this one deep into Bicester territory, and a scrum soon follows.
Bicester give a Penalty, and Ben Kili makes two brilliant runs through their defence, and is unlucky to get stopped. Bicester win the scrum and another long range run looks certain to score for them before Will Barker makes a massive hit and steals the ball. During this ruck, Josh Neal takes a bad injury to his knee, and after some time of receiving attention, leaves the pitch and is taken to the JR for treatment.
The restart falls short of touch, and the Bicester attack leads them to the Abingdon try line. After some brave defending by Abs, Bicester eventually drive over  beneath the posts for a converted try 12 - 0.
The restart sees Bicester give a Penalty, and Alex Lushington takes a quick one, and blasts deep into the Bicester defence before passing out to the line. An interception saves Bicester from what looks like a try scoring position, but Bicester then give away a Penalty. Again Bicester are under pressure in their own half, but soon kick long to reverse the pressure and push up tp Abingdon’s 10 yard line. Another Bicester Penalty, and again Abingdon go on the attack, this time camping on Bicester’s try line for 10 minutes after a great run by Aled Newton.
Bicester now conceded six Penalties for handling on the floor or coming in at the side in a desperate attempt to keep Abingdon out. The referee is left with no option but to award a Penalty try, and this is converted  12 - 7.
Abingdon committed the cardinal sin after scoring, and switched off completely after the restart. Within seconds the score stood at 17 - 7 after a pitch long run and unconverted try by Bicester.
Minutes later, and the score is 22 - 7, when a carbon copy try goes in.
A fierce maul and ruck driving to the Bicester 22 sees Ross Coles injured, and a sprained knee sends him to join his team mate at the JR for treatment. Some dissent also sees a Penalty awarded against Bicester, but Thomas Mooring narrowly misses the kick.
Half time.
I now have to depart to the A&E dept of the JR,(which has started to look like Abingdon’s new clubhouse) and so the pen, note paper and reporters hat is passed to Pete Mould to guide us through the second half.
The kick off from Aled into Bicester half was chased up well, with good harrying work by Abs. Abs game started to come together with a good ball out to Jack, who made a searching run. For the first 5 mins all the play was in the Bicester half, and forced them to give away another two Penalties.. At the breakdown the ref awarded a Penalty to ABS due to illegal hands in ruck by Bicester. Thomas Mooring goes on the charge, but is tackled short of the tryline. Ball cleared by Bicester. Ben Kili takes the high ball well but Bicester put pressure on. Bicester attack strongly but are driven out at Abs 5 metre line. Bicester line out but knocked on to give some relief. Aled clears but Bicester  attack again only to be are held up by good defence under the posts. Bicester score try from resulting 5 metre scrum not converted 27 - 7
A passage of good open play with better match between teams, tactical switches by Abs to match the strong wing play by Bicester frustrates the opposition, and leads to more indiscipline.
Another Penalty is awarded against Bicester, and offensive swearing results in the Referee calling their captain over to caution  for poor discipline. Shortly after this caution there is yet another hands in the ruck by a Bicester player, and he is yellow carded
Abs take some advantage with good play but following some good back work an Abs pass is intercepted for a Bicester try running 50 meters to score under posts, converted 34 - 7
After restart ,with Abs rucking the Bicester catcher , the referee awards another Penalty against Bicester and cautions them for lack of discipline in the ruck yet again.
Ref gets hamstring injury and game held up for 10 mins. After restart, more good pressure from Abs, and there is good team spirit, and great discipline despite score.  Bicester get yet another run away try, converted from distance  41 - 7 and ref calls game over.

A telling statistic in this match was the Penalty count, which soared to 22 awarded against Bicester, to the 1 against Abingdon. As was noted in our first encounter, the top of the league side are without doubt skilful and talented players, but are falling far short of their potential due to indiscipline.


Funny moment of the match :  The sight of Ross and Josh sat facing each other in A&E, both in wheelchairs, both supporting an opposite dodgy leg. Made a great set of bookends!!

The Scram Down : A very substantial bacon roll (two ,thick, good quality rashers) and a cup of tea for £2.50 was very good value and would have scored an easy 7. This was bumped up to a creditable 8 though because of the supply of real HP and Heinz sauces, and a glowing report of the Egg and bacon combo!!  Sausage stew went down well for the boys after the match, but no bar for the parents!!!!!!!!!!!

After match games : N/A

Guest player : Not quite sure what happened with this one, there appears to have been a misunderstanding over venues and transport.
As you all know, we were more than a little cock-a-hoop to have secured Danny Care for today’s match, and thought the Quins and England number 9 might add a new dimension to our game. He rang us during the week and confirmed he now had quite a few slots free in his diary this season (Particularly around the time of the six nations tournament), and would be more than happy to join us.
We told him the venue had changed to Chesterton, and he seemed a little unsure, but said he would check the bus time table, and was pretty confident that shouldn’t be a problem.
(We were a bit surprised to tell the truth, we thought he would be coming by car, but apparently there has been a mix up with DVLA and they would like to keep his licence for a bit.)
At ten to eleven we called Danny and he was on the X12 sat with two charming old ladies who were telling him about their cats and medical history, but he was only at Kidlington.
Half time we phoned.
Great news, he was now on the X43 and was being entertained by two colourful street dwellers, who had offered to sing him a song as he was their best mate. Unfortunately, he was in Banbury.
Full time we called.
X56. Surrounded by kids and prams. Chipping Sodbury!
Ah well, next time perhaps Danny, thanks anyway.

The view from the dugout : Well done fella's, we new it would be a tough match against a side unbeaten this season and destined for division one, we wish them well for the rest of the season. Physically closer than the score suggests, at times we gave the opposition to much respect enabling them to capitalise from this. Not much came through the middle and we need to continue working on our defence out wide. A courageous effort boys, well done.

An early start, and a long drive through the Cotswolds brought us to the impressive and welcoming Stratford ground.
Abs kicked off and almost immediately had a penalty in their favour which Thomas Mooring kicked to touch well past the Stratford 22. Alex Lushington took well in the line, but the first hint of how strong Stratford were in defence showed, as possession was lost and Stratford gained a scrum. From this scrum Stratford were soon on the attack, and after shipping the ball along a strong attacking line, ran over for an unconverted try. 5 - 0
The restart was followed by a Stratford scrum, and a run on the wing was only stopped because of a trademark Ben Kili stop almost at the Abs 10 yard line. Another scrum, another run by Straford, and another try scored after a strong run that beat 5 Abingdon tackles. Not converted. 10 - 0
Ben Kili at full back is put under pressure from the kick, but cleans up well, and an alert tackle by Sam Iwanczak takes the Stratford attack into touch. Again Stratford attack on the wing and cleverly pop the ball just as the tackles go in by Dougie Broad, Ben Kili and Jacob Reid. They keep possession and momentum, and once more go over and convert this one. 17 - 0.
The next passage of play was a re-run, with an attack building from Stratford, more nicely popped passes, and another converted try, all within minutes. 24 - 0
Every Abingdon supporter was looking forward to the halftime whistle and a chance to regroup, but the clinical Stratford attack had time to out ruck Abs, and take over another converted try 31 - 0 as half time sounded.

The second half started with a sustained 10 minutes of Abingdon pressure, starting with a scrum deep in Stratford’s half. Alistair Smith was the powerhouse of this offensive, charging locomotive-like into the Stratford defence, and twice driving them back, only for the ball to be knocked on twice as the attack progressed,  just short of the try line. As some performances started to lag, Alaistair’s work rate and skill became even more apparent, and he shone during this period of attack.
As the attack was forced back by Stratford, another ball shipped out to the wing, brought another try. Not converted 36 - 0.
Stratford now had a stranglehold on the game, and were denying any clean ball or chances to build for Abingdon. A box kick to clear the lines, which seemed a plan so cunning it was worthy of Baldrick himself,  was quickly snatched up by Stratford and on for an unconverted try. 41 - 0
A repeat minutes later was only averted by a great tackle by Jorges Cabral. This was only a brief respite however, and a further two tries , one converted, went in before the final whistle blew.

The result 53 - 0 was tribute to some fine play by Stratford, and a reflection on an Abingdon side that started slowly, and were starved of any ball from then on.

Funny moment of the match : Belly’s boxers becoming more on display at each scrum, and the crowd trying to work out if it was Sonic the hedgehog grinning back at them.

Sunday challenge winner : Dougie Broad wins with a drawing of a happy, waving Robin wearing a very smart shirt. Haribo all round.

The scram down : Wow! A combo bap of sausage, bacon and egg for £3 takes the crown from the fabled Reading Roll, and earns a massive 9.98 out of 10. Hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream got a rave review too. Great food served after the match for the lads as well, with the cheese Raviolli being a big winner, as well as choices of roll and sausage, or bacon bap. Well done Stratford, it almost made up for losing the match!

Guest player : I think everyone put a brave face on it, but we were all a bit disappointed when Father Christmas turned up and said he had been sent by ‘Rugbyplayers4hire’ to play for us today.
Robin phoned the company straight away and explained “We asked for Nick EASTER, not Father CHRISTMAS “
“Oh” said their secretary “We knew it was something to do with a religious festival, and as it‘s December, we just thought……….. Does it make much of a difference?”
Robin was last seen muttering to himself  about ‘keelhauling the bloody lot of ‘em if I had my way’
Now, all respect to Santa, but he is not the awesome number 8, ball carrying powerhouse that we had been expecting, and is not a natural athlete, but he gave it a shot. We just about managed to get the ref to allow him to play in red, and we put an elastic band round his beard so he didn’t close the gap in the lineout, but when the second row complained they couldn’t see because Santa’s sack was swaying about in front of them, we had to tell him ‘Thanks, but no thanks’
In an ironic twist, Santa left a carrot, a mince pie and a glass of milk behind the bar for everyone when he left, so thanks for that. See you soon old man.

The voice from the dugout : Dear players,

I am sure everyone is feeling extremely disappointed after our uncharacteristic performance today. Sometimes after a winning streak you can become over confident and take your eye off the prize. We need to put this defeat behind us, ask questions of ourselves and the way we played, learn form this and move on.

Simon Barker

The fourth league match of the season, and Abs welcome Henley, a team they have not hosted for nearly four years.
Abingdon kick off , and apply early pressure for the first 10 minutes of the game, with the play entirely in Henley’s half.
Great forward work teamed with some challenging runs by Dougie Broad and Will Barker meant Henley were forced to soak up loads of early pressure.
In a total switch, Henley then forced out of their own half and put Abindon’s defence under the cosh. Ben Kili playing at full back was twice challenged by searching kicks which he covered with skill, then put in a mighty tackle to prevent a quick tap penalty from earning Henley their first points. As the half progressed it looked as if there would be no score as the play moved from end to end with both defences and attacks equally balanced.
Abingdon commenced another attack only to see a pass intercepted, and a great run by Henley place the ball between the posts from beyond the 22 yard mark. Converted 0 - 7.
The restart from Abingdon brought an immediate penalty which they chose to kick, and put 3 points on the board from a kick by Thomas Mooring. 3 - 7.
More pressure from Henley was dealt with by the defence, and another great tackle on the wing by Ben Kili, and took us to half time.
The second half commenced with more scrums and lineouts going equally to both sides, and the balance of power shifting first one way then the other.
Dan Mould made one of his trademark monster tackles on the wing, and the following lineout sees Will Barker receive a yellow card for an offence.
Moments later Henley drive over for a try, but get one of their players yellow carded before the conversion is made.  3 - 14
From the restart Abingdon push right up to the Henley 5 metre, only to be counter attacked back to their own try line. A frantic struggle ensued with Henley being driven back twice, before a concerted drive saw a try awarded and the conversion made. 3 - 21.
Instead of crumbling, Abingdon decided to take the game back to Henley, and were almost rewarded with a driving run by Alex Lushinton, falling over the try line under a pile of bodies. The referee was unsighted, and called a 5 metre scrum. Alex again drives through and this time gets the decision between the posts. Thomas Mooring converts 10  - 21
Will Barker, having returned to the field, receives the restart kick cleanly, shakes off 3 tackles and charges deep out of Abingdon’s half and into Henley territory. The attack fails soon after, when a pass is intercepted, and Henley run in another converted try 10 - 28
Still not willing to lie down, Abingdon push hard, and camp in Henley’s half for the remainder of the game.  Again Will Barker starts a move that looks certain to reward him with a try, but is tackled just short of the line. He pops the ball to Dan Mould on a charge, who dives over for Abingdon’s second try. Converted by Thomas Mooring as the whistle blows 17 - 28.

An evenly balanced game for the most part, with Henley picking up on two intercepted passes to make the difference. Some outstanding individual performances by many Abingdon players, but another great team performance.

Funny moment of the day : Will Barker’s paper plane (Or rock with a wing) almost taking the changing room door off it’s hinges as it wins the flight distance competition.

The scram down : Another great selection of food from the parents. 10/10

After match games : Belly downs a pint of water, as Ben Kili almost drowns in a pint of water!

Guest Player :  We were thrilled to get the news that Lewis ‘Mad Dog’ Moody had agreed to play for us today, but bad luck stepped in at the last minute.
The Ex-England Captain, and present Bath flanker, renown for his tough attitude, suffered concussion, a dislocated shoulder, and a head wound in his game against Worcester on Friday night, but rang to say he would still be ok to play on Sunday.
He was involved in a training accident on Saturday morning that resulted in a broken leg, two cracked ribs and a ruptured spleen. He texted us from hospital to confirm it was just ’a flesh wound’, and that he was still available to play.
Saturday night Lewis went out for a beer and curry with some mates, and unfortunately got a very bad dose of food poisoning that the medical profession said would kill a fully grown rhino. Lewis phoned us from his hotel room toilet to say he was feeling pretty good, everything considered, and was looking forward to the match.
The car accident on Sunday morning when Mr Moody’s car hit a tree, rolled over four times, and then burst into flames was a major setback. The paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, but he jumped up and called us just after to say he had ……. ‘Run it off’.
Just when it looked like he might actually make it to the match, there came the message we all feared…..’Hello. It’s Lewis. I’ve got man flu. Sorry lads, I can’t make it today’
I think we can all sympathise with that one. Lewis says thanks for all the get well soon cards, although he thinks the one from Rob Andrew must have got held up in the post.

The view from the dugout : After our recent winning streak this match gave us real wake up call. We stuck to the Abingdon game plan which has served us well this season, this was a really tuff game, evenly matched with only the two Henley break away try's separating the two sides, which even in defeat shows that our strategy is right for us. The challenge is learning from this game how to adapt it to the different styles of opposition we encounter. Great to see the team spirit still on a high, well done lads.

Misty, cold and damp. Perfect weather to challenge handling and discipline as Abingdon host one of their regular friendly matches against old friends Chinnor.
Abingdon applied early pressure from the kick off, and the first 10 minutes saw some lovely flowing play in Chinnor’s half.  There was a brilliant combination run by Jack Campbell and Jorges Cabral on the right wing, followed shortly by a flying run on the left that looked destined to score by Luke Connolly. Both efforts were ultimately denied by some good defending by Chinnor, but the intent was clear. From a lineout on the left, the ball was shipped quickly to Alex Lushington who charged over for the first try of the game. This was not converted 5 - 0.
Almost immediately from the restart Chinnor went on the attack, and after briefly going back, one of their players slipped 4 tackles and ran straight and fast down the wing before darting in under the posts. A stunning one man effort. This was unconverted 5 - 5.
Although the score remained the same until half time, there was no lack of action from both teams. Alex Lushington continued to steal at the lineout, and Thomas Mooring Jorge Cabral and James Hartley put in some awesome tackling, and every member of the scrum started to combine and counter what was a very strong Chinnor pack. One dangerous moment for Abingdon, when Chinnor took another chance to attack on the wing, was stopped dead by a monster tackle by Dan Mould that took the attacker into touch.
Half time.
The restart by Chinnor was taken by Jack Campbell and carried over the Chinnor 22, followed up by Will Barker ploughing strongly through the middle and drawing in defenders, before passing out to Dan Mould to run in for a try on the wing. Unconverted 10 -5.
Another restart saw another immediate attack from Abingdon when the ball was received by Aled Newton and kicked up over the halfway line. Minutes later Abingdon won a scrum against the head due to some great work by all the front row, and the ball was fed out to Thomas Mooring who blasted through two tackles to dive over under the posts. Unconverted 15 - 5 .
This restart saw Hector MacDuff receive and start an attack that saw Dougie Broad run three quarters of the pitch before being brought down on the Chinnor 10 yard line.
Again the Abingdon scrum held fast and presented a class ball to Ross Coles, who spotted a gap on the blind side, and ran in for a try. Unconverted 20 - 5
Chinnor continued to defend bravely, but the Abingdon attacks meant they were camped mainly in their own half. When Chinnor did make an attacking move they were met with tackles by Thomas Mooring, Gus Bremner or Dan Mould, were rucked back fiercely by Alex Lungu, Sam and Hector, or found all their gained yards recouped by an accurate kick from the backs.
The last points of the match came from a quick tap penalty taken by Will Barker who ran into the Chinnor 10 yard area, then passed to Alistair Smith who put in a grinding, charging move that drew in most of the Chinnor defence. Out to a waiting Ross Coles, and a dive over for his second try of the match. Thomas Mooring converts 27 - 5.
Once again Chinnor went on the attack, and to their credit, never looked like they would give in until the whistle. Abingdon were equally determined not to concede another point, and the play remained mid pitch until full time sounded.

A team effort that impressed every parent or spectator that watched, by every player that took the field today, as was witnessed by the lengthy applause.


Funny moments of the game : Thomas ‘Belly’ Mooring kicking into touch and the ball clearing the trees,……….. Buckinghamshire, ………….and a good chunk of Hertfordshire
Or Aled ‘Birthday boy’ Newton disappearing under a sea of bodies as his teamates congratulate him on winning ‘Best mo at the show’.


The scram down : 10/10 parents for the shepherd spy and the yummy pasta dishes.


After match games : An all Abingdon affair sees ‘Belly’ being defeated after some shady tactics by referee ‘Lushy’ to ensure ‘Rosco’ wins.

Guest player : So close.
Mike Tindall (Ex England/ present Gloucester/ Queens grandson) was invited to play this match for us, and agreed, providing we met his conditions.
The pearl encrusted coach, and four white horses to pull it. to get him to the match?……..no problem.
Four manservants, dressed in powder blue velvet suits ,to carry his kit and dress him?………..easy.
A ‘donation’ of £25,000 to help him pay his fine to the RFU?………..simple.
It was the after match food requests that really caused the deal to fall through. Have you any idea how difficult it is to buy toasted otter‘s noses tossed on a bed of badgers ears, and dressed with a jus of freshly squeezed swans flippers?
Even Waitrose had sold out!!
Never mind. Even though he didn’t play, he has sent the coaches an invite to his next night out in New Zealand, so thanks for that Mike.

The voice from the dugout: Dear Players, once again congratulations on another hard earned victory. It was great to see some first class individual performances coming together to create a fantastic team win. On numerous occasions during the match the coaches and spectators enjoyed some strings of quite brilliant rugby. Well done everyone.

A beautiful late autumn day, and a fantastic pitch greeted Abingdon on this remembrance Sunday. The two minutes silence before kick off, a chance to reflect on the sacrifices made in the past to allow us the freedom to be here, watching and playing.
Abingdon kicked off, and the end to end nature of the game was set in the first few minutes.
A scrum was dominated by a fearsome and powerful Abingdon pack, leading to an attack on the wing by Dougie Broad, Alex Lushington, Jacob Reid and Dan Mould. But, this was countered by a searching kick back to Abingdon’s 22 metre by Chipping Norton. A pressure relieving kick by Aled Newton and chased by Jacob Reid took the attack again into Chipping Norton’s half, but again this was countered, this time by a run to Abingdon’s 5 metre.
Twice more Abingdon met an attack by Chippy with some brilliant tackling by Ben Kili, Dan Mould and Jacob Reid, and two great clearances by Aled Newton.
Abingdon slightly had the edge in the line out, and were winning most of the scrums, but still the two sides remained even, and it was hard to see where any score would come from, until Chippy gave away a penalty in front of their own posts, and Thomas Mooring slotted in the kick. 0-3.
Any joy from getting the first points on the board were short lived however, as Chipping Norton attacked immediately from the restart, gained some momentum, and drove over  for a try. This was not converted. 5 - 3
Half time.
A few team changes saw the return of Josh Neal in his first game since injury, Mark Walton and Luke Connolly take the field.
The kick off by Chipping Norton was followed up by a long kick up pitch to gain some serious yardage by Aled Newton. Playing deep out of their own half Chippy put up a huge garyowen that would have tested the best in the Premiership. Ben Kili was more than up to the task as he took it securely, and immediately went on the attack and forced a penalty that was narrowly missed, just shaving the post by Thomas Mooring.
Now the tempo increased as both teams realised the result would be close, and it would take hard work to gain the upper hand.
A beautifully worked move by Abingdon from a scrum saw Ben Hedges passing out to Alex Lushington, on to Jack Campbell at pace, and finally to Gareth Gray who raced in for a brilliant try on the wing. Not converted 5 - 8.
Again the match swung from end to end with 4 huge kicks from Thomas Mooring regaining the yards so hard won by Chipping Norton. One of these led to Jack Campbell, in a desperate chase against two Chippy defenders, being denied a try by the narrowest of margins, and Chippy just getting contact in time.
Abingdon went on the attack after receiving the 22 dropout, and a penalty in front of the posts saw Gareth Gray take the score to 5 - 11.
With minutes remaining Chipping Norton started a move that saw them push deep into Abingdon territory, then slip the ball wide to run in for a try on the wing. 10 - 11. A very difficult conversion attempt was narrowly missed, and shortly after, the full time whistle sounded.

The two teams started this game with only a few points separating them in joint 3rd position in the league, and the match reflected how close that difference was. A rousing round of applause greeted both teams at the end in respect of a fiercely contested, entertaining and tense game played with fantastic sportsmanship.


Funny moment of the match :  Ross Coles’ attempted box kick which actually managed to go backwards, while everyone was looking forward to see where it went.

After match games : Belly Mooring gets voted man of the match for Abs, and secures a hat trick of wins in the bar games as he downs a coke and fanta mixture and mars bar in record time.

The scram down : Meaty pasta for the boys went down well. Thanks Chippy.
This researcher sampled the bacon roll and tea. Massive soft fluffy bun with well cooked bacon, large cup of tea and at a very reasonable price. Scores a creditable 7/10.

Guest Player : Bit of bad luck here, we were so close.
We were fortunate to secure the Wasps and England lock Simon Shaw for this game. Rumours that he wanted to leave Wasps and join a French club gave us the idea to rename ourselves L’Abingdon and pretend we were a Gallic club in exile! Things went brilliantly when he arrived and was greeted by Ben Killi and Jacob Reid with their expert mastery of the lingo.
Things took a decided turn for the worse when the coaches attempted to make him feel at home. On reflection, it was probably unwise to attempt get them to learn French in a week from a primary school book.
First up was Simon Barker who said “Bonjour monsieur Shaw. Je m’appelle Simon aussi, et je manger le porky scratchings”
Mr. Shaw, looked bemused, but said he was partial to a porky treat too.
Next, Paul opened with “ Howdy Simone. Je m’appelle Paul. Le cochon et dans le bain”
Mr. Shaw looked a bit wary, but said if you did have a team pig, it was probably best to keep it clean.
What really tipped the scales was Robin’s attempt though. “Bonjour mon petite pois. Je m’appelle Robin, et je mange le porky scratchings dans le bain, avec the cochon”
Mr. Shaw looked panic stricken, remembered a previous appointment, and left before taking the field.
He did leave a round of pork scratchings (and a book on pig husbandry) behind the bar in the clubhouse though, so, Merci for that Simon.

The voice from the dugout :  Well done lads a great win, it was a hard fought battle against our friends and rivals. All the extra effort on the training pitch has really started to pay off. In addition to the obvious improvement in form one of the most pleasing things to witness is the way you all support each other during the highs and lows, team spirit is peaking. Enjoy the feeling lads, superb win.

The first game of the season played in true rugby weather conditions. An  overcast sky and light drizzle welcomed Abingdon to Swindon.
In almost the perfect start for Abingdon, they kicked off and, after the ball was spilled by the Swindon backs, it was stolen by Gareth Gray at full tilt. He carried until tackled, and the ball was snatched from the resulting ruck by Alex Lushington, who charged over for Abingdon’s first try with less than 3 minutes on the clock. The conversion fell short 0 - 5.
The next period of play saw a number of scrums which Abingdon were mostly in charge of due a well organised pack, and some good hooking by Thomas Yates. The resulting battle of the scrum halves provided plenty of entertainment for both sets of supporters.
It was from one of these scrums that Alistair Smith grabbed the loose ball, and ran over strongly for a try from well outside the Swindon 22. It was unconverted. 0 - 10.
During a heated 10 minutes, where tempers were tested, Abingdon gave away a few penalties, but managed to redeem each mistake by regaining possession, and continuing to attack. Although Swindon defended bravely, their backs were breached once more by Dan Mould, using his traditional strength and speed to carry over for a try. Gareth Gray converted. 0 - 17
Again play was disrupted by penalties, and a slip in discipline from Alex Lungu saw him spending the end of the half on the receiving end of a yellow card deep in Abingdon’s half. Any danger from the penalty was soon stopped however, as Thomas Mooring rescued the ball, and charged up pitch, and almost to the halfway line. The half ended.

The second half opened with two great runs by first Gus Bremner, and then by Dan Mould, but both ended in penalties being given away by Abingdon, and the ground regained by Swindon.
Although Swindon made some strong runs through the centre, they were met by some powerful tackling from Will Barker,  Jack Campbell and Hector MacDuff, which assured there was no way through. The noise made as one fast run was stopped dead by Dan Mould made more than one spectator wince, but both parties shook it off, and back into the action.
Two box kick’s from Ross Coles saw the play move to line out’s on either side of the pitch, which Abingdon won, and pushed out of their own and into Swindon’s half. A brilliant swerving run from Jack Campbell took possession up to the Swindon 10 metre, and a pass out to Dougie Broad saw him take the ball at full speed, and in behind the posts for Abingdon’s fourth try. This was unconverted. 0 - 22.
The pressure now came on Abingdon’s defence as Swindon made repeated attacks.
Jorges Cabral playing as full back skilfully took one bobbling ball behind the try line and grounded to relieve a dangerous moment. Later, a run by Swindon looked destined to get through, but Thomas Mooring obstructed the runner in a moment of rash play, and received a yellow card . Swindon chose to run the penalty, but immediately regretted that choice as their run was first stopped, then ripped and reversed by a very determined Hector MacDuff.
The final action of the game saw Swindon kick forward, and narrowly miss a try as the ball evaded their runner over the try line. The whistle sounded.

A spirited match, played with passion on the pitch by both teams, and supported by respect and encouragement by both sets of supporters.

Funny moment of the match : This goes to Thomas ‘Belly’ Mooring as he received the ball, and finding no-one around to pass to, goes on a 30 yard trundle up the pitch with a defending player hanging on for dear life.

The Scram Down (match food) . For the boys a choice of pasta or a delicious tasting sausage stew. Thanks to Swindon for them.
For the supporters this researcher tried the bacon roll and gave it a sterling 8/10 due to the use of French bread and a veritable abundance of bacon. The closest mark yet to the benchmark set by the holy grail of the  ‘Reading Roll’  of two seasons ago!

Guest player : A real disappointment this week as our Pacific Islander guest player TangoMango Tin’ofizz so nearly made it onto the pitch for us. As you all know he has recently secured a position in the Ireland squad after it was discovered that his paternal grandfather had once owned an Irish Wolfhound. Unfortunately, as his minibus pulled into the car park he decided to jump out and swim the last 8 yards. The resulting gravel rash saw him taken to hospital with a badly grazed undercarriage. Get well soon mate!

The voice from the dugout : Well done lads, congratulations on your victory. It was really good to watch all elements of our game strategy functioning properly. The front five stepped it up a gear in terms of physicality, ably supported by a ferocious back row, the half backs linking well together under considerable pressure from the opposition and the centres and back three looking outstanding in attack. Well done to some of our newer players who's great work was noted. You did very well to keep a clean score sheet particularly as at time you were down to 14 men. Enjoy the win!

Abingdon kicked off in their second league game hoping to retain the form of their last two winning matches, but it was quickly apparent that Bicester were going to be a tougher prospect.
Within 10 minutes Abingdon had been caught by two quick attacks resulting in an unconverted try on the wing, and a try between the posts that was converted. 0 - 12
Bicester continued to apply pressure, and after Abingdon unusually  lost possession in a scrum, it was only some brilliant tackling by James Hartley, Gus Bremner and Dougie Broad that prevented three more runs on the wing.
Not bowing to the Bicester attack, Abingdon kicked out of their own half to a lineout, won this, and shipped the ball to Dan Mould who carried the ball deep into the Bicester half. It was a factor of this match that the rucking on both sides was fierce and for Abingdon Hector Macduff, Sam Iwanczak and Jacob Reid were outstanding. In defence Bicester showed a chink in their armour, and indiscipline led to an original penalty followed up by being sent back a further 10 yards. Thomas Mooring kicked for 3 points. 3 - 12
The next minutes were deja-vu, as Dougie Broad received the kick and made a run. Bicester again gave away a penalty, and conceded a further 10 yards. Thomas Mooring kicked for the 3 points. 6 -12.
For the next 10 minutes the play moved around the middle of the pitch with both sides looking for advantage, but both holding each other and countering each attack. A series of 3 penalties and a 10 yard penalty by Bicester, then a searching box kick by Ross Coles, saw Abingdon driving to the line in the last few minutes of the half. Bicester defended strongly, turned over possesion, and half time was blown.

At the restart the penalties again started to mount up, with both sides conceding two. Abingdon’s second however, cost them dearly, when Bicester used the advantage to drive over their line for an unconverted try. 6 - 17.
Minutes later a Bicester scrum saw the ball go straight through, and out the other side for a disallowed try for Bicester. The reset saw a Bicester player pick up the ball and dive over, only to spill the ball just before grounding. The third attempt rewarded Bicester with a try, when the pack drove the ball over, despite being held up twice. This try was converted. 6 - 24
After the restart Bicester gave another penalty which Abingdon chose to kick, but fell short. Bicester immediately countered, and after pushing up three quarters of the pitch, saw another try disallowed for an infringement.
It appeared that despite undoubted talent, Bicester’s lack of discipline was holding them back from taking advantage of their better play.
This was further confirmed when firstly a player received a yellow card, and shortly after a coach received a red card from the referee.
Play resumed, and a well scavenged ball from a scrum by Ben Hedges, led firstly to a penalty that was kicked to touch, then to a lineout that Alex Lushington dominated again to win the ball. The ball was passed out wide to Aled Newton, who ran on to the ball, and crashed over the line for a try. The conversion was missed.
11 - 24
With 90 seconds remaining, the play stayed in the middle of the pitch, and saw the return of Bicester’s 15th man just before the ball was kicked out and the whistle blown.

Despite being caught by two quick tries, Abingdon can be proud they firstly steadied the ship, kept their composure, and managed to come back against a determined Bicester side.


Funny moment of the match : A classic moment as coach Paul “Dobbin” Iwanczak has to sprint across the pitch seconds before kick off to wrestle the touch line flag back off a little kid who is halfway across the adjoining pitch, and waving their new toy about.


Food report  :  Shepherd spy MMmmmmmm  10/10

After match games : A hat-trick of wins for Belly and this week’s assistant Mouldy, who showed they can handle water and a soggy mars bar!


Guest player : As you know, we were supposed to have a guest coach this week instead of a guest player. Unfortunately Irish coach Declan Kidney was unable to attend due to his post World Cup duties. We were fortunate though that he sent his brother in law Patrick O’Pancreas in his place. Admittedly Patrick’s knowledge of rugby was sketchy, as he is actually a coach of the game of Hurling. This will explain why he kept shouting “Hit him with the stick!”
(We checked the RFU rules on this tactic by the way, and found the following law:  2.a.ii “USE OF SAPLINGS”………Don’t.)
Although of limited use on the touchline, all the coaches appreciated him leaving a pint behind the bar for them before he left. Cheers Patrick.



The voice from the dug out  :

Commiserations lads, it was a hard fought match. Falling behind by two try's so early in the match proved to be a gap to great to bridge against a an on form side. The differences between the two sides were minor, but as we keep saying its the little things that make the big differences. Well done for demonstrating strength of character during the couple of rather unsavoury moments in the match. Please reflect on your own and team performance and learn from the game. Well done everyone.

Even before the kick off there was ever going to be one winner in this match, and that was the heat. Temperatures soared to record levels for the 2nd of October, but the rugby managed to rise to the occasion.
The two lineouts and two scrums following the kick off by Abingdon were equally fiercely contested, with advantage being shared, until a pass out right from the scrum fed Alistair Smith who ran in for the first try with a high stepping charge that evaded two tackles. The conversion attempt went wide. 5 -0
The restart saw some scrappy handling by both sides which led to a Witney scrum deep in their own half. Witney scrummaged fiercely, and looked to be holding Abingdon until a ball released to Will Barker provided him with the option of ploughing through the defence, slipping two strong tackles  and touching down. The conversion was missed. 10- 0
Despite another good follow up of the kick off which featured  Captain Alex Lushington, winning a maul, the ball was passed across field by Witney, and exploited an overlap, to run in a try which was not converted. 10 - 5
The restart saw a blistering run by Alex Lushington which brought Abingdon to a 5 metre scrum, then a line out which Abingdon won. The ball moved quickly to the centre, where Alex Lushington, with the support of a the full pack, drove over for a try. Aled Newton converted. 17 -5
Nearing half time, and with the temperature getting oppressive, some hard work in the centre from the forwards and an impressive rolling maul, Alistair Smith saw his chance again and touched down at the bottom of a pile of bodies. Not converted. 22 - 5

Witney opened the second half with new resolve that was rewarded, firstly,  with a well worked try using both wings, then a stunning pitch-length run which was landed beneath the posts and led to a regulation conversion. 22 -17
A few penalties were handed out by the referee for over zealous attempts at snatching the ball at the scrum, and Alex Lushington used his position as captain to call the side together for a well timed team talk. Order restored, and nerves calmed, an attack starting on the half way line saw Dan Mould, Will Barker and Alex Lungu rumbling forward while in full control of the ball, until the ball was snatched from the rear of a ruck by Will, who passed inside to Alex Lushington on a charge, driving over. The conversion was made by Gareth Gray. 29 - 17
Most of the action now took place in Witney’s half, and Abingdon piled on more and more pressure, Dougie Broad and Ben Kili making a joint run that came up short, a penalty kicked to gain yardage by Gareth Gray which saw Alex Lungu winning a lineout and getting on a charge, only to be called back due to an injured player. Although Witney’s defence never looked like wilting, it looked assured that Abingdon had one more try in them.
Jacob Reid almost secured that try, but was driven back, and the move resulted in a Witney line out. Abingdon won this line out, moved the ball out wide quickly and exploited an overlap for Jack Campbell to take in with a jinking run and ground the ball. Jack had toiled brilliantly all game for this reward and had been involved in all the major runs, despite being ill. The conversion was wide. 34 - 17 as the whistle sounded.

A great game to watch, played in a competitive spirit, and under trying conditions, both teams deserved the applause as they left the field.

Funny moment of the match: Two contenders for this one this week, both involving Jacob “Sideshow Bob” Reid. Either the moment he crossed the try line with ball in hand and shouted YES! only to be carried back out again a millisecond later to groans of NOOOOOOOO!!, or the comment from an opposition player……..Nice hat 14!

Food Report : Yummy again parents, 10/10.

After match games : Once again an Abingdon win due to a brilliant effort by Belly and Big Ears and their water drinking abilities.!

Guest player : Unfortunately, due to an administrative error, instead of getting Martin Johnson (Ex England prop and present England coach) we actually got Martin Johnston (Interior designer and feng shui expert from Wimbledon). We knew we were going to lose his talents on the field when he took one look at training and uttered that immortal line “Oooo, that looks a bit ruffty-tuffty”
All was not lost however, as those of you using the clubhouse after the match will have noticed. The faint whiff of Lavender, and all the tables turned around?  Thanks Martin.

The coaches say (The voice from the dugout).
Well done boy's on another great victory. This match presented no less challenges than last weeks match against Grove and i am sure that Witney will fancy another crack at us on the return fixture after Christmas. We only  have 2 training sessions before we play our second league match against Bicester in a fortnight and there is lots to work on so try and make both Wednesday and Sunday training.

Always a hotly contested game, this one started with a rousing huddle
from Simon and Ben, and set the tone for the game.
Grove kicked off, and it was countered by an inch perfect kick up the
pitch to gain some great yards by Gareth Gray. Grove replied with
their traditional hard hitting runs through the centre, but were
stopped in their tracks by some awesome tackles by Aled Newton, Dan
Mould and Thomas Mooring, who threw 100% into some crunching stops.
This, and a flying tackle from Jacob Reid, disrupted the normally
fluent Grove attack, and even forced them to make errors of discipline
that put Abingdon onto the front foot. This resulted in a scrum that
flowed and rolled right up to the Grove try line.
In a test of character, after being held up on the line 4 times,
Abingdon shipped the ball out right and onto Dougie Broad who ran in
for the first try of the game, and a well aimed conversion from Gareth
Gray secured 7 points.
In the second quarter the Abingdon pack followed up the kick, and
supported the backs, and immediately put Grove under pressure.  The
resulting line out was won, and there followed a stunning team try
that involved some accurate passing into the hands of Jack Campbell
who ran in from distance, and secured our second try. The conversion,
although having direction, fell short.
Grove countered strongly, and camped deep in Abingdons’s half for much
of the remainder of the period, despite a long kick up field by
Gareth. Grove’s sustained pressure was rewarded by a try driven over
from the 5 metre line by a determined Grove attack.  The conversion
was missed.
Grove kicked off the 3rd Quarter, and followed up the pressure they
had created by firstly running in a denied try because of an ill
judged push off the ball, then a move starting in the middle, and
ending with a try on the wing. The try was not converted. This try was
made easier by 4 tackles being slipped, and the resulting team talk
emphasised this.
The message got through, because there followed two massive tackles
which saw Ben Kili making a stop that denied a certain try, and Jacob
Reid halting a Grove move dead in it’s tracks.
The rest of the quarter was played out in end to end attacks that
ultimately were fended off by the defence on both sides.
The last quarter was a ragged affair that resulted in injuries to both
teams due to the attritional nature of the game, with both sides
playing themselves into the ground, while giving nothing away. Aled
Newton kicked into touch to seal a 12 – 10 win for Abingdon.
In a match that was dependant on every member being on top form, it
would be wrong to award a ‘man of the match’, it was a team effort in
the best sense of the term. A special mention to Josh Neil, who turned
up to support his mates and carry the water, even though he was out
through injury.
There are three stand out candidates for ‘funny moment of the game’
though. We had Thomas “Belly” Mooring ripping his shorts asunder in
the excitement of his first game, George Cabral using the ‘lights out’
ploy on the opposition and pulling their shirt over the head so they
didn’t know where to present the ball, or Aled “Big-ears” Newton’s
stunning impression of an in-flight superman in a rolling maul that
saw him travelling forward clutching the ball, but with no part of his
body in contact with the ground!
Food report: 10/10 Thanks parents, up to your usual standard.
Guest Player: It was with regret the pineapple had to be dropped from
the starting line-up due to him being in possession of no arms,
legs,or neck and refusing to pay his subs! Many have asked how he
survived being thrown off the Isle of Wight ferry and into the shark
infested seas of the Solent. Luckily, he had a tattoo on his bum that
read “Newcastle Falcons – Premiership winners 2012”…………. Not even a
shark would swallow that! Next week’s guest player against Witney
announced today as…….Martin Johnston.

The coaches comment (The voice from the dug-out) : Dear players,
firstly congratulations on your well deserved win. This victory was
even more impressive given that we stuck to our plan to put together
combinations of players who would not normally work together and
experimented with many of you in different positions, this certainly
gave us something to think about! Your commitment, determination and
team spirit really paid off today and we hope that you use this great
performance as a springboard for a fantastic season.
Well done!