Oxford Cavaliers, decimated by injuries and unavailability, suffered their fourth successive defeat as they were thrashed 72-14 away to Cardiff Demons in round eight of the Summer RL Conference Central South Division.
Cavaliers, missing six players due to an RAF representative fixture on the same day, fielded a team including four injured players, several reserves, veterans, youngsters and six seasonal debutants, two of whom had never before played a game of rugby league.
In the circumstances, they showed great pride and battled to the last.
Cardiff scored 14 tries to three from the Cavaliers, hooker Wayne Williams going over for a brace and kit-man Dave Turner, called into the starting line-up as an emergency replacement, scoring on his debut.
Trailing 46-6 at half-time, Oxford tackled their hearts out, senior players Williams and prop Jeremy Nikora superbly shouldering the extra work made necessary by supporting such an inexperienced team.
Cavaliers' under 13s lost 30-4 to Cardiff, while the under 16s went down 44-8.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article