Southern Counties North

Lowly Grove produced their most heroic performance of the season as they drew 5-5 at home to high-riding Amersham & Chiltern in appalling conditions.

Grove started with the gale-force wind and rain at their backs, but it was Amersham who gained ground with some slick handling and attacking running.

However, despite having a wealth of possession, the visitors could not crack the Grove defence.

Following a monster kick from fly half Dave Johnson, Grove were awarded a penalty, and from the resultant tap, lock Rob Weaving crashed over to put Grove ahead just before half-time.

With the slenderest of leads, Grove turned round to face what they knew would be an onslaught from Amersham, who levelled the scores in the 55th minute with a try in the corner from their overlapping full back.

It seemed it would be only a matter of time before Amersham were on the scoresheet again.

But Grove had other ideas, producing the most heroic defending seen at Cane Lane for a long time.

Time and time again Amersham hammered into the home side, but could not break them.

Backs and forwards alike had one purpose, to keep the visitors out - and with fanatical dedication to their task, they did just that.

Despite losing 13-0, Bicester competed on equal terms against fellow-strugglers Olney in atrocious conditions.

Forced to make seven changes from the side which played Phoenix last week, the visitors again struggled to achieve rhythm or cohesion, but they defended resolutely and their pack held their own in both the tight and loose exchanges.

The first score came after 15 minutes. Olney spun the ball along the backs to the right, where hooker Matthew Boddy jinked his way past winger Paul Leverton and lock Christian Wright to touch down for an unconverted try.

In the second-half, Olney fly half Paul Winter made no mistake with a penalty from in front of the posts to increase the lead.

Both Chad Ward's kicking from hand, and Dickie Walsh's intelligent probing from the base of the scrum, caused Olney problems, but the visitors' finishing was poor.

In a final effort to break the deadlock, Bicester infringed at an Olney line-out ten metres out, and from the ensuing scrum, home scrum-half Philip Hannah sped through a gap to the right of the posts for an unconverted try.

Witney's match at home to Henley Wanderers fell victim to the weather.