A superb second half performance gave Reading a deserved victory against a Shipston team that led by 25-10 early in the second half. Then a display of accurate line kicking from No 10, Sam Bowers and a dominant scrum that the Shipston pack could not deal with allowed Reading to run in four tries to achieve one of their best come back wins in recent times.

This was a game of two halves with Shipston going into a 20-5 lead at half time by using the pronounced slope in the pitch and the wind to their advantage. Reading then showed in the second half that they too could use the conditions.

Shipston attacked down the hill from the off and took an early lead after a series of penalties in the Reading 22, when they forced their way over the line for a converted try.

After the early try, Reading came more into the game beginning to attack based on their scrum dominance and restricting Shipston to their own half. On the one occasion Shipston broke out they were awarded a penalty just in the Reading half which was converted with a good kick.

Reading were rewarded for their attacking play when Steve King broke away from a driven line out to score in the corner to bring the score back to 10-5. Bowers just missed with the conversion.

Reading did not push on from there however and Shipston began to use the slope and wind to launch a series of attacks. From one of these they were awarded a penalty in front of the posts which was converted.

Reading held them out until just before the break when their pressure told and a good move involving forwards and backs resulted in a try in the corner which was well converted to give Shipston a fifteen point lead.

Reading began the second half with a purpose and won a series of penalties, from the last of which they opted for a scrum which they pushed over the line for a Ben Cunningham unconverted try.

Shipston hit back almost immediately and a missed tackle in the centre let them through for an unconverted try to regain their fifteen point lead.

The rest of the second half was a story of constant Reading pressure. Shipston initially defended resolutely, Some last-ditch tackling particularly kept Jason Carr, on his debut, out at the corner.

Eventually the dam broke. Firstly, from a scrum won against the head, the ball was moved out to Matt Daw who outpaced the covering defence to score an unconverted try. Then almost at once from another scrum in the Shipston 22, Reading moved the ball wide again and it looked like Daw would repeat his score but he was just held up. The ball was quickly recycled and after a good break-through by Ben Wills, Ryan Smith forced his way over near the posts for a try that was converted by Bowers.

Reading were on top now. Bowers was pinning Shipston back in their half with his accurate kicking and scrum pressure was taking its toll on the Shipston pack. It was almost inevitable that Reading would take the lead and the try, when it came, was from another pushover try from Ben Cunningham to make the score Shipston 25 Reading 27.

Reading did not sit on their lead and were quickly back in the Shipston 22 going for another pushover try. That scrum collapsed and the ball was moved out to Dorliac who broke through to score near the posts. Bowers added the conversion to give Reading a nine point lead with only minutes left.

Shipston did hit back and score a try with the last play of the match but by then it was too late and Reading ran out deserved winners.

Reading’s win was based on a solid forward performance particularly in the scrums where the front row of Pallett, King and Nichol were a real handful. The forward dominance in the second half gave the backs front foot ball which allowed them to show their paces and contribute to the win.

Head coach Lee Goodall was very pleased with the second half performance and said that was the form that the team needed to show for next week’s home game against second in the table Stow-on-the-Wold.

Reading scorers:

Tries: Cunningham (2), King, Daw, Smith, Dorliac

Conversions: Bowers (2)

Team: Alex Dorliac; Hunter Grayling, Jordan Gomez, Alex Murray-Smith, Matt Daw; Sam Bowers, Stuart Borthwick; Josh Pallett, Steve King, Josh Nichol; Stephen Orwin, Ben Wills; Will Proctor-Searle, Gavin Egan, Ben Cunningham.

Replacements: Ryan Smith, Max Pepper, Jason Carr.