Hornets remain second after fourth straight victory

Oxford Harlequins 13 pts

Hornets 24 pts

HORNETS kept up their impressive run of form with a fourth straight win, this time on the road at Oxford Harlequins.

Sean Disney and Chris Francis returned to the squad, both starting from the bench and the only other change saw Josh Hallet-Fairhurst make his first appearance at second row, following a good run of form for the Development XV.

Hornets fell behind early on to an Oxford try, before Jermaine Jones struck a successful penalty kick to narrow the deficit to 5-3 after 20 minutes.

As the game wore on, the pack became more and more dominant, with Hallett-Fairhurst putting in an impressive display and Dave Geddes ensuring he was first to every breakdown and helping the pack secure ball in the loose as well as at the set plays.

The next score came from the forwards with Alec Chase scoring a trademark try from a driving maul and Jones converting for a 5-10 lead.

In the second half, the backs gained a greater foot hold in the game. Rob Dempsey and Adam Francis worked well in defence and started taking ball on the front foot.

At full-back, Joe Gadd put in a man of the match performance, making several cover tackles before one of his runs committed the defence and allowed him to free Dempsey to score the second try, as Hornets started to pull away.

The dominant Hornets pack added the final score through a penalty try and despite Oxford pulling back a try, the score finished 13-24 and an impressive victory for the visitors.

Hornets remain second in the league and continue to build their confidence for the hard run of games to come over the next few weeks, starting with the visit of unbeaten Redingensians to The Nest on Saturday.

Team: Joe Gadd, Andrew Wheller, Rob Dempsey, Adam Francis, Jermaine Jones, James Letherby, Conor Littlewood, Alec Chase, Sean Kent (c), Sonny Haines, Courtney Harris, Josh Hallett-Fairhurst, Dave Geddes, Ross Cheeseborough, Matt Parker. Subs: Steve Donegan, Sean Disney, Chris Francis.