BERKSHIRE SET UP EPIC VICTORY
Wednesday, May 4 Saturday, May 14 Sunday, May 15
A BREATH-TAKING second-half show from Berkshire helped them overturn a 16-point deficit in overcoming visitors Middlesex 37-21 in their opening Bill Beaumont County Championship Division Three game at Rams’ Old Bath Road ground.
It was one of the home club’s own players, wing Alex Manhardt, who opened the scoring, but the Londoners hit back strongly and took a commanding 21-5 lead into the interval thanks to converted tries from James Smith, Iwan Humphrey and Angus Brown, Joe Carolan on target with the boot.
Yet Berkshire got back into the game with two more Rams stars doing the damage, fly-half Steffan James firstly adding the extras to his own score, before No. 8 Ross Crame went over in Clubhouse Corner following good work from the forwards.
The home side hit the front as replacement Tom Williams and Newbury centre Dan Thorne crossed the whitewash.
Leading 27-21 with the clock running down, Berkshire sealed the deal as firstly Jordan Souter touched down before Will Janes became the fourth Rams man to score on their home ground.
Berkshire next travel to Sussex on Saturday, May 21.
In the Gill Burns Women’s County Championship, Charlotte Faux and Annabel Hawkins were among the Berkshire try-scorers as they hung on to beat Kent 22-15 at Reading on Sunday.
The home side marched into a 17-0 half-time lead, but despite moving further ahead early in the second period, they were forced to hold on as their visitors rallied as the game went on.
Berkshire welcome Sussex to Maidenhead next Sunday.
Hilltop 5-1 Eversley &
California Saturday, May 7
Luton Town 1-0 Reading
Burghfield 4-1 Richings Park Reading City U23’s 3-4 Marlow
United
Reading YMCA 4-1
Maidenhead Town Wraysbury 0-2 Finchampstead
Datchet (322-4) beat Wokingham (297 all out)
Crowthorne & Crown Wood (143 all out) lost to Penn & Tylers Green (211 all out) Holmer Green (193-8) beat
Shinfield (192 all out) West Reading (181 all out) beat Ballinger Waggoners (143 all out)
Emmbrook and Bearwood (210 all out) lost to Cadmore
End (280-5)
Fulmer (326-9) beat Emmbrook and Bearwood 2s (187 all out)
Farley Hill (154-8) beat
Woodcote (132 all out) Mortimer West End (257-6) lost to West Reading 2s (258-6)
Sandhurst (131-2) beat Waltham St Lawrence (127 all out)
Shinfield 2s (74-3) beat Goring
on Thames (71 all out)
Checkendon (241-8) beat Berkshire Royals (161 all out)
Peppard Stoke Row (164 all out) lost to Reading United (170-8)
Reading Lions (97-1) beat West
Reading 3s (96 all out)
Knowl Hill (131-3) beat Reading United 3s (130 all out)
Falkland (88 all out) lost to Eversley (326-9)
Slough 2s (209 all out) lost to
Finchampstead 2s (211-7) Binfield (236-7) beat Reading
(233 all out)
Hurst (205-2) beat Sulhamstead & Ufton (204 all out)
Wokingham 2s (386-7) beat
Royal Ascot (230 all out)
Sunday, May 8
Reading 0-4 Manchester City
Tilehurst Panthers 1-1 Badshot Lea (2-4 pens)
Stony Stratford (189-1) beat Wargrave (133-6)
Crowthorne & Crown Wood Steventon
Friday, May 13
Finchampstead v Richings Park
Wokingham v Finchampstead
Braywood v Crowthorne &
Crown Wood
Penn & Tylers Green v West
Reading
Shinfield v Ley Hill
Denham v Emmbrook & Bearwood
Emmbrook and Bearwood 2s v Knotty Green 3s
Goring on Thames v Sandhurst Waltham St Lawrence v
Mortimer West End Welford Park v Shinfield
West Reading 2s v Farley Hill
Earley v Silchester Peppard Stoke Row 2s v
Berkshire Royals Stallions v Reading Lions West Reading 3s v
Checkendon
Crowthorne & Crown Wood 2s
v Shinfield 3s
Farley Hill 2s v Rangers Reading United 2s v Warfield Twyford & Ruscombe v
Stallions 2s
Woodley v Earley 2s
Eversley v Stoke Green
Cove v Hurst
Sulhamstead & Ufton v Binfield Reading v Slough 2s Finchampstead 2s v
Wokingham 2s
Finchampstead Athletic v William Twigg
Wargrave v Crowthorne &
Crown Wood
East & West Hendred v
Sonning
Binfield v Moreton