Sat 17 Oct 2026, 15:00
Stratford 80-0 Barkers Butts
Stratford welcomed Barkers Butts (Barkers) to Pearcecroft this week in an almost top versus bottom clash. Stratford made a few changes due to absentees, with Mike Hickey being awarded with his first start of the season and blindside flanker Chay Pusey possibly his first go in the Stratford starting 15. For total transparency, Barkers were also much changed with several wider squad players having to fill spots on their roster.
In a match that Stratford dominated, they got the scoring underway early, gifted a lineout from the kick-off where an offside Barkers player took possession of the knocked-on ball. Not the devastating rolling mauls the crowds saw the week before, but after initially being pushed back Stratford eventually smashed their way to, and over, the line with prop Tom Stanley delivering the final blow.
Barkers then tried to build a foothold in the game starting with a penalty come line out that was driven over the line but held up. They attacked again from the goal line clearance but ultimately came up short. Following these phases of play, Stratford went on attack, and starting just outside their 22 went the length of the field after multiple phases by the forwards, an offload out the tackle created extra numbers. Winger Charlie Billings committed his man and passed back inside for Dan Whitby to race in, handing off the Barkers 15 and going close to the posts to aid his conversion, 14-0.
Stratford went 21 points ahead when a scrum penalty led to a lineout on the Barkers 5 m line. With Barkers defence being pulled tighter and tighter by Stratford’s forwards, when the ball did eventually get released by scrum-half Dan Lewis, it arrived at outside centre Whitby who was able to hold off a couple of defenders and score to the right of the posts, plus slot the conversion.
Barkers had moments of their own, but it appeared that Stratford had figured them out in the first half as Stratford winger Noah MacDonald was next on the scoresheet, twice. Stratford exited out of their half after a high ball from a ruck, and won a penalty by forcing a Barkers knock on. From the scrum, Whitby moved to the blindside to receive the ball, commit his man and pass to MacDonald, who with one man to beat, avoided the low attempted tackle to score in the corner. McDonald’s second came in the same corner when he received the ball near the 22 and stepped inside, bamboozling the winger and full-back, who collided and lay on the floor as MacDonald spotted the ball down under the sticks. with the conversion it was now 35-0.
Barkers did enjoy some early scrum dominance, but Stratford soon made the necessary adjustments to stop that solid base, which Barkers had managed to launch a few promising attacks from. From a scrum on their 22, Stratford went right and got full-back Charlie Powell up into the attacking line. Managing to get outside the Barkers centre, back inside the winger and then on the outside of the 15, with no real danger of a foot in touch, he scored 10 m from the corner. Whitby missed the conversion on this occasion, pulling the ball to the left of the place.
Stratford found their way back into the Barkers 22 for a final try before half-time when flyhalf Seb Hillard executed a beautiful 50-22. Although Stratford fluffed the lineout, the Barkers jumper had knocked it on which set Stratford on their merry way. Spreading the ball left with wide pass followed by followed by a slightly off the mark pass, which fortunately bounced up allowing the attack to continue. Multiple phases from the forwards, becoming a regular feature, saw Stratford in the Barkers 22 on the left-hand side. Stepping into 10, Captain Gwil Davis committed two defenders and popped it back inside to Whitby to complete his hat-trick under the posts and slot the conversion for a 47-0 half-time lead.
With fans possibly caught at the bar, they may well have missed the opening score of the first half when Davis gathered the kick-off just outside his 22. He sidestepped the main onrushing defender and then bent his run between two more on the halfway line and headed to the corner. Perhaps some doubted his pace, but the chasing defence only caught up with him in time to pull him down by the shoelaces to ultimately see him fall over the try line and score in the corner. Whitby missed the difficult conversion and no doubt the Barkers players began to fear a repeat of the first half, now trailing 52-0.
Barkers did get on the attack next, forcing Stratford back into the 22 and they felt aggrieved when the ref leniently let Stratford winger Billings off with a warning when he failed to intercept a pass with the ball falling to the ground. Stratford managed to sack the attempted lineout maul early and eventually the Barkers forwards knocked the ball on and gave Stratford the chance to exit, albeit from a difficult position.
A game of kick tennis ended with Barkers needing to exit from a lineout on their own 22, in which they did manage to get to Stratford’s 10 m line, before the ball was knocked loose mid tackle. With the ball bouncing to his feet having, Davis stepped and simultaneously handed off the first defender before making it back inside, to the Barkers 10 m line. One phase later the ball was popped back inside to Stratford’s Lewis who almost passed inside again before he realised his tackler would not bring him down, so he put the afterburners on and raced 5 m to the posts. Whitby duly converted to bring the scores to 59-0.
Lewis was then given a rest, and player-coach Andy Oliver entered the fray, with Hillard and Davis stepping into scrum-half and flyhalf respectively. After Barkers managed to rebuff a set of Stratford pick and goes on their try line, forcing a knock-on, they exited as far as a clearing kick to the halfway line. Collected just inside the tramlines, winger McDonald headed in field and offloaded as he was brought to ground on the 10. The ball bounced nicely for Powell, now outside centre, who spread it wide to Billings. He raced round his opposite man and cut back inside the final defender to pop back inside to Oliver, who scored 5 m from the corner. Whitby, once again, slotted the conversion from the more difficult side to move Stratford out to a 66-0 lead.
With the other two subs now on, Pusey and McDonald replaced by James Paterson and Charles Squires, Stratford had lost a little fluidity and perhaps had taken their foot off the gas with an hour gone and a healthy lead. Stratford coach Anthony Andrews however was still encouraging his side from the touchline in front of a boisterous crowd. Barkers had a few more forays into Stratford’s half, but their few well-crafted backs moves seemed to fail at the final hurdle, a foot in touch or a handling error.
Exiting their 22, Stratford’s Davis kicked into the Barkers half and Squires’ full throttle chase saw him wrap up the Barkers winger and pull him into touch. Although Stratford lost the ball from here, at a later scrum on Barkers’ 22 they spread the ball left and Squires rounded his opposite man and made it from the corner flag halfway back to the sticks to dot the ball down, leaving Whitby to convert and set the scoreboard to 73-0.
With 10 minutes remaining in the half, Stratford went back to work although they were not as free scoring as they were in the first. The game got a bit niggly from this point, with Stratford penalised for a late tackle as Barkers were looking to clear their 22 and then a Barkers player appearing to try and get some retribution in a later ruck.
There was time for one more score with Barkers penalised at that ruck, Hillard kicked for the 5 m lineout and now throwing, Paterson found the front jumper. Stratford brought the ball down and drove towards the line. When Barkers were penalised at the maul, Stanley tapped the ball and went quick, smashing over the try line. Whitby’s successful conversion was the final act leaving Stratford with a commanding 80 point haul and securing their first defensive shutout of the season.
James Walton was the standout forward on the day, but player of the match went to Dan Whitby due to his hat-trick and slotting 11 of 13 conversions. Stratford next matches away at Berkswell & Balsall, Saturday, October 24 in the final 3 PM game of the calendar year.
Stratford XV: 1. Michael Dawes* (VC) 2. Dom Wan 3. Tom Stanley* 4. James Walton 5. Lawrence Birch* 6. Chay Pusey* 7. Mike Hickey 8. Jamie Jones* 9. Dan Lewis* 10. Seb Hillard* 11. Charlie Billings* 12. Gwil Davis* (C) 13. Dan Whitby 14. Noah MacDonald* 15. Charlie Powell* (VC) 16. James Paterson* 17. Charles Squires* 18. Andy Oliver
*Denotes product of Stratford minis and juniors
Other results: Stratford 2XV 14 -17 Shottery; Stratford Colts 10-17 Harbury Colts; Pinley U16s 0-50 Stratford U16s
