Saturday 17th January 2026
Littlemore Rugby Club
Littlemore 38-Grove 2’s 6
Man of the Match – Steve Brandish
Red card – Grove no. 7
fb: Captured.By.Oscar & John Keown.
‘SMILES ALL ROUND’
A fantastic way to start 2026, and the last of 3 league league fixtures before semi finals and finals fixtures to wrap up the season.
Welcoming Grove to HQ, a quiet, unsettling nervousness was evident throughout the squad. Having only played Grove back at the end of November (winning 10-22), Littlemore knew that Grove are no pushover.
Early nerves looked certain to turn to panic, as Grove were on the scoreboard early. Littlemore caught on the back foot and conceding a Penalty within minutes. 0-3
Panic quickly turned to elation, as frequent penalties from Grove had them pedalling backwards, and unable to stop the first of what would be 6 tries for Littlemore. 5-3
Managing to sneak another in just before half time, powerful work from the pack (eventually) saw Will Gilchrist touch down for his first of two tries scored. 12-3 at half time.
The second half started in almost the same fashion. Grove slotting a penalty kick at goal and pulling the score back to 12-6, but this time, Littlemore really turned the screw.
The squad worked tirelessly together. “The best I’ve seen you play this season” quoted Coach Hixon. Forwards repeatedly turning over balls at the set piece, and dominating territory with powerful runs through the Grove defence. The backs running fluid lines with slick handling. The perfect recipe for a futher 4 tries and 3 conversions to seal the win!
The squad cannot rest on their laurels, as it’s straight back to business and onto the next game. Heading to Didcot on Saturday, they will certainly be looking to right some wrongs.
A difficult loss on home soil previous, they will be hoping for better fortunes this time round. Only 4 points separate both teams in the league standings, and success could ‘potentially’ see Littlemore leapfrog Didcot into 2nd place. It’s a strong ask given this season’s results from Didcot. They certainly won’t be underestimated-but if the stars align…….
