Oxford coach John Brodley was full of praise for his side after beating Gosford to reach the Oxfordshire Shield final.

He said: "We did all the hard work in the first half against the wind and to have the lead at half-time was a bit of a bonus.

"We are delighted to be in the final.

"We had a game plan to play into the wind and keep the ball and the players executed that really well.

"We weathered their storm for the first 20 minutes and from then onwards we were the stronger side physically and tactically."

Gosford player-coach Nathan Brooks said: "I don't think the scoreline indicates the effort we put in.

"If we had got another score at 17-10 it would have been difficult for them to come back, but it was tired legs that got us at the end.

"That was one of our best performances this year and the guys gave their all until the end.

"You can't ask for more than that as a coach."