IN what became a game of two halves, defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory by Reading Raiders as they lost 36-24 to Oxford Cavaliers in their South West of England League match, which also doubled up as the first leg of the revived Thames Valley Cup.

The first half was dominated by Reading as their forwards drove in determinedly to make good ground as a platform for the moves which resulted in four well-taken tries.

Centre Alex Dorliac set the tone with the Raiders’ first try, from a typically jinking run which broke the initial deadlock, converted by John Boucher.

The hosts’ lead was extended shortly afterwards when Boucher found a gap and wrong-footed defenders to head for the posts, converting his own try.

The game looked to be only going in one direction but, in the background, penalties were starting to creep in, despite Brad Walters’ strong run to the line resulting in a touch-down as Reading notched up another try which exposed Oxford’s first-half defence, the Boucher conversion bringing the score up to an impressive 18-0.

A breakaway Oxford try started to expose the weaknesses which would eventually dictate the game.

Oxford’s pace from the backs started to kick in as their handling improved, yet Reading responded as Walters grabbed another four-pointer and the home team began to look comfortable at 24-4.

Another Oxford foray before half time kept them in the game at 24-8 but a 16-point lead still looked secure enough for the Raiders’ fans, whose numbers are increasing significantly for every home game. At this stage, none of them envisaged how the match would turn.

The second half soon became error-strewn as Reading repeatedly failed to complete their sets, allowing Oxford to creep back into the game.

The penalty count rose with Reading’s lack of discipline and Oxford began to dominate as the hosts retained very little possession, putting their defence under increasing pressure.

Oxford surged forward, in true Cavalier-style, to score through simple defensive breaks. They notched up four tries in rapid succession to bring the scores level.

This game-changer gave the Oxford team the incentive to take the game forward even more as they registered 12 more unanswered points in a victory which took them to the top of the table.

The stage is now set for the return match on June 23 which will also decide the Thames Valley Cup.