Dominant Bulls ease to away win

HENLEY BULLS capped off a successful season with a six-try victory at Shelford.

Mark Venner opened the scoring for the Bulls as he touched down between the posts having provided the perfect support line as the visitors capitalised on plentiful possession. Venner was replaced by George Hayes just before half-time as a precaution due to a hamstring injury.

Scrum-half Steve Drake and Adam Lubbock at fly-half were enjoying the first half glut of ball supplied by a dominant Bulls scrum and soon found overlaps in the stretched Shelford defence to put Adie Gillespie in for the first of two first half tries.

Shelford had opened the scoring with a penalty and ensured they stayed in the hunt with two first half tries.

At half-time the score was 35-17 to the Bulls as they were rewarded with a penalty try when Rupert Crossland was denied a push-over try by an illegal defensive lunge.

Debutant winger Connor Morrison put Simon Perry in for his first half try.

The second half proved frustrating for the Bulls who were penalised on several occasions at scrum time.

Shelford slowly clawed their way back into the game at 36-27 with two more tries.

Morrison capped off his commendable debut performance when he left his wing and appeared on the left shoulder of Lubbock to score under the sticks and end a long period of Shelford possession with a try to seal the victory.

Lubbock and Drake had a 100 per cent conversion rate between them. The final score Shelford 27 Henley Bulls 42.

The Bulls now look ahead to next season returning to the top division of the Zoo Shield along with Chinnor and Old Albanians.