Oxford Cavaliers came off second best against a formidable Coventry Bears outfit in the RL Conference South West and Midlands League.

Matt Simpson and 17 year old Raymond Lan made their first appearances for the Cavaliers and performed well against more experienced opponents.

Dan Kimber had an exceptional game in defence, his strong tackling inspiring the Cavaliers to defend well in midfield. Mistakes early in the six-tackle count conceded too much possession and the Bears capitalised on a good kicking game to stretch the Cavaliers on the wings and scored four first-half tries.

The Cavs best move saw the ball passed quickly down the line to put Stewart Hannah through and he finished well , scoring in the corner for his third try of the season. Joe McEneaney and Nick Goodger were tireless in attack, taking up the ball to get the Cavs moving forward and making the hard yards up the middle.

Matt Beckley was a constant threat in attack, his elusive running and handling opening up several opportunities for the Cavaliers to spread the Bears defence. Beckley was ably supported by Luke Kimber and Jack Briggs in the Cavaliers back line.

The Beasr took a commanding lead in the second half with further tries after line breaks from their bigger forward pack and some good offloads that put supporting runners through under the posts. On 60 minutes Alex Benjamin took advantage of confusion in the Bears defence when players mistakenly stopped waiting for a refereeing decision, Benjamin opportunistically picked up the ball and sprinted clear, running 40 yards to score under the posts. Briggs converted to take the Cavs into double figures.
The Cavaliers finished strongly and showed good team spirit keeping going for the full 80 minutes, the final score of 50-10 somewhat flattering the home team.

Mark Shaw, Cavaliers coach, commented “Coventry are the strongest team in our division, I was proud of the efforts our whole squad gave during an intimidating encounter. Our team is improving week on week and I believe we will beat the Bears during the return match on our own ground later this season.”

Cavaliers next game is the big local derby against Swindon St.George at Marston Ferry Rd on Saturday May 31, kick off at 2.30pm.