Wildgoose sends Oxfordshire wild

Oxfordshire beat Cheshire 38-37 thanks to an Owen Wildgoose score and a James Miller conversion when the clock was in the red.

Cheshire dominated the first half after scores from captain Oliver Longmore, Thomas Cole and Ben Elliot as well as a penalty try, and went into the break 27-3 leaders.

Cheshire also had a numerical advantage due to yellow cards for Oxfordshire’s Finn Ayris and James Leonardi.

Despite only having 13 men on the pitch, Oxfordshire started the first half with a bang. Ollie Nicholl booted a turnover down the pitch and fullback Quinten Blythe controlled the ball with his boot and won a foot race to dot down. The score was converted to make it 27-10.

As the rain began to pour, Cheshire scored their fifth try of the day through substitution Harry Blackwell and take a 34-10 lead.

Oxfordshire’s comeback started in earnest in the final 20 minutes of the game. Owen Wildgoose took a cross-field kick spectacularly before Blythe showed incredible strength to score Oxfordshire’s second try.

Then Connor Pummery wrestled over from close range. James Miller added the extras to make the score 37-24 with five minutes to go.

Minutes later, with Cheshire’s Harry Hughes in the sin bin, an inside ball put Pummery in for his second. The conversion was added and Oxfordshire were within seven with less than a minute on the clock.

Then Oxfordshire won a penalty to get a lineout in the Cheshire half. The ball made its way through the backs into Wildgoose’s hands who beat three defenders to score. Cool as ice, James Miller made the conversion to crown his team Bill Beaumont Division 2 winners.

East Midlands crowned thanks to last-minute penalty

East Midlands came out as winners after a 79th-minute penalty from Tom Addison won a tight game against Dorset and Wilts.

George Yarwood’s 12th-minute penalty was the first score of the day for Dorset and Wilts. East Midlands opened their account when flanker Ashton Webb shrugged off three defenders to score under the posts in the 24th minute. The conversion was good to make the score 3-7.

Their momentum continued. East Midlands intercepted their opposition’s line-out a minute later to dart down the outside. A couple of breakdowns later, Harry Nicholls dived over from close range to make it 3 – 12.

The score became 9 - 12 after a George Yarwood penalty in the 41st minute before East Midlands’ Tom Owen received a yellow card.

A long-range penalty kick from Dorset and Wilts’ Morgan Wellard levelled the scores with 20 minutes to play before a George Yarwood penalty took them into the lead six minutes later.

A driving maul gave East Midlands the penalty advantage - one they didn’t need after a superb cross-field kick was collected by Logan Mccabe to score in the corner. The game entered the final few minutes with two points separating the teams.

Dorset and Wilts’s co-captain Connor Moore stepped up with a penalty in the 77th minute to make it 18-17 to them and seemed to have sealed the deal, before East Midlands’s Tom Addison stepped up in the final moments to land the match-winning penalty.

East Midlands U20s came out 18 – 17 victors to win the Jason Leonard Men’s National Cup.

Kent win it back-to-back

Kent held off a last-minute Yorkshire flurry to win the Bill Beaumont Division 1 for the second year in a row.

Kent’s Sam Evans opened the scoring with a penalty before Yorkshire’s winger Sam Taylor collected a cross-field kick from Eddie Crossland to score in the corner to make the score 3 – 5.

Kent applied pressure to Yorkshire and camped out in their 22 before Evans added another penalty.

Yorkshire’s Minikin and Evans traded penalties to make it 8 – 9 before quick hands from Yorkshire's Crossland to winger Pete Hudson-Kowalewicz then put Taylor in for his second. Minikin added the extras to make it 15 – 9 just before half-time.

At the beginning of the second half, Crossland received a red card for a high tackle.

Kent quickly capitalised on their one-man advantage. The forwards punched the team towards the line before winger Andrew Denham crossed from close range. Evans converted from the touchline to put Kent one point ahead.

A minute later, winger Gary Jones stepped two defenders before stretching to the try line. Evans converted and the score was 23 – 15.

Yorkshire fought back and after multiple phases of play threatening the try line, replacement prop Loma Kivalu showed immense strength to drive over under the posts. Minikin converted to bring Yorkshire within a point.

The teams traded penalties: a long-range penalty by Minikin was responded to by a Sam Evans kick to keep Kent in the lead, 26 – 25.

In the 64th minute, Ben Friers took a penalty quickly and ran into the 22. He passed to put Jones in in the corner for his second.

A high tackle saw Kent’s replacement hooker Ryan Jackson receive a yellow card. Five minutes later, Leo Fielding joined him to give Yorkshire a one-man advantage for the first time in the game.

Yorkshire closed the gap on Kent when Hudson-Kowalewicz broke down the wing to put Henry Macnab in the corner. Yorkshire went into the final two minutes a single point behind.

Kent tried to see out the clock with their forwards before a heroic turnover gave Yorkshire a penalty to win with the last kick of the game. Minikin pulled it wide, and Kent became back-to-back county champions.

Dominant Yorkshire cruise to victory

Yorkshire women beat Surrey 37 – 7 in a dominant performance, despite losing their captain Lauren Bolger, and then her replacement in the first ten minutes.

Yorkshire applied pressure to Surrey from the outset and scored their first try after eight minutes through fullback Danie Green.

Surrey had a series of promising attacks, but handling errors left them without a score.

Yorkshire enjoyed most of the possession and after 32 minutes, newly appointed captain Amy Gould broke through a Surrey tackle to score.

After a series of penalties conceded by Surrey, Jane Meadows received a yellow card for a high tackle.

Yorkshire capitalised on their one-woman advantage. As Surrey gave away a penalty on their 5m line, the pass went to No 8 Becky Greene who ploughed through the defenders to score and make it 15-0 at half time.

Yorkshire’s relentless pressure continued and an arching run from centre Adaoha Akwiwu brought their tally to four while flanker Becky Patrick, who caused Surrey problems with her carrying all day, crossed the whitewash next. Taylor-Roberts converted to score her first points of the day, bringing the score to 27 – 0.

Yorkshire’s Georgina Holmes cut against the direction of play and used her pace to score before Surrey got their only score through Ella Grove. After a loose ball, Jackson flicked the ball to Groves who used her pace to run round the outside. Bree Hill converted.

The final points of the day came from a turnover in the Surrey, which Becky Patrick pounced upon and ran in to finish the game 37 – 7 and crown Yorkshire Gill Burns Division 1 Champions.