A late Oxford Brookes fightback proved in vain as their visitors powered into the Oxfordshire Cup quarter-finals with a 36-23 victory.

Oxford’s superior forward play and some good finishing put them 36-8 up with 15 minutes left, but three quick Brookes tries gave the scoreline a more realistic feel.

The students, who fielded a development side, showed plenty of running ability, but could not deal with Oxford’s set-piece power.

Oxford, for whom impressive flanker Paul Arthur bagged brace of tries, recovered from a slow start.

Brookes fly half Laurie Emsworth, who is also an Oxford Harlequins player, made a hash of an early penalty, but his side took the lead on six minutes.

Centre Ian Bradshaw, another Quins man, kicked ahead and scrum half Tom Turner capitalised on a favourable bounce to score.

Emsworth made it 8-0 with a penalty, but Oxford clawed their way back.

The visitors looked to have blown a chance when prop Tom Pritchard knocked on after some good forward pressure, but they demolished the resulting scrum and centre Alex Henk, a Brookes student, powered over for fly half Tom Olley to convert.

Henk soon had to go off with a nasty head wound, then Arthur drove over from close range to make it 12-8.

Brookes ran a penalty from inside their own 22 and wing Jamie Lavers went close on the right.

The crucial moment came on 47 minutes when Emsworth failed to take a penalty through the mark as Brookes were eyeing up a driven line-out.

Referee Chris Wayland then penalised the hosts for dissent.

Brookes countered, but replacement full back Dom Coe hacked clear and chased down the left before feeding substitute hooker Alex Klimov, and Arthur was on hand to finish off.

Olley converted and did the same on 55 minutes when Oxford’s superior scrummaging won a penalty try.

Five minutes later, Oxford replacement Nick Graham scored a pushover try to make it 31-8.

Pacy wing Luke Cavazzanna had already threatened before he outstripped the Brookes defence for try No 6 on 67 minutes.

Brookes had been lacklustre for much of the second half, but suddenly exploded into life.

The mobile Matt Powell, who had switched from flanker to No 8, scored tries on 74 and 76 minutes – the first a close-range effort, the second after linking well with Lavers.

Lavers then ran in Brookes’ fourth and final try with a jinking solo effort as the game entered stoppage time.

Brookes: Pierce, Lavers, Dunkley, Bradshaw (Ballard 36), Lewis, Emsworth (Gibson [blood] 37-40), Turner, Gooch, Holyland (Gibson 45), Harris, Meternich (King 15), Slee, Cairns (Tipp 60), Powell, Sawbridge (capt) (Bagerman 60).

Oxford: Longuet-Higgins, Cavazzanna, O’Connor, Henk (Coe 26), McLennan, Olley, Derrick, Pritchard (Walter 41), MacDonald (Klimov 41), Owen, Day, Babyon, Shepherd (Graham 41), Arthur, Viner (capt).

Referee: C Wayland (Oxfordshire).

Man-of-the-match: Paul Arthur.

* The draw for the quarter-finals, when Oxford Harlequins, Chinnor and Henley Hawks enter the fray, will be made on Tuesday, November 16.