REGULAR readers of this column can imagine what a good mood I’ve been in this week having seen my boys Reading shake off the disappointment of the previous weeks defeat at the hands of Wallingford by thrashing town rivals Reading Abbey, 46-10, on our home patch last Saturday.

I was delighted to see such an emphatic response to that disappointment, and I want to pay particular praise to Alex Dorliac, who scored his 100th try in just his 175th appearance for the club – a great effort.

It’s his 10th season at the club and he’s been a pleasure to have around, the 20 points he’s contributed with the boot giving him a total tally of 520.

To put the icing on the Reading cake on Saturday, all three of the club’s other teams also won, so you can imagine it was a very good night in the clubhouse.

We are still behind Abbey by a place and five points in the Southern Counties North table, but it was a fine performance in the end from the Holme Park boys and a well deserved win.

It should put them in a great frame of mind to visit fourth-placed Aylesbury this Saturday while Abbey get to grips with Beaconsfield back at Rose Hill.

And, well done to Thatcham who clocked up an excellent, 34-7, win at Stow-on-the-Wold. It was their sixth win in seven outings and they are now third in the table. They really are having a great season.

As for Redingensians Rams, they recorded a fifth straight National Two South win with a 24-13 defeat of bottom club Wimbledon.

Fourth-placed Rams return home this Saturday for the visit of Redruth, who are currently one place and three points behind them in the table.

It’s a big one to win, but they are on form and I am sure they will give it all they can to get another win this weekend.

London Irish at least picked up two losing bonus points as they lost 26-22 in their opening Anglo-Welsh Cup match of the season against Bath.

The boot of Freddie Burns put Bath back in the ascendancy going into the final 10 minutes of the game. And, while Irish threw everything at Bath as they went in search of a late try, the visitors stood firm and held on to a hard-earned victory.

Exiles visit Gloucester on Saturday.