Bury St Edmunds record first National League 2 East victory of campaign with comfortable win over Oxford Harlequins at Greene King IPA Haberden

Bury St Edmunds cruised to their first victory of the National League 2 East campaign with a 61-33 win over Oxford Harlequins at the Greene King IPA Haberden this afternoon.

Following back-to-back defeats at Westcombe Park and Henley, Bury responded in their first home fixture of the season, and the damage was all but done in a first half that the hosts dominated and starved their opponents to little openings in.

Tries from Elliot McPhun, Ruaraidh Williams, George Grigg-Pettitt, Aidan Shorthall and Will Metcalfe sent the Wolfpack on their way and although Willo Bicknell and James Roberts dotted down for the visitors either side of half-time, Bury made sure of victory in the second half through a brace of tries from Will Affleck, a second from Metcalfe and one from substitute Henri Lavin.

Newly-appointed director of rugby Jacob Ford and head coach Ben Penfold, who signed 24 players over the summer, started six new faces against winless Oxford Harlequins: Shorthall, McPhun, Calvin Mitchell, James Harrison and Benjamin Sams.

Bury, who had claimed three bonus points from their two defeats, flew out of the traps in their centenary shirt and crossed the whitewash inside the opening two minutes. Metcalfe broke down the right and fed a clever ball infield to McPhun, who ran into space to give the hosts an early 5-0 advantage. The ever-reliable Ben Penfold was on hand to kick home the conversion.

After getting a lot of joy down the right-hand side, and coming close to breaking through the Oxford back row on multiple occasions, Bury did eventually double their lead on 12 minutes. The referee awarded the hosts a try after Williams in the forward pack scrambled over the line, before Penfold converted from close range.

The visitors failed to trouble the Wolfpack and Bury cruised to a 21-0 advantage midway through the first half when new-skipper Grigg-Pettitt crossed the whitewash and Penfold made light work of the conversion.

And after a delay in play due to an injury to one of Oxford Harlequins’ players, the Wolfpack very nearly added a fourth try of the first half when George Loose teed up Samir Kharbouch to power through the visiting back row, but he was thwarted before he reached the line.

But a fourth did duly arrive five minutes before break. A mazy run from McPhun, who picked up a knock in the process, tangled up Harlequins’ back row and Shorthall picked up the pieces to dot down prior to Penfold adding another two points.

All of Bury’s threat came from their right-hand side but their fifth try of the afternoon came via Metcalfe on the left, after impressive work from their back row. Despite it being the furthest distance from the posts he had kicked from in the contest, Penfold dispatched of the conversion.

Sitting 35-0 down, the visitors were handed their first opening of the contest when Ben Kelland was sin-binned moments before the interval. Harlequins took full advantage as Bicknell dotted down before Ewan Fox added the extras with a well-taken conversion.

Despite Harlequins picking up from where they left off in the second half, through a try from Roberts and Fox’s conversion, Bury kept their cool and notched another seven points after brilliant work from Kharbouch set Affleck free to dot down. For the sixth time, Penfold added the extras with a stunning kick from a tight angle.

After a period of time without any clear-cut opportunities, Metcalfe extended Bury’s lead midway through the second half after he broke with plenty of green space ahead of him and crossed the whitewash with ease. However, Penfold struck the post with his conversion, leaving the score 47-14.

Thomas Quainton pulled a try back for the away side, with Fox recording his third conversion of the match, but summer arrival Lavin came off the bench to add a late five points to Bury’s total. And with Penfold off the pitch, conversion duties were handed to McPhun, who added the extras with ease.

With five minutes remaining, although the contest was all but wrapped up, Oxford claimed a late bonus point, but Bury again responded when Affleck ran unchallenged down the left and dotted down, and McPhun added the extras.

A try from the visitors late in the day was the final action of the contest, as Bury picked up their first victory of the 2024/25 season.

Bury St Edmunds: Robinson, McCartney, Mitchell, Kelland, Harrison, Williams, Grigg-Pettitt (cpt), Sams, McPhun, Penfold, Affleck, Kharbouch, Loose, Metcalfe, Shorthall.

Substitutes: Carmichael, Cooper, Lavin, Guy, Rees.

Oxford Harlequins: Cashman, Roberts, Hopkins, Purchase, Hayton, Todd, Quainton, Bicknell, O’Regan, Fox, Van Dijk, Field, Yeates, Pigott, Hammond.

Substitutes: Smith, Irwin, Boarder, Rasousou, Burn.