RUGBY UNION: Southern Counties and BB&O round-up

Jake Dawson also went over as Southern Counties North’s bottom side secured a morale-boosting bonus-point victory in Berkshire.

Stewart Beale added two conversions and two penalties as they ended a run of 11 successive defeats.

Bicester climbed to third with a 24-23 victory at Aylesbury.

Pete Howard (2) and a penalty try, Dan Walker kicking two conversions and a penalty, helped them to an eighth straight win.

Wallingford slipped to fourth after suffering a 10-3 defeat at home to second-placed Buckingham.

Conor Graney kicked a penalty for the home side.

Grove fell to a 25-15 defeat at Sherborne in Southern Counties South.

Conor Hull, who slotted a conversion and a penalty, and Ben Lloyd-Jones crossed for the visitors.

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Skipper Alex Kelly scored three tries as second-placed Oxford began the new year in devastating fashion, beating Hungerford 62-0 at home in the BB&O Premier.

Ryan Eadle, Jack Sullivan-Webb, Tom O’Reilly, Ben Harden, Myles Smart-Everett, Tom Brown and Thom Murton also crossed in a commanding display.

Murton converted six of Oxford’s ten tries as he scored 17 points in total.

Didcot climbed to fourth after beating Wheatley 17-5 away.

Paul Partlett, Andrew Pynegar and Mark Harper dived over for the visitors, Cameron Arnott converting once.

Wheatley had levelled at 5-5 at half-time, thanks to Jordan Hook’s try.

Both sides pushed for scores after the break, with Didcot coming out on top.

Third-placed Gosford All Blacks beat hosts Risborough 35-12.

In the Championship, Chipping Norton made the most of their game in hand to open up a gap over title rivals Abingdon, who had a weekend off.

The front-runners beat Berkshire Shire Hall 48-12 away.

Joe Murrell (2), Ed Malmouth (2), Max Benson, Tom Tanner and Ralph Watts were among the try-scorers for the north Oxfordshire club.

Faringdon edged hosts Aldermaston 14-13, while Harwell lost 36-14 at Winslow.