Another Saturday in this helter skelter season saw Buckingham in their
" when they were good they were very very good" mode. The visitors from
Berkshire arrived on the back of two victories which saw them haul
themselves clear of the relegation dogfight, and having beaten
Buckingham 52-0 at home the stage was set for another win.
As it turned out nothing could have prepared Abbey for what was to
come, as Buckingham proved to be superior in all phases of the game.
They attacked from the kick-off forcing Abbey to concede early penalties
with Andy Whites kicks penning them in their own twenty-two. Though
Abbey cleared their line Buckingham recovered the ball and a break by
James Bernard took him well into the twenty-two, his well timed pass
sending Tom Amos round behind the posts for the first try with five
minutes played, Whites conversion a formality.
It continued to be all Buckingham in both territory and possession and
after Jamie Hulston had nearly scored with a long run down the wing,
Buckingham made three more sorties, before Amos crossed for his second
try, 12-0 with just over fifteen minutes played.
Abbey finally got their hands on the ball long enough for the very
quick fullback Dampies to run away from the defenders for their first
and what proved to be the only try..
Almost from the restart in this pulsating encounter the Buckingham
backs once again carved through the opposition with this time Hulston
providing Bernard with the scoring pass and Whites conversion giving
the hosts a healthy 19-5 lead, and they continued to impress with a
break by Rob Laird and a close drop goal attempt by White going
narrowly wide.
The last ten minutes of the half passed with no further score, both
sides guilty of numerous errors keeping
Ed Gardener the excellent Bucks Referee busy with the whistle,
including a yellow card for the Buckingham loose-head, as they finished
comfortably in control.
Buckingham started the second half where they left off and within three
minutes a concerted drive by the pack after more good work by Andy
Turvey allowed the industrious Adam Whiter to score. 24-5 and counting
The line speed of the Buckingham three quarters caused problems to Abbey
throughout the afternoon, with their limited possession constantly
disrupted by the arrival of the home backs. This kept Buckingham going
forward and only desperate defence including a yellow card held
Buckingham at bay.
The one way traffic was punctuated by the odd foray by the visitors but
quickly snuffed out by a resolute defence and finally after the
excellent Andrew Jackson had made yet another break which took him
almost over, a penalty to Buckingham saw them camp on the Abbey line
before Whiter scored his second try on the half hour mark.
Dampies the Abbey danger man was well held in check by the Buckingham
side who ensured the ball barely reached him as Abbey continued to have
their hands full in defence.
A long run by Stuart Craker, after an Abbey counter had been
eliminated, set Buckingham on the rampage again, Jackson proving hard
to stop as was Jamie Lee in possession, before Hulston nearly made the
line again.
However Buckingham were not to be denied and more good close quarter
work by the forwards, allowed Seth Williams ever present in the loose to
gather the ball to score a well deserved try. Whites conversion a
fitting climax to a comprehensive victory