Took in today's game, thanks to ludicrously cheap advance train tickets, and to make up for the fact that I have to miss the next match as things stand. Not a full match report, but just a few points of note.

Doncaster have no working PA and they didn't bother to put the Oxford team up on their electronic scoreboards so I wasn't sure who all of our players were during the game. Almost on the final hooter a screwed-up team sheet blew into my feet, and this is what it said (correct as far as I could tell):

FB - Connor Hughes
W - Errol Carter
C - Marcus Brooker
C - Tom Lewsey
W - Luke Gardiner
SO - Nathan Kitson
SH - Jorge Richardson
P - Josh Scott
H - Casey Canterbury
P - Luke Evans
SR - Santino Decaro
SR - Andy Hoggins
LF - Dan Igbinedion

Interchanges (I think all must have got on at some point):
Louis Richards, Mark Hayes, Adam Flintham, Tom Davies, Kris Ford, Lee Land, Tom Hall, Dan Brooker, Evan Roberts

I think that's all the declared squad except for the university players and Josh Nathaniel. But it does also include five names new to me.

In the stand:
Adam Withington, Steve Scott, Andy Matthews, and a few others from last season.

Try (78 minutes) - Louis Richards near the left wing corner after Marcus broke the defensive line.
Conversion (missed) - taken by Jorge Richardson.

Penalties - 9 to 5 against (let's see what League Express say)

Aaron Jones-Bishop and Jack Walton both started for Doncaster.


The game went pretty well as I might have expected, given that Oxford hadn't played this season, and quite probably not everyone had even met everyone else before let alone worked combinations. The first 15 minutes were fairly even, and Oxford did spend some time near Doncaster's posts without really threatening. Luke Evans went off at about that point and then Doncaster started scoring.

The third try came after Doncaster's winger had clearly stepped in touch and the last one was the last play of the half, so the half-time score of 34-0 flattered Doncaster a bit.

Second half started the same as the first, with even play for about 10 minutes, but again Doncaster gradually stepped things up. A couple of their tries were poor defensive efforts from tired backs, and they blew another with a forward pass. Nathan Kitson had the chance of a length of the field try after an interception, but managed only 60 metres before being closed down by about 7 defenders.

Doncaster fans said they were impressed with our forwards at the start, which I think was mostly Evans and Igbinedion. The latter made strong runs but lost the ball in the tackle several times.

Good report.

According to League Express, Team as above, All used and Pen count 9-4. Attendance 421