Congratulations to Littlemore, who caused the upset result of the David Charles Oxfordshire Cup quarter-finals with their 31-15 win over Chipping Norton on Sunday.

But there must be sympathy, too, for Chippy following their commendable decision to let four of their first-choice players turn out for Oxfordshire Under 20s on the same day.

Littlemore could justifiably point out that they would have beaten a full-strength Chippy side, as they dominated the forward battle, while the missing players were all backs.

But the point is, there should never have been a clash of fixtures in the first place. Despite the crowded season, there are plenty of spare Sundays for Oxon Cup matches the original date for the semi-finals was March 25!

Even if the county v club clash was unavoidable, there should be provision in the Oxfordshire Cup rules to allow clubs with, say, two players on county duty, to switch their tie without needing permission from their opponents.

No blame should be attached to Littlemore for not agreeing to the change, but the Oxon RFU need to have another look at their rules.

While on that subject, it seems absurd that teams in the early rounds of the Oxon Cup are allowed only three replacements, while in the semi-finals and final there is a provision for five.

This was the decision of the competititon committee in December, which seems quite perverse to me.

Anyway, good news is at hand. Colin Baldwin, the Oxon Cup chairman, agrees that the some of the rules are vague and is to to produce a complete revision before next season.

"I would welcome constructive suggestions from the clubs," he said.

Meanwhile, Littlemore's semi-final at home to Banbury has been fixed for Sunday, March 4.