Wallingford beat Oxford to win Oxfordshire County Cup

The opening quarter was an even affair, and it was Oxford who eventually barged their way over the line for the first score of the final.

Wallingford bounced back almost immediately with a well-worked try in the backs. After fielding a clearance on halfway, a cut-out pass from Charles Campbell put Sam Botting in space down the right wing, and he found Murray Bellis inside, who in turn provided the scoring pass to Jacob Knight, who finished under the posts, with Campbell then converting.

Oxford largely dominated possession, as Wallingford continued to infringe at the breakdown, culminating in a yellow card for Max Suttner, and Oxford quickly took advantage of the extra man, as they forced their way over the line for an unconverted try.

Wallingford reduced the arrears with a Campbell penalty, as the half came to a close at 12-10 to Oxford.

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It was then Oxford’s turn to fall foul of the referee, as Campbell’s boot took Wallingford deep into the Oxford half, leading to James Norris, making his 200th appearance, burrowing over, with Campbell then converting well from the left.

Approaching the last quarter, Wallingford began to really hit their stride as Oxford started to fall off the pace.

The next try started deep in Wallingford’s half, as a quick ball found Botting on the left, who linked well his brother-in-law Dan Sadler, who returned the favour to put Botting in for a fine try, with Campbell converting.

Entering the last 10 minutes, the next score came from a brutal Bellis line as he bumped a would-be tackler before reaching over the line for a try to the left of the posts, and Campbell again converted.

The penultimate score came from an unlikely short-range finish from Tom Cerullo, who dotted down following a good sweeping attack from Wallingford.

The final play of the game saw the impressive Bellis intercept in his own half before racing in for a try under the posts that Campbell, who didn’t miss a kick all game, converted.

It was very much a game of two halves, with Oxford impressing in the first half with their well-drilled pack and a dangerous backline, and were good value for their lead at half-time.

The second half though saw Wallingford up their game, with the pack dominating and the back line looking threatening every time they got the ball.