OORUFC Match Report
28th March 2026
OORUFC 60 vs 3 Bradford & Bingley Bees
Ensians have a 5 point cushion
Otliensians’ best performance of the season.
Last Saturday league leaders Old Otliensians welcomed third place Bradford & Bingley to Chaffers
Field. The ‘Bees’ are one of the small number of teams to have beaten Ensians this season. A
very close game on their home turf, with just a 2 point margin.
With very little separating the top four teams, these last few games are pivotal. And it was felt this
one in particular could determine Otliensians fate.
During the pre-match warm up, the keen supporters who’d arrived early not sure if the kick off
was the usual 2pm or the new summertime 3pm, had ample time to count how many huge
players the away team had. Some of them were immense. My naive trepidations were eased
when club veteran ‘Pip’ Drake arrived and said “Don’t worry, that’s a good thing. They won’t last.
We always do well against bigger sides”, and he was so right!
Having won the toss Ensians kicked off with the easterly breeze on their backs. The Bees
gathered and set off on an attack that would test Ensians mettle. Phase after phase orange and
black shirts recycled the ball and hammered forward, but Ensians tackling was formidable. Each
one of the boys driving into the tackle with force. Eventually the visitors were awarded a penalty
and the resulting 3 points would amazingly be their only score of the match.
Fifteen minutes in, Ensians started to attack rather than defend and took play into Bees’ 22. Back
from injury, full back Will Cooper sent a beautiful grubber through the gap for Jake Bentley to
ground for Ensians first try. Sadly the wind blew the conversion wide.
Play ebbed and flowed with little to separate the teams. Ensians’ front row of George Martin, Alex
Gillson and Paddy Phipps controlled the scrums well, and Harry and Noel Gillson patrolled the
fringes like a pair of attack dogs ready to pounce.
Thirty minutes into the half Ensians started to shine. Playing with confidence and capitalising on
every opportunity. Scrum half and man of the match Sydney Dojan-Wood supplied tactician Ollie
Eaves at fly half with clean ball that enabled Bentley and Cowdell in the centres to look dangerous
time after time.
With little reward for their efforts, the visitors frustrations were getting the better of them and the
high and late challenges started to mount and on a number of occasions resulted in a melee. The
Bees captain normally in the thick of it. One such incident led to Ensians next points when Bentley
kicked a fine penalty. The half closed at a low scoring 8:3.
From the restart Ensians took control. A break from Martin, onto Ali Cambell. Out to Isaac, back
inside to second row Jay Walsh to drive play up to the halfway line, before Bentley sent a long
miss pass left, into the hands of danger man Will Howarth. Howarth dash passed two, before
cutting back inside stripping the last man, to score under the posts. Bentley added the conversion
taking the score to 15:3
From the kick off, a statement scrum from Ensians drove the tiring Bees back 5m. When the ball
eventually popped out of the back, ’Woody’ flung the ball wide to Eaves, out to Bentley who after
drawing two men, released winger Isaac Gillson on the half way line. Gillson beat three before
diving into the corner for an unconverted score.
Now 17 points adrift, from the restart the Bees desperately attacked Ensians line. Their big centre
was cut in half with a super tackle from Alex Gillson as he headed for the line. With two penalties
just yards from Ensians line the visitors still couldn’t get through. Ensians defence was resolute.
Captain Sam Featherstone was on fine form, making many excellent tackles and commanding the
forward play well.
Eventually possession returned to the home-side and another foray up field commenced.
A quickly taken penalty just 10m from their own line typified Ensians belief in themselves.
They ground their way upfield and eventually, with another high tackle penalty advantage, Jake
Bentley darted through a gap in the centre to score. His conversion took the score to a
respectable 27:3.
After their grumblings under the posts had died down, the Bees kicked the ball long, only for
Paddy Phipps to gather and charge back at them. Ensians were relentless.
Ramos found a gap and released Bielle-Biarrey down the wing to score his swan diving
second….sorry Coops out to Howarth. The flood gates had truly opened. Another try followed
minutes later. Alex Gillson almost through sensibly passed the ball out for Howarth to claim his
third. From the restart Ensians kept possession until their next score. Noel Gillson’s break got the
blues to the 22, before Walsh continue to batter his way forward. Eventually Paddy Phipps
spotted a gap and dashed for the line, more like a winger than a prop. The unconverted try took
the score to 46:3.
Such was their confidence, with only 5 minutes left on the clock, supporters
were sure there’d be another score.
They weren’t disappointed. With a scrum on their 10m line, Ensians pushed the Bees back yet
again, Woody to Cowdell and onto Howarth for a 60m race to the line. As expected, the race was
won and Will dived under the posts for his 4th of the day. The easy conversion gave Ensians a 50
point margin!
That was surely it….Nope!
Cowdell gathered and broke through, taking play into Bees’ half. Woody passed out to veteran
Rob Arbuckle who deftly popped the ball left to Jay Walsh who galloped through the gap and
raced 30m to score under the posts for the final phase of the game.
The final whistle blew, closing the match at 60 points to 3. This win gives Otliensians a 5 point
lead at the top of the table and pushes the Bees into 5th place.
Report: Ben Ritson
Photos: John Eaves
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