Oxford Hawks bounced back from last week’s calamity, when the pitch was double-booked and they were left without a game, to draw 2-2 with Henley in Premier Division 2. Hawks, looking to keep their winning run going, dominated much of the play. However, a slight lapse in defence with a bit of ball watching and not clearing their lines, led to Henley grabbing the first goal as Richard Wood swept in at the far post. Hawks soon levelled. A short corner was smartly saved and Sam Chilvers coolly lifted the ball over the keeper. But Henley were up at half- time, with a penalty stroke being converted by former Hawks youth Ali Slay, after a foot on the line. Hawks started well in the second half, but could not quite find the urgency to their game they had in previous weeks. They huffed and puffed, with no clear end result. Henley were reduced to ten, but Hawks could still not capitalise. Jono Holt was sin-binned with 13 minutes to go, and it was he who came back and snatched a point with a drag flick from a short corner. After failing to win any of their previous nine games, Banbury got back to winning ways at just the right time with a 3-1 victory over struggling Ashford in Premier 1. Banbury welcomed back George Brooker and Dave Clark and it didn’t take them long to strike, with Clark opening the scoring. The home side then lost the initiative when Tyson Nunneley was sin-binned, and Ashford equalised after keeper Chris Boyle had saved well. In the second half, Banbury’s pressure paid off with ex- Ashford player Adrian Simmons scoring from close in. Brooker then scored his first league goal of the season after an impressive run by defender Charlie Murphy. Wallingford came from a goal down with ten minutes left to beat Oxford Hawks 2nd 3-2 at the Hithercroft in the Regional division. Rowan Wheeler equalised with a simple tap-in at the far post after Hawks had drawn first blood. Late in the second half, Hawks grabbed what looked like the winner, but Wheeler scored his second of the game and Rupert Barker snatched the clincher. Dan Pilbeam, Dan Smyth and Andy Wynd recorded braces in Rover Oxford’s 8-4 win at West Hampstead 2nd, Rich Beer and Joe Brownhill also scoring. And Tom Brownhill and Greg Horne were on target in Rover Oxford 2nd’s 4-2 defeat by Aylesbury in Regional 2. Charlie De Burgh and Rich Harding both hit doubles in City of Oxford’s 5-3 win over Maidenhead 2nd in Division 1. City were 2-1 up but then 3-2 down in a poor quality game in which nearly all the goals were scrappy, but they dug in to get the win and stay second in the table. Witney need just a point from their last three games to clinch promotion to Division 1 after a 4-1 victory at Bicester. Tim Hardy hit a hat-trick, and Ben Wells the other goal. OTHER SCORES Banbury 2nd 3 (W Kellett 2, I Reynolds), Eastcote 2nd 1; Oxford Hawks 3rd 1 (T Ward), Amersham & Ch 3rd 0; Banbury 3rd 3 (L Allen, S Holloway, M Waller), Wallingford 3rd 1; Gerrards X 2nd 2, City 2nd 0; Rover Ox 3rd 1, City 3rd 1 (T Pinnington); Hawks 4th 1 (M Hughes), Newbury & Thatcham 4th 1; Witney 2nd 5 (M Godwin 2, N Dunnington 2, J Deacon), Bicester 2nd 0; Banbury 4th 5, Wokingham 4th 3; Wycombe 5th 3, Witney 3rd 2 (D Bray, P Hood); Witney 4th 3 (S Hodges, B Carroll, L Frost), Witney 5th 1 (P O’Brien); Hawks Senators 10 (M Crowley 4, P Bennett 2, J Pratt 2, S Dawson, P Poulter), Andover Vets 1; Bournemouth Vets 3, City Bulls 3 (P Scragg 2, S Bell); Hawks Falcons 6 (D Hughes 2, S Griffiths 2, I Sobey, G Roper), Woking Pitts 2. Mixed match: Aylesbury 4, Adastral 0.
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