Oxford 41, Drifters 3

Oxford secured promotion from the BB&O Premier Division after an emphatic six-try victory over Drifters.

No team can overhaul them in second spot and they still have a very slim chance of progressing to Southern Counties North as champions.

This match was not all one-way traffic, however, and it was only a mix of great defence and poor decision making that stopped the visitors scoring at least two tries.

Oxford somehow contrived to blow two great chances in the first three minutes, with wing Phil Longuet-Higgins and flanker Tom Johnson both knocking-on when it looked easier to score.

In between, the hosts turned over the first Drifters scrum to set the platform for the set-piece superiority they held throughout the match.

On 15 minutes, prop Mark Lockwood and flanker Jamie Kirkaldy kept the ball alive for Longuet-Higgions to squeeze over on the left.

Eighteen-year-old full back Dom Coe slotted a superb conversion.

Centre George Coombes missed a penalty for Drifters, but Oxford scored again on 31 minutes.

Their speedy 18-year-old wing Jake Dawson broke well on the right and set up supporting scrum half Andy Smith for a try that Coe again converted.

With lock Mark Jones, a 17-year-old, dominating the line-out, Oxford had a constant supply of ball.

They bagged a third when centre Duncan Lynchsmith finished a sweeping move on the left.

Drifters had hooker Alan Morgan sin-binned for a dangerous tackle on Oxford fly half Ralph Jones just before the break.

Dawson ran back a loose kick and hooker Andy MacDonald stretched over to score after the ball was kept alive.

Drifters fly half Mark Bannister slotted a drop goal within a minute of the second half restarting.

But they wasted two great chances to make a game of it.

Oxford defended strongly, while at the other end, another Longuet-Higgins knock-on prevented try No 5.

Drifters’ slim hopes of a comeback were ended when lock James Hamilton was sin-binned on 65 minutes and Coe kicked the resulting penalty.

Lynchsmith entered the line at pace to run in his second try on 78 minutes, Coe converting.

Deep into stoppage-time, Longuet-Higgins’s up-and-down afternoon was completed by a fine solo try on the right, which Coe converted.

Oxford: Coe, Dawson, Lynchsmith, Gustafson, Longuet-Higgins, R Jones, Smith (Derrick 61), Ward, MacDonald (Campbell 67), Lockwood, M Jones, Graham (capt), Johnson (Thompson 61), Kirkaldy, Viner.

Referee: C Whalen (Oxfordshire).

Man-of-the-match: M Jones.