RUGBY UNION: The numbers game (From Oxford Mail)

RUGBY UNION: The numbers game

5:24pm Saturday 29th October 2011 in Sport By Ed Mezzetti, Sports reporter specialising in Rugby, Cricket and Athletics. Call me on 01865 425456

Witney marked the official opening of their new pitch with a dominant display. Here is the numbers' game. See Monday’s paper for full report.

Competition: South West 1 East

Score: Witney 35, Reading 13

Witney player ratings:

15.Ed Mitcham 8 (kicked and ran well)

14. James Monks 7 (solid display)

13. James Lamb 7 (tackled well)

12. Tom Harper 7 (some nice touches)

11. Dan Purkiss 8 (hard work rewarded with a try)

10. Henry Lamb 8 (got his tactics right)

9. Gareth Campbell 7 (decent distribution

1. Jamie Burke 7 (carried the ball well)

2. Sam Collins 8 (great first half)

3. Alan Richens 7 (got stuck in)

4. Richard Haire 8 (STAR MAN, always gained ground)

5. Charlie Bennett 7 (very determined)

6. Marc Copperwheat 7 (played his part)

7. Carl Campbell 8 (put in the hard yards)

8. Jez Hicks 8 (led by example)

Replacements used:

19. Mark Fuller 7 (maintained momentum)

21. Wayne Caffekey 7 (made good impact)

16. Pierre Dubost 6 (brief cameo)

Referee: James Clarke (Warwickshire) – 6 (kept game moving)

Entertainment rating: 8.

Highlight: The slick line-out move for Jez Hicks’s try.

Lowlight: A couple more tries would have been nice.

Form guide: Witney played like a a top-four side, but can they maintain it?