OXFORD’S most celebrated sporting exploits down the years might have come via its university, but the city’s minnow rugby league team were eyeing a relatively notable accomplishment of their own yesterday.

A day after Oxford won the annual Boat Race again – how they and Cambridge always manage to reach the final is quite something – the lesser-known Blues were holding York City Knights to 18-16 at half-time and were still in the game at 30-20 down with 12 minutes to go when they were handed the advantage of an extra man.

However, playing on an Iffley Road ground near to the site of Roger Bannister’s famous first-ever four-minute mile, it was the Knights who, despite heavy legs, found the all-important sprint finish - bagging two tries while a man down and completing victory with another on the final hooter.

The 44-20 win duly got them up and running in Kingstone Press League One, though as marks go it was more a third-class pass than a Masters degree.

Oxford, with full-back Sean Morris the star of the show, had been the only team to beat York at Huntington Stadium last year in arguably the biggest upset of the season as the Knights went on to win Championship One.

Morris was missing this time, though, and their side comprising several novice rugby union converts had lost heavily to amateurs Leigh Miners Rangers and League One newcomers Coventry Bears in their last two outings – Rangers’ win setting up a Challenge Cup fifth round tie with York next weekend.

New boss Tim Rumford – brought in from Heworth ARLC in the off-season – was boosted by the last-minute recruitment of Bradford dual-reg trio Adam Brook, Nathan Conroy and Dave Peterson, having somehow overcome a signings deadline, but such was his side’s inexperience that he seemed to use the warm-up to give extra coaching.

Whether James Ford’s men therefore thought this was going to be a cakewalk is unclear but they hardly ripped into their hosts, leaving Ford an angry man at half-time.

But what they did do was provide clinical finishing at key times to make sure they never fell behind and, most importantly, still had another gear or two to go into when they needed to, like at the end.

Complacency possibly crept in from the off when Oxford misfielded Greg Minikin’s kick-off and, following the scrum, Josh Tonks burst through to the whitewash from a Pat Smith pass to open the scoring after one minute 27 seconds.

York wingers Nev Morrison and Tyler Craig also went close, being tackled into touch by their respective flags, before Craig increased the lead courtesy of a Liam Cunningham offload.

However, mistakes began to creep into York’s game, allowing Oxford a route back and, the first time they got into the 10-metre zone, hooker Nathan Conroy bumped off one defender, Haynes, and dropped over the whitewash from acting-half.

York-born former Leeds, Knights and Doncaster loose-forward-cum-stand-off Danny Allan converted, amid a decent showing for his new club after his recent return to the pro arena.

Allan, along with Jonny Payne and Adam Withington, had followed Rumford to Oxford from Heworth in the off-season. Allan’s experience is likely to be crucial for them this year, while Payne also showed up well at times – later scoring a try himself.

Another sublime Cunningham off-load saw York increase their lead again, catching the defence out enough for full-back Haynes to weave through admittedly poor tackling.

However, Haynes missed all the conversions and, against the run of play, Oxford levelled as York sub Aspinall fumbled a poor pass from Jonny Presley and Andy Hoggins picked up to sprint 70 metres to the posts, Allan goaling.

York quickly replied, Cunningham charging through and forcing the ball down, Haynes finally adding a conversion.

But Oxford scored the try of the half to make it 18-16, a sweeping move ending with Aaron Jones-Bishop breaking clear and sending in Hoggins, despite Craig’s best efforts to catch him.

York were far from at their best but five consecutive penalties at the start of the half helped them retake command, substitute hooker Jack Iley getting over from acting-half 10 minutes in, Haynes goaling.

Oxford saw ex-Knight Sam Blaney helped off, then a sixth penalty led to a Greg Minikin try, York looking safe at 30-16.

It changed again as Payne stretched over an arm to reach the line, referee Scott Mikalauskas ignoring claims of a double movement.

Then came the fracas and flurry of cards.

However, Pat Smith’s high kick was fluffed by Ian Clark and Morrison put York 34-20 up. Then the game’s standout player Tonks sent Jonny Presley racing home with a smart one-handed pass, and, when Haynes returned from the sin-bin, he sent in Craig to complete the scoring on the hooter.

MATCH FACTS:

Oxford 20 Knights 44

Oxford: Kitson, Clark, Brooker, Hoggins, Jones-Bishop, Allan, Brook, Payne, Conroy, Danns, Scott, Withington, Peterson. Subs (all used): Hopwood, Blaney, O’Keeffe, Hayles.
Tries: Conroy 21; Hoggins 33, 38; Payne 64.
Conversions: Allan 21, 33.
Penalties: none.
Sent off: none.
Sin-binned: Brook 68.

Knights: Haynes 6, Craig 7, Minikin 6, Cunningham 7, Morrison 6, Presley 6, P Smith 6, Applegarth 6, Carter 6, Aldous 6, Tonks 8, E Smith 6, Roche 6. Subs (all used): Iley 6, Mallinder 6, Aspinall 6, Leary 6.
Tries: Tonks 2; Craig 9, 80; Haynes 24; Cunningham 35; Iley 50; Minikin 57; Morrison 70; Presley 73.
Conversions: Haynes 35, 50, 57; P Smith 73.
enalties: none.
Sent off: Aspinall 68.
Sin-binned: Haynes 68.

Man of the match: Josh Tonks – the standout player of the first period deserved to be exempt from James Ford’s half-time rollicking and he continued that form after the break, even during a stint at half-back following a reshuffle after Harry Carter departed with concussion.

Referee: Scott Mikalauskas (Leigh) – needed reminding from the match commissioner to stop the clock while handing out the 68th-minute cards.
Penalty count: 4-9

Half-time: 16-18
Weather: pleasant.
Attendance: 250 (estimate)

Moment of the match: forget the questionable defending, Liam Cunningham’s off-load for James Haynes’ try was sublime in catching Oxford out, with Haynes weaving this way and that to the line as defenders were left puzzled and perplexed at what was happening.

Gaffe of the match: it didn’t prove costly in the match, but Pete Aspinall is likely to pay for his red card with a suspension, having run into a little brawl and clouted Nathan Kitson, leaving the Oxford full-back with a suspected broken cheekbone. It is unclear what started the initial spat between James Haynes and Adam Brook but those two got sin-binned too.

Gamebreaker: Oxford had a sniff when given the extra man with 12 minutes to go, plus extra spaces to play with given it was 12 versus 11. But their boss Tim Rumford bemoaned his loss more as pivotal players Adam Brook (sin-binned) and Nathan Kitson (injured after being punched) were no longer on the field and it was instead the Knights who, despite being shorthanded, bagged two all-important quick-fire tries.

Match rating: the Iffley Road venue is an old cricket ground under a lovely old pavilion and the atmosphere was very cricket-like too when at times the Knights needed a good roar to get going - at least until seven straight York penalties after half-time riled the home support and when a flurry of cards late on focussed minds.