Henley Hawks 17-12 Oxford Harlequins
By Alistair Beynon
Henley Hawks claimed the county bragging rights but were made to work hard to overcome a tenacious Oxford Harlequins at a very cold Dry Leas on Saturday.
On a heavy pitch, both sides struggled to find any fluency, but a try in each half for Spencer Hayhow and Will Benning, along with a Max Titchener penalty was enough to see Henley home.
In truth, it wasn’t a great spectacle, but the home side deserved their win despite falling behind early on when Quins second row Ben Bodinham powered his way over from close range. Ewan Fox converted and the visitors had their noses in front at 7-0 after just 4 minutes gone.
It was a stark wake-up call for Luke Allen's men, but Henley were proving to be their own worst enemy in the first quarter, as a combination of poor discipline and basic errors thwarting any potential scoring opportunities.
The Henley front row of Kadeem Collins, Spencer Hayhow and Rory Mason were all starting to make hard yards in the loose whilst gaining an advantage in the scrum, giving the home side an excellent platform to build on. However, the Quins second row of ex-Hawk Alex Hayton and Bodinham were causing issues for the Henley lineout, managing to disrupt several throws in dangerous positions, much to the frustration of the home supporters.
However, as the game progressed, the Hawks slowly gained the upper hand and the rest of the half was spent camped in the Quins half. A penalty inside the 22 gave Max Titchener a relatively straightforward opportunity to get Henley on the scoreboard and the fly half didn't miss, making it 7-3 to Quins on 21 minutes.
Just two minutes later, a stolen lineout for Henley gave them another opportunity to launch an attack, and the rampaging Hayhow powered his way over the whitewash to give the home side the lead. Titchener converted and all of a sudden the tension lifted around the ground.
Quins were struggling to contain Henley's attacking threat, but time and again the Hawks were guilty of trying to force the initiative as they relinquished possession with the try line beckoning.
It was beginning to feel like it might be one of those afternoons, especially as the away side had a rare foray in the Hawks 22 just before half-time, and a penalty gave Quins a shot at goal and a chance to draw level. However, Fox was wide with his attempt and Henley went in at the break with a narrow 10-7 lead.
The second half was a more even affair, and a yellow card early on to Hawks wing Lailand Gordon for a high tackle, gave Quins the numerical advantage. From an attacking lineout inside the Henley 22, Quins captain Willo Bicknell put the visitors back in front following a clever move on the blindside. Fox was wide with his conversion, but the visitors were now back in front at 12-10 after 52 minutes.
The setback spurred the Hawks into life and with Gordon now back on the pitch, Henley were showing more intensity in their attacking play. A Henley lineout in the Quins 22 eventually saw the ball spun wide to Benning, and the Number 8 brilliantly picked up the ball by his ankles, spotted a gap in the defensive line and crashed over by the posts. Titchener added the extras and Henley were now back in front at 17-12 with a quarter of the game remaining.
The rest of the contest was relatively uneventful, despite some niggle between both packs, Henley managed to see the game out without further alarm. Titchener had a couple of late opportunities to put the game to bed, but both penalty kicks drifted narrowly wide.
It was a much needed victory for the Hawks and an important one in the context of the overall season. Quins were good value for their losing bonus point, but the Henley faithful were pleased to have come away from a potential banana skin contest with a hard fought 4 points.
Next up for the Hawks is a tough trip to high-flying Dorking this coming Saturday, kick-off 2pm.
Henley Hawks
Tries: Hayhow 24, Benning 58
Conversions: Titchener 25, 59
Penalties: Titchener 22
Howe, Gordon, Wood, Webb , Rawsthorn, Titchener, Pattison (Jones 73), Collins, Hayhow, Mason, Goodison (Basil 62), Lunnon, Lowe, Noone (Rawcliffe 77), Benning
Reps: Kinniburgh, Bailey, Rawcliffe, Jones, Basil
Oxford Quins
Tries: Bodinham 4, Bicknell 52
Conversions: Fox 5
Hughes (O’Regan 14), Cooke, Haines, Field, Yeates (Hughes 40), Fox, Burn, Manning, Roberts, Hopkins (Cashman 59), Bodinham (Ireland 76), Hayton, Quainton (Purchase 40), Ireland (Paine 66), Bicknell
Reps: Cashman, Boarder, Purchase, Paine, O’Regan
Star Man: Kadeem Collins (Henley)
Attendance: 354
Halftime scoreline: Henley 10–7 Oxford Harlequins
Match photos by Andrew Turner available here.
Match photos by Steve Karpa available here.