Match report courtesy of the

Maidenhead 2nds were narrowly edged out by top-of-the-league visitors Oxford Harlequins in a gritty 3-0 defeat at Braywick.

On their previous encounter, Maids were given a lesson in running rugby and were beaten comfortably, but on Saturday it was a different story. From the kick-off, Maids were all over Oxford both in attack and defence as the game was played at a frantic pace for the first 40 minutes.

The Berkshire side’s backline used excellent running lines to smash in behind the Oxford defence, where they were supported by the increasingly dominant forwards. But Oxford were sending the ball wide with every chance and used their pace men on the outside to create chaos in open play. Both sides’ defence held up to the challenge and the score was 0-0 at half-time.

The second half also started as a close contest, but the deciding moment of the match came in the 70th minute when Oxford scored from a penalty just inside their opponents’ half. The home side were entrenched in the opposition’s half for the last 10 minutes but a last-gasp drive for the line was held up by Oxford, who held on for the