Sat 8 Nov 2025
OCs travelled down to Daventry this weekend buoyed by some fine performances in recent games but with an under-strength side, following injuries and party-related withdrawals! They were ‘greeted’ by a raucous and very partisan, post-Vice Presidents Lunch home crowd and a huge set of Daventry forwards.
The first 20 minutes was a complete blur for the visiting side – who found themselves 31 points down before they had even broken stride. Five Daventry lineouts, five clean catches, five drives and five tries saw them fly out of the blocks. Their dominance continued when, following a yellow card to JJ for an off the ball late tackle, Daventry mixed it up a bit and scored from a scrum under the OCs posts - extending their lead to 38 points. OCs fought hard to try to get something going and a couple of runs from Ollie Cunningham threatened to break OCs back into the match, only to be thwarted by some good cover defence by Daventry and a very dubious forward pass decision from the East Midlands regional Specsavers rep.
Right on the stroke of halftime, OCs finally managed to get some control of the ball. Forcing Daventry to concede a number of penalties, OCs opted to take a scrum just inside the Daventry 22m. With options either side they retained good possession and eventually found some space out wide on the right for Josh Kent – loitering out on the wing – to score a confidence boosting try for the visitors. A beautifully struck conversion from the corner, against the wind by Chatty, put a little spring in the steps of the OCs players as they left the field for halftime.
Half-time score: Daventry 38 v 7 Old Coventrians
OCs started the second half well and, forcing more penalties from the under pressure Daventry defence, the referee opted to yellow card the Daventry second row. Once again taking a scrum, OCs worked hard to breach the home team’s line. It wasn’t the most controlled piece of play but effective enough for James Callaway to pick the ball out of the loose and dive over the whitewash under the posts. Chatty easily slotted over the extra 2 points.
What followed for the next 10 minutes was very much a throwback to the old days. With limited officiating on the field, tempers flared after a ‘something-and-nothing’ push and shove on the wing, bringing all 30 players into an ugly melee. After a long lecture to both captains, yellow cards were issued to the two players involved in the initial scuffle with the real culprit of this unnecessary and unseemly episode, the Daventry loosehead prop, bizarrely escaping punishment or even meriting a conversation with the referee!
As fate would have it, the Daventry No.1 did get his comeuppance 5 minutes later when a late hit in the back on an OCs player was seen by the referee, who gave the big forward a much-needed 10 minute break. Daventry’s captain then received a yellow card for an unknown offence and OCs 14 men took advantage of Daventry being down to 12 men. No.8 Elliott Sheepy gathered the ball as first receiver and placed a deft kick into the open space behind the Daventry defence which was neatly picked up after one bounce by Georgie Smith who cantered home for a another try to the free-scoring winger. With the scoreline at 38-21, could this be a comeback for the ages….. “no” sadly was the answer! In an effort to at least get a bonus point out the game, OCs made a couple of poor decisions to try and run from deep near their own line which backfired, allowing Daventry to finish with a flourish - scoring three quick tries to take the game out of reach of the tired and now disconsolate visiting team.
The victory gave the home crowd something to toast in the bar afterwards and saw Daventry leapfrog OCs in the League Table. The impressive Daventry halfbacks very much ran the show from start to finish and were the catalyst for the home side’s dominant display. Their backrow also had an absolute field day in the loose, taking advantage of some flexible officiating at the breakdowns. On a positive note for the OCs players and coaches, the scrum again looked very solid against a much bigger pack – anchored by Chris Cain and Dan Kelly in the front row. Ollie Cunningham was a threat whenever he was given a bit of space to run in and, no surprise, George Curtis reveled in the abrasive nature of the game, leading from the front and matching fire with fire as he always does. In what was very much a carbon copy of the game against Oadby Wygs at the start of the season, a poor first half against much bigger opposition proved to be the downfall of the Team. OCs coaching staff will be scratching their heads to develop a first half game plan to tackle this challenge in future games. There is a huge difference in the quality of the opposition in every team in this League. Teams are more organized, more physical and better drilled. The OCs players are learning fast but do need to be on their game for 80 minutes as the winter approaches. Back to fortress Tile Hill Lane in two weeks’ time where OCs will look to get back on track against another big town side.
Full-time score: Daventry 55 v 21 Old Coventrians
