A serious injury to leading scorer Dean Aven marred Oxford Cavaliers' emphatic 50-20 victory away to Bristol Sonics in the South West Division of the Totalrl.com Conference.

Aven faces a long lay-off after damaging a cruciate ligament in a knee.

Cavaliers recovered from conceding two tries in the first ten minutes to register a victory in their first away game of the season.

The potential of the Oxford team was evident, with many of the younger players coming to the fore.

Among the try-scorers was half-back Adam White, whose kicking had been the deciding factor in last week's victory over Somerset.

Further senior grade outings this year should see him develop into a genuine rugby league talent.

Mike Castle once again took on much of the work in the pack, making the 'hard yards', and scored for the second successive game.

Other try-scorers included Matt Thompson, David Abraham and Aven.

Convincing wins against Somerset and Bristol, coupled with a strong showing against divisional favourites Cardiff, suggest that the Cavaliers will be contesting second place and the end-of season play-offs.

Their next game is at home to Gloucestershire at Oxford RFC on Saturday week.