RAMS CEO Gary Reynolds looks back fondly on some of the ‘special’ local derbies the Old Bath Road side have enjoyed with Henley Hawks – with the clubs set to face off again when the National Cup arrives in the New Year.

The two sides have clashed nine times in league action, with some absolute belters down the years.

The first encounter ended with Rams edging a 16-9 South West Two home win in the 1988/89 campaign, but Hawks gained their revenge the following year with a 17-14 home success.

Gensians snatched a 12-8 victory in 1990, but ultimately suffered relegation the season before Gary joined the club.

And he reflected: “I think we (Courtiers) may actually have sponsored that game, but the win was certainly false hope when you look at how the two sides went during the 90s!”

While Hawks kicked on, Rams struggled before rebuilding and amazingly it was 25 years before the two sides met in the league again – albeit the latter recorded a brace of victories against Henley Wanderers in 2006/7.

Hostilities were renewed in the opening game of the 2016/17 National Two South campaign, where despite tries from Sean McDermottroe, Phil Hoy and Jak Rossiter, allied to seven points from the boot of Jacob Atkins, Hawks ran out 26-22 victors.

And Gary admitted: “I think Henley had a bit more self-belief – they had more experience and were good value for the win.”

Hawks continued to have the edge with a 17-12 triumph at Dry Leas later that season, and then a 28-24 triumph on the opening day of the following campaign.

But an inspired Rams side finally halted their barren run with a 51-0 triumph on a sunny April afternoon in 2018, en route to recording their best-ever league position of third.

Looking back, Gary believes it was a crucial day for the club, when Stevie Bryant scored one of the best tries ever seen at Old Bath Road.

He said: “It was really good because I think before we couldn’t quite shake off wondering if we could win – they had an excellent track record and had won some close games.
"They had an aura, and if you think back to the 90s and even the mid-2000s when we were playing the Wanderers, the idea of beating Hawks would have been a pipe dream.”

Reflecting on Scuba’s score, he added: “What was really special about it was it was something the guys had been working on all season – to offer support on the shoulder and play what was in front of them.

“We won the ball in our own 22 and then it was just hands, hands, hands, hands – it was a really special try. In some ways it was actually a shame it was against Henley because while there’s rivalry, there’s also great respect between the clubs.”

And it is on that note he said: “Having had the business from 1982, I’m extremely fond of Henley and as a town of only 15 or 16,000 you have to say both the rugby and cricket clubs have punched above their weight.”

The most recent game between the sides was an extraordinary affair – top-of-the-table Rams visiting second-placed Henley in the first rugby of 2019.

In front of a bumper crowd of more than 1,000, Hawks led 12-7 with less than 10 minutes remaining, before Jak Rossiter’s late brace – the latter coming with the final play – salvaged a stunning 19-12 victory.

Gary admitted: “I think we had the better team, but the Henley boys just fought and fought and fought.

“It was a game where I think we knew if we could get it done we could get the whole thing (winning the league) done.

“We had more than 20 phases hammering away on the line, but they just kept throwing themselves in defence to keep us out and they did a fantastic job.”

He continued: “But Alex Seers eventually saw they had become a bit narrow and once he threw the pass you kind of knew Jak was in.

“What was interesting in the development of the side was Jamie Guttridge saying after the game, while we’d made mistakes earlier in the game, come the last minute they were sure they’d get the job done.

“At the final whistle you just had to feel for the Henley players because it was a tremendous battle.”

While the disappointment of the National Leagues having been abandoned due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic remains, Gary believes the Cup – which will start with regionalised groups - will prove a thrilling short-term replacement.

He beamed: “I just think, come February, there’s no better way for rugby to come back than some special local derbies.

“To return with games against the likes of Henley and Chinnor is just fantastic – no team is going to give an inch.

“The three clubs do a great job in their communities with great youth teams, ladies rugby and some outstanding volunteers.”

He continued: “At Henley, Nigel Dudding is just a first-class person and Aubrey Doran is one of the best volunteers you will find in any sport.

“Mark Nicholls and Simon Vickers at Chinnor, if you cut them in half they would bleed black and white. You can see how much it means to people there when there was one year where we turned up after it snowed and it was almost certain the game would be off, but they had 50 volunteers sweeping the snow off the pitch!”

With the roll-out of vaccinations starting earlier this week, there is a hope of a return to normality in the coming months, and Gary concluded: “Sport plays a hugely important part in lots of people’s lives, whether it’s youngsters learning life skills or older people having social interaction and seeing their friends.

“We’ve seen how much people have missed that in the past nine months and I think people will appreciate it even more post-pandemic.”

Rest of the calendar

1 - Jez Flynn
2 - Andy Lynch
3 - Josh Collis
4 - Joe Bell
5 - Rodney Hutson
6 - Seb Reynolds
7 - Jamie Guttridge
8 - Robbie Stapley