Bucks denied top spot by Oxford walkover

A LAST-MINUTE try for

Buckinghamshire fly-half Alex Shearer earned them a narrow 22-17 victory over

Essex but it wasn’t enough to top Pool 1 of Division Three. That honour went to

Oxfordshire who were awarded five points from their cancelled game against Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire who were unable to field a team due to a lack of front-rowers.

And the extra bonus point proved crucial as Oxfordshire finished with 12 points while Buckinghamshire and Essex were left stranded on 11.

Buckinghamshire started the game brightly and had the opening score through scrum-half Cameron Keenan after 15 minutes, which was converted by Shearer.

Isaac Shields’ try extended the visitors advantage at East London Rugby Club and when Shearer added a 22nd-minute penalty the lead was 15 points.

But Essex, looking for the win that would have secured top spot in the pool, fought back with No. 8 Paul Bradley at the back of a push-over scrum with 37 minutes played.

Marcus Bloomberg continued the Essex comeback in the second half with a second try, which Bradley Burr managed to convert to make the score 15-12.

The comeback was completed when Bradley went over for his second score of the afternoon with just under an hour played.

But Buckinghamshire’s Shearer was able to unlock the defence once last time and converted his own score with the final kick of the game.

In Pool 2, Sussex had already secured top spot but Berkshire managed to grab second with a 30-18 win over Dorset and Wiltshire at Royal Wootton Bassett.

Saul Aimes-Reddin crossed early for Berkshire before Tom Moysey and Gary Williamson dotted down to put the hosts 12-7 to the good.

But the second half belonged to the visitors as prop George Banks drove over from the back of a line-out before Alex Miller crossed on 70 minutes.