Young Banbury Bulls step up to the mark to secure progress in the cup

With the draw for the Papa Johns Community Cup being based on final league positions but being made before Banbury’s final-day great escape, the Bulls were placed in the Bowl section of the Community Cup.

They were handed a quarter-final tie at Paviors and, with many players away on holiday, it was a chance for some of the young guns to make their mark for the Bulls.

There were 10 changes to the squad that finished the league season against Bournemouth.

And, with an average age of just 23, there was a good blend of youth and experience.

Despite a strong start from the Bulls, it was Paviors who opened the scoring with an unconverted try but Banbury levelled the scores with a try from Jacob Turner.

A rolling maul was brought down short of the line but Turner scooped the ball up before showing great strength to get himself over the try line and score.

The Bulls took the lead shortly after with a fantastic team try.

Sinamaki Tatofi broke through multiple tackles before offloading to Ed Phillips.

Phillips spotted players outside him and chipped the ball behind for Alex Garbett to race after and score and the conversion put the Bulls 12-5 up.

However, they trailed at the break as Paviors finished the half with two quick tries to take a 15-12 lead.

But it didn’t take long for Banbury to get back in front after the break as Oscar Triggs found Jack Briggs with a short shovel pass and the defenders didn’t even have time to react before Briggs burst through the gap and scored under the posts for a converted score.

Louis Tooth was yellow-carded for Banbury after tensions flared up and Paviors took advantage as another unconverted try put them 20-19 up.

But the Bulls responded again and 17-year-old Charlie Cranley scored a try on his debut when he collected a kick from Quinten Blythe to score in the corner.

The conversion was missed but Tatofi extended the lead further when he beat two defenders before sprinting clear and diving over under the posts for another try.

The conversion was added this time as Banbury moved into a 31-20 lead.

With the clock winding down, the Bulls looked set for victory but Paviors found another gear for the remainder of the game.

The hosts threw everything they had at Banbury and scored a deserved try to make it 31-25.

Paviors pushed hard after that but Banbury saw it out to seal a fine win in which all players who came into the squad stepped up well and played with plenty of passion and enthusiasm.

With an eye to next season already these games are a great opportunity to test some players and help them make cases for shirts in 2023/24 and, on this occasion, Tom Davies and Tatofi both stood out with excellent performances.

The next round of the cup will be played on April 15 but the semi-final draw is yet to be made.