Match Preview

After their unbeaten start to the season came to an end against Littlemore last week, Wheatley will look to get back on track as they take on Oxford in another top half of the table clash.

Oxford are a bit of an unknown to Wheatley and indeed the league. Having reformed only last season, Wheatley have only had the pleasure of playing them in a singular cup game emerging as 56-12 winners on the day. As you would expect from a new side, Oxford were having a tough season that year, losing quite a lot of games by quite a lot of points. However a strong recruitment drive over the summer has meant this side will be unrecognisable from those that turned out against Wheatley that day, as shown in their recent league form. Currently lying in 4th place (and with a game in hand on Wheatley), Oxford have had wins against Harwell (51-12), Farnham Royal (44-3) and Faringdon (23-18) and have only lost against Littlemore (21-51) and, on the opening day of the season, Chipping Norton (0-16). With a good pack, a free scoring 10 and well organised attack line, Wheatley will not go into this game expecting the easy win they had last year.

With another challenging fixture ahead, Wheatley have selected only the smiley-est and possession-est players to win the game.

Back from his latest holiday, Captain Judith Chalmers is the only change to the now settled front row of Pete Mitchell and Alex Gabbidon, who has now missed out on two shirts having thrown his hat into the number 15 ring alongside the long existing but ever closer dream of number 10. Nick Banton has been fully assessed by the highly trained and dedicated Wheatley medical team, who have established that it is not an injury that is forcing his eyes shut and so has been declared fit to start in the second row alongside Matt Gibb. Reminding Gibb that his job is to push rather than just stay warm in the scrums is the returning Jack Atkinson who starts at number 8, whilst the industrious flanking duo of Caillin Taylor and (fresh from his trip at our overseas training facility) Dan Bland return to the side to take the number 6 and 7 shirts.

No surprises that the back line starts again with Aaron Laman and Andy Willis at 9 and 10, who are now starting to develop a relationship that belongs in a Hugh Grant film. Outside of them, Jack Taylor starts at 12, whilst Sanda Mpanza returns to number 13, having served his 2 week prison sentence (Early release for good behaviour) for the violent assault of a Harwell player. Out where it's cold is Jordan Hook, who has had to move across into one of the vacant wing berths in the absence of Gav Stanton and Craigo Buddle, whilst Adam Muir has finished his years sabbatical and will start on the opposite wing. Ian Downer completes the team, starting his first game at full back, with hopefully at least one comedic outcome (I need material on him!)

Strong team, strong bench as the Clark Kent of Wheatley Simon Chadbone makes way for Acklam alongside Jack 'I get yellowed to protect my head' Smith. Carrying the weight of a family's expectations (you thought I'd forgotten, didn't you Pooch?), Joe Hobdell will look to climb out of the long shadow cast by his Disgraced former captain of a brother.

Presiding over the rabble will be coaches Flying officer Geoff Ward and Phil Butler

No doubt that having to play two of the strongest sides in the league back to back is tough challenge, but tough challenges make great teams and this group of raiders will look to show that they are exactly that.