BICESTER bounced back from successive defeats when beating local rivals Wallingford 31-8 at home in Southern Counties North.

Charlie Bethell steamed over on 21 minutes to give the north Oxfordshire side the lead. Tom Miles added the extras to make it 7-0.

Just before half-time. Bicester’s Will Anns and a Wallingford replacement were sin-binned.

Dan Spencer was also yellow-carded for the hosts, with Phil Dawes slotting over the resulting penalty for the visitors.

Wallingford survived some Bicester pressure at the start of the second half, before a Miles penalty extended the home side’s lead to seven points.

Francois Weise then streaked over and the hosts kept the hammer down, with Tevita Naleca and Jack Horwood crossing. Miles converted all three tries.

With the match already won, Wallingford grabbed a late consolation through Ben Selwood.

Gosford All Blacks came close to ending a five-match winless run, but ultimately lost 11-8 at home to Thatcham.

The hosts took the lead on 28 minutes, thanks to Tim Ellis’s penalty.

Thatcham’s George Seymour was sin-binned and Gosford took advantage of the extra man as Harry Sutton plunged over for an unconverted try.

Sutton was yellow-carded for a high tackle, but All Blacks kept their 8-0 lead intact at the break.

A Joe Leadley penalty got Thatcham up and running on 50 minutes, before they levelled the match at 8-8, thanks to Callum Stewart’s try.

Gosford’s Jack Briggs was next to be sin-binned, while Myles Selvey was forced off with a neck injury.

The last ten minutes was played with uncontested scrums and the home side were denied late on, when Leadley’s drop goal earned Thatcham victory.