Match Report: 15 December 2007

Oldfield made amends for their early season defeat against Bath Old Edwardians by winning the return fixture 17-7 at King Edward’s playing fields. This derby match was a typically bruising encounter and the result could have gone either way but it was Oldfield who made the most of their opportunities and scored a try midway through the first half after a good counter attacking move. The forwards were at loggerheads all afternoon but it was the OE's who looked the more threatening and made territorial gains with penetrative runs with Guy Levell and Rob Holmyard in the thick of the action. Their defence was on song too and Oldfield's territorial advantage largely came from good out of hand kicking. OE's were also on the wrong end of a whistle happy referee who punished their occasional lack of discipline.

With Oldfield edging the home side 10-0 at the turnaround, it was OEs who looked the more threatening at the beginning of the second half as they started to play a more expansive game. Their backs were making inroads and on a couple of occasions were hauled short by the last line of defence but with 20mins to go, centre Craig Harris who looked lively all afternoon crossed the line for a score. Oldfield responded with a try of their own and camped in the OEs half for much of the last ten minutes by making the most of their penalty opportunities and kicking for territorial gain. A penalty late on gave Oldfield a ten point cushion and the score remained unchanged. OEs skipper Guy Levell was pragmatic in defeat: "It was a great game of rugby and the result could have gone either way. I think we should have been more efficient at the breakdowns but I was pleased at how we performed at the set pieces. Having beaten them away earlier in the season, we thought we could get the double but it wasn’t to be."

And as it appeared in the Bath Chronicle...