READING Abbey kick-started their South West One East campaign with a well-deserved first victory of the season, winning 22-10 at Oxford Harlequins.

The visitors made a dream start, taking the lead after just three minutes.

Centre Ollie Walton and brothers Michal and Kacper Kruzycki made early inroads in the home 22, and after skipper Sam Hallett was held just short of the line following a tap penalty, flanker Maurice O’Connell was up in support to cross for a try to the left of the posts.

A tricky wind was blowing – generally, but not always assisting Abbey in the first half – and Joe Murphy judged his conversion attempt well to put his side 7-0 ahead.

Abbey let their guard fall immediately from the restart, however. Quins outside half Huw Dimond missed a penalty from 35 metres, but Abbey failed to clear the ball, and following a scrum, centre and head coach Keni Fisilau, the former Tongan international who had until recently been playing with Plymouth Albion, stormed through for a try.

Dimond’s conversion levelled the scores after six minutes.

With the exception of a dangerous run from full-back Archie Van Dijk, the next few minutes belonged to Abbey, and Murphy was wide with a rather ambitious penalty kick from close to the right touchline.

Fisilau showed his class and experience shortly after with a great 40-metre burst, but Abbey were able to halt the attack in their own 22.

A grubber kick from Murphy put Abbey back on the attack as the game neared the half-hour mark, and after Kacper Kruzycki had won another lineout Hallett, Long, Murphy and Walton combined in a move which saw Jules Greenaway stopped just short of the line.

Soon afterwards Murphy regained the lead for Abbey with a penalty.

As the match neared half time, well-placed penalties from Murphy kept Abbey close to the home line, and two minutes before the break they got a deserved try when, after runs from Hallett and Walton, Murphy cut through on the left and allowed full-back Gavin Dampies to send Greenaway scampering over the line in the left corner.

The wing had the presence of mind to run infield to touch down as close to the posts as possible, and Murphy’s conversion put Abbey 17-7 ahead.

Yet Abbey again let their guard drop straight after scoring a try, and Dimond kicked a penalty in front of the posts to narrow the visitors’ lead to 17-10 at half time.

The stop-start pattern of the first period continued in the second, but Abbey started well with scrum half Will Paige getting his line moving and Greenway making 20 metres with a run.

Harlequins came back into the game when Dimond was narrowly wide with a 35-metre penalty, and there was also a good run from scrum half Jack Avery. On 55 minutes, Abbey coach Fungai Mutepfa replaced Rolland in the front row, and the veteran hooker rolled back the years with a superb and very committed cameo, setting a great example with his tackling and his hunger for possession.

There were moments of alarm for Abbey, including when Guy Fairbairn’s kick ahead crossed the visitors’ line, but Dampies got there first to prevent a try.

The full-back then thrilled the spectators with a trademark 60-metre dash up the left wing, but what might have been a scoring pass close to the Quins’ line did not go to hand.

Shortly after, a great line-out catch from Chris Shaw set in motion an attack involving Murphy and Dampies which saw Greenaway bundled into touch five metres from the line.

Abbey continued to look the more likely to score as the final quarter unfolded, with Dampies going close after another line-out steal from Kacper Kruzycki.

Hallett made various promising drives, Dampies made 20 metres from his own half, and Murphy and Walton were both prominent in attack.

With five minutes of normal time remaining, Abbey got a deserved third try.

Soon after home prop Ollie Barlow had been yellow-carded, the visitors’ pack pounded away at the home line after winning another line-out.

A brilliant run from Mutepfa was stopped just inches short, but when the ball was recycled Michal Kruzycki barged over for the try. Murphy’s conversion attempt was just wide, but Abbey led 22-10.

Not for the first time in the game, Abbey’s concentration seemed to drop from the restart.

They lost possession in their own 22, and within the space of a minute both Hallett and Michal Kruzycki were shown yellow cards.

Scrums were briefly uncontested as Barlow was off the field and Quins had already used their front row replacement, but when the prop returned Abbey had to defend furiously against the odds.

A home try seemed inevitable in the closing stages, but a combination of brave tackling by Abbey and disjointed back play from Quins meant there was no more scoring.

Twice a home player crossed the line, only to be called back for a forward pass, and once a knock-on prevented what seemed a certain score.

Murphy made a brave if rather reckless attempt to run from close to his own line, and when the ball was lost wing Ollie Lovett capped a courageous performance by tackling the dangerous No. 8 Paul Avery.

Van Dijk then knocked on as the Quins made one final effort to get at least a losing bonus point out of the game, but after five agonising minutes of injury time the final whistle blew and Abbey were victorious.

Reading Abbey host rivals Reading in an intriguing derby at Rosehill this Saturday (3pm).