TWO tries scored either side of half-time took the game from Reading and formed the basis of a four-try 32-3 win for home side Buckingham in their Southern Counties North clash on Saturday.

Until the first try the game had followed a familiar pattern of late for Reading, with the hosts having more of the play but Reading defending well.

With half-time approaching and the score at 3-3, Reading were well in the game and were, indeed on the attack.

However, the home side obtained possession and ran the ball from deep in their own half; 20 seconds later after some good running and passing they were celebrating a try by their fly-half Ed Kinman, whose successful conversion was the last play of the half.

The second half had scarcely started when Reading tried to move the ball along the line 40 yards out and alert winger Callum Gillie intercepted to score under the posts, Kidman converting.

All of a sudden the score had gone from 3-3 to 17-3 and the well-drilled and fast running Buckingham side were in control.

Buckingham fly-half Kinman controlled things for his side, mixing his passing and kicking game admirably, and there was no way back for Reading.

He was in fact the next to score, kicking a penalty on 52 minutes, and he converted the next try, scored from a line-out by lock Jim Barker.

The final try came after a scrum in the Reading 22.

Buckingham won well, with Kinman man-of-the-match, and they were always trying to play attractive, open rugby, using the speedsters in their back division. Reading were less fluent, their wingers seeing little of the ball.

In a team missing a few key players, the front row, Josh Pallett, Steve King and Josh Nicol, exerted their usual strong influence in the scrums, scrum half Guillaume Janine mixed his game well with his passing and darting runs, and Tom West and Nick Burch made promising debuts.

Rob Cunningham’s first-half injury also complicated matters as his contribution in the second row was missed.

Reading host High Wycombe this coming Saturday.