Redingensians Rams 55 Avonmouth Old Boys 13

Wings Olly Poole and Joe Duffelen along with No.8 Tom Bryson all touched down twice while replacement wing Roy Wilkinson and scrum half James Brooks grabbed one each with Brooks also adding three conversions and a penalty.
The bonus point win stretched Rams unbeaten record to eight games and has certainly added spice to next Saturdays final league match of the year when Rams go head-to-head with Bracknell at Lilly Hill.
And, as Rams skipper for the day Rory Paxton, leading the side for the first time, said afterwards: “We got to keep this run going with Bracknell away next week and while it's going to be a really tough fixture we're confident. We've got a great squad here and confident that we can stay amongst the promotion places and push for National 2 rugby next season.”
Overall the nuggetty Paxton, who's the youngest man to captain the side at 20, was delighted with his squads performance that just got better as the game progressed.
He said: “I was very pleased. It was always going to be a tough game, they are tough opposition, very physical, and our discipline definitely let us down in the first half, but, in the second, we really kicked on and turned the screw. I felt we were a fitter team and so we moved them about a little bit more and, when we spread it into the wide channels, we got a lot of success.”
But, personally, how did he feel about captaining the side for the first time?
“I loved it, I really loved it!” he answers without hesitation. “It's definitely an added responsibility but it was a real honour to be asked the previous Tuesday by Mike Tewkesbury. But, out there, we had 15 captains on the field, everybody did their job, everyone was better than their opposite man and that's all you can really ask for.”
But there was a shock in store for Paxton and his Rams side in the opening few minutes when, after kicking off, they were penned back into their own 22 by the visitors and promptly conceded a penalty easily converted by Old Boys fly half Joe Wearne.
Rams, however, responded immediately by forcing a scrum 15 metres out from the visitors line and, after a second reset, eventually shipped the ball wide for centre `AJ' Hopkins to send wing Olly Poole over wide out.
Scrum half James Brooks missed the difficult conversion but was bang on target shortly afterwards to knock over his 17th penalty of the season and to take his personal points tally to 101.
Despite having grafting No.8 Tom Bryson in the sin-bin Rams increased their lead on 32 minutes when from a line-out, well taken by lock Ian Jeffreys and a super break form `AJ' Hopkins looking more and more at ease in his preferred role in the centre, wing Joe Duffelen was put away to storm over wide out for an unconverted try.
And they had increased their lead on the stroke of half time when a great drive from the home pack gave the, by now, restored Bryson the chance to dive over for his sides third try and well converted by Brooks for a 20-3 half-time lead.
The visitors were reduced to 14 men early in the second half after prop Martin Hawkes was deemed to have started a fracas and which led to Rams fourth try and the bonus point. It came from a loose ball at the back of a Rams five metre scrum which Brooks gathered smartly and smashed his way over before converting his own score to lead 27-3.
With the visitors also down to 13 following a second yellow card for full back Charlie Reynolds Rams maintained the pressure and were rewarded when, from a scrum, they drove hard and Bryson was able to touch down his second try of the game with ease and for Brooks to, once more, add the extras.
A big break up the left wing earned back row man Jordan Brodley a surprise try for the visitors only for Rams to respond instantly at the other end when Pool powered over for his second wide out and full back Andy Bryans, kicking in place of the substituted Brooks, sent his conversion sailing over for a 41-8 lead.
And, with the visitors now down to 14 men following a red card for No.8 Dan Lee for punching, Rams extended their lead on 74 minutes when following well won ball at a line-out `AJ' Hopkins sent replacement wing Roy Wilkinson on a rampaging run to the line which again Bryans converted.
Although the visitors did grab a further consolation try through skipper Gary Collier it was Rams who had the final say when Duffelen weaved his way in under the posts for his second try of the match and to give Bryans a further easy two points.
As director of rugby Mike Tewkesbury summed-up afterwards: “We scored 55 points and eight tries so that's very, very, encouraging, There was some good rugby but we just got to be careful our over-enthusiasm doesn't cause infringements. We gave away too many penalties early on but, overall, you couldn't knock it. I thought that it was a very good performance.
“Early on we were a bit jittery but, I think, once we became comfortable on the ball we stopped giving away the penalties and we played at pace and became used to it, I thought it was very good.
Morale wise it was a good boost, we're up there now and it's a big game next Saturday there's no doubt about that!”
And, just how does he feel about all of the forced changes to the line-up each week he and the side has had to endure throughout the season so far?
He admits: “It is difficult to get continuity in team selection and for the boys themselves adapting and, in many instances, you have to adapt various things to suit the individuals. But it's part and parcel of it these days.”

Rams - Bryans; Duffelen, Bryant, `AJ' Hopkins, Poole; Gumbleton, Brooks; Weller, Paxton (c), Baker; Jeffreys, Kenneally; Owen, Hopkins, Bryson. Reps – Batten, Wilkinson, Hill.

Match report by Steve Williams