With most of the country’s sport cancelled due to Storm Darragh, including Windsor Colts OBB Div 1 game, away to Chinnor, the club were surprised Reading Abbey felt they could get the game on at their place. After a few diversions with road closures due to storm debris, Windsor Colts Extra XV landed at a cold & wiindy Reading Abbey. Expecting a tough game, with Reading Abbey A playing their rugby in Division 3, Windsor were comforted with a bolstered Colts team, and despite the conditions, embraced the contest to follow.

Reading Abbey meant business and dominated the first quarter, opening the scoring on 6 mins, with a converted try. Quickly followed by a 2nd converted score inside the first 15 mins. Windsor were certainly in a match, and already 14-0 behind. However, now warming up to the game, a break by Max Cunningham, fed through the backs to James Warnell, who deftly popped an inside pass to Lucas Hayes Garcia to go over in the corner. A difficult conversion missed, Windsor were now back in the game at 14-5. A few mins later, with Abbey on the attack, Jimmy Winch pounced and cleverly intercepted a pass sprinting 70m to score under the posts, swiftly converted by Albert Nandan to bring the score to 14-12. Game on. Some tactical replacements on the 30 mins made an immediate impact, and a slick back move finished with Adam Loo sending Warnell in for his 2nd try on half time, converted by Albert Nandan. At the break Windsor were now up 14-19.

Early into the 2nd half, Windsor attacked again, and from 40m out Warnell danced his way over for his hat trick, Windsor’s 4th try and a further 5 points on the scoreboard. Into the final quarter and Windsor forwards pinned Abbey on their try line, before scrum half, Connal Cahillane picked up at the back of a ruck, and carved his way over for a converted 5th try and a 14-31 lead. Still Abbey were not finished, and two tries in the final 10 mis closed the gap to just 7 points . A nervous final few mins but Windsor Colts held out for a well deserved and welcomed win on the road. Final score 24-31, and a 5 point OBB Division 3 win!

Jason Stone WINDSOR RFC Colts Manager