Oxford Cavaliers missed the chance to go top of the RLC West of England table after a 39-30 defeat at the hands of Somerset Vikings.

In a game which saw the lead change hands six times, Cavaliers took a narrow lead into the break, but faded late on as Vikings got home.

Chris Richards opened the scoring for Somerset, before Tom Waterfield replied, with Chris Stables adding the extra point.

Brian Webb’s try for Vikings, converted by Dan Hinton, was then cancelled out by two scores in quick succession from Stables, both converted by Shane Turner for the Cavaliers as the lead continued to change.

Mark Lees’s close-range effort pegged the Cavaliers back at the interval and Richards’s second of the game soon after the resumption put Vikings back in front.

The outstanding Jack Briggs scored his tenth try of the season to give Oxford a two-point lead that was halved by Hinton’s drop goal after some intense Vikings pressure.

Ian Miller then crossed for Turner to give the Cavaliers a 30-23 advantage, but Vikings hit back in style, scoring three times in the final ten minutes to wrap up the points and clinch top spot.