Bracknell were away from home for the second match up of the 2024/25 season, facing a talented Reading RFC team, who themselves had come off a narrow defeat the previous week. A chill was in the air and Bracknell were forced into some last minute personnel and positional changes, due to late injuries.
From the kick off it was clear that Reading were not going to take a back wards step, as they started the brighter of the two teams. The Bracknell defence was being tested with repeated waves of attack, and while it stood firm initially, the cracks appeared and two minutes in, Reading crashed over to take the opening score of the match. This gave Bracknell a big wake up call and it was truly needed. After securing a turnover on half way, the ball was put through the hands smoothly, as the Bracknell attack began to fire up. With Freddie Cullity dictate the pace from fly-half, things were looking promising. Phases were put together thanks to a much improved performance at the breakdown, and the ball found its way into the hands of returning captain George Moran, who took his opportunity to cut through the covering defence and dot down for Bracknell’s first try of the game. Bracknell began to pile on the pressure, resulting in a further breakaway for Moran, who was caught just short of the try line. The supporting players gathered up the ball, and after some heavy grunt work by the forwards, Bracknell had try number two. Reading replied swiftly, taking the ball up to the Bracknell try line and after being held up once, managed to dive over to level the scores. The rest of the half saw Bracknell assert control. The forward pack began to dominate at the scrum, and thanks to their exceptional work, kept the Reading forwards at bay. Before the half, Bracknell managed three more tries, and looked well in control of the match.

Half time score – Reading 14 : Bracknell 35

The second half kicked off with Bracknell unloading its substitutes bench. This had a positive impact and the pace of the game seemed to increase. Blake Goss was standout in the second half, getting through a monumental load of work, getting involved in every aspect of the game, with a particular impressive showing in defence. This, coupled with some massive hits from George Whitbread, meant Reading rarely gathered possession comfortable, throughout the second half. Strong running in the centre from Braxton Dickinson took the team forward, as phase after phase continued. Cameron Griebenow found himself carrying into heavy traffic, but put on a great display of strength and stamina, that continued throughout the match, while Will Baker’s pounding runs needed several defenders to prevent further Bracknell tries. It wasn’t long before Charlie Gomez-Baker showed why he has become a key component in Bracknell’s midfield, as he darted through the tackles with fancy footwork, to dot down for his first try of the season. Out on the wings, James Foster and Kaiden Fulcher showed sublime running skills, while at full back, Max Wiley was devastating and found himself cutting through the defence with ease, on the way to crossing the white wash on more than one occasion. Reading heads began to drop towards the end of the match, as Bracknell powered in a total of five more tries before the final whistle.

A phenomenal performance from the Bracknell team, with every player getting involved, in every area of the game. A fantastic team showing, with an emphatic win gained.

Players of the Match awards went to Blake Goss and Charlie Gomez-Baker.

Final Score – Reading 14 : Bracknell 70