In the corresponding away fixture Bugbrooke proved to be made of strong stuff so Olney knew they would have to perform well to get back to winning ways after losing to a strong Vipers side away from home last week.

Today saw the occasion of the sponsors and vice presidents lunch which goes some way to thank all those who sometimes go unrecognised in their support for the club.

On a bright sunny day and a firm pitch, conditions were favourable for some running rugby. The badgers of Bugbrooke were first to get going and had points on the board with an early penalty followed soon after by a try wide out when some good handling by the backs and a conversion took them to 10-0 ahead. Not content with sitting back on this lead their backs took advantage of some indifferent tackling and waltzed over for another shortly after.
Good hands and hard running saw them add another try to extend their lead with Olney now behind by 20 points after 20 minutes. This seemed to stir the home side into life and they eventually broke free to give Chris Duck enough room for their first score on the left wing. The second came when Eddie Goss picked up a ball off his bootlaces, spotted a gap and ghosted through the Bugbrooke defence with a swivel of the hips and more than a hint of sidestep to dash 30m then touch down close to the posts. Another backs run was halted close to the line but Harvey Dunn was in support for Olney’s third try and at 17-20 at the break this could be anyone’s game.

The second half turned out to be quite different from the first with Olney seemingly taking control from the kick off. The forwards secured some good ball for the backs who relished the opportunity to exploit some space out wide and winger Albiee Tayedzerwa used an overlap for his first try of the day. His second not long after came from a cross kick when he just got to the ball ahead of the retreating defence. A penalty from Jacob DeMain between these tries added to the lead which Olney now had at 30-20. Despite some good defending and spells of possession, Bugbrooke found it a little difficult to make inroads into Olney territory and the boys in Cerise now had the upper hand. Further tries followed. The first of which came from wily old skipper Gareth Cahill taking a quick tap and diving over himself. Goss was in action again with a good run then an offload to Elliot Simpson on the burst to add further to the points tally. A pick-up from the base of a scrum on halfway, a short pass then a typically mazy run from full back Struan Brooks gave him his reward when he dotted down under the posts. The final piece of action and the last of Olney’s 9 tries came from James Brock who picked up a loose ball 22m from the line then barged and burrowed his way to eventually slide in under a pile of bodies. The final score of 56-20 seemed unlikely after the first quarter but Olney deserved the victory against a spirited Bugbrooke side and ultimately finished the game happy with the bonus point win. The seconds and thirds, also playing at home, both finished with victories so the evening was set for a good time to be had by all.

We heard that Mr Harris went for a run last week but had to go back home after two minutes because he forgot something………….He forgot he’s not fit and can’t run for more than two minutes.

Finally, with some unsavoury events happening in other parts of the world, we must be thankful for the normality of Saturday rugby with friends and family but let us not forget there are others who are considerably worse off than ourselves.