FREDDIE Cracknell sco-red a hat-trick of tries as Banbury Bulls produced their best away performance of the season with a 47-22 bonus-point victory against Wimborne.

Bulls stormed into an early 18-0 lead in South West 1 East with tries from Jimmy Manley and Ian Isham, the latter following a rolling maul, while Ed Phillips added two penalties and conversion.

Winger Cracknell scored his first try, winning the race to touch down following Sam Stoop’s kick to the corner.

Phillips nailed the conversion and added his third penalty to put the visitors 28-5 up at the break, Wimborne replying with a score from James Walton.

With Cracknell yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on, Banbury started the second half with 14 men, but that did not stop Giles Saar scoring a try, which Phillips converted.

Cracknell completed his hat-trick with a late brace after good work by Stoop and Ed Harden, Joe Mills adding one conversion.

Wimborne scored second-half tries through Max Tipping, Ashton Kerley and James Bartlett, who added a conversion, but third-placed Banbury were already well out of sight.

Oxford Harlequins had to finish their comfortable 27-10 victory at home to Old Centralians on another pitch, following an injury to a visiting player.

Quins took the lead after four minutes with a try from Fotu Latu, converted by Huw Dimond.

Charlie Ward then went over in the corner to make it 12-0 at half-time.

Quins clinched their bonus-point win with two tries in as many minutes from Ed Yeats and Martin Nutt, the latter converted by Dimond.

Centralians scored a try before Dimond completed Quins’ scoring with a penalty.

Witney conceded their highest points tally for two seasons when they went down 58-10 away to leaders Old Patesians.

The powerful hosts, playing down the slope, had the game won at half-time, when they led 41-3.

Winger Duncan Spurrier scored the opener of his first-half brace in the second minute, as Patesians took complete charge.

Flanker Rich Hance helped himself to a hat-trick of tries before the break, while hooker Chris Dean added two more.

Full back James Ahearne added three conversions, while his opposite number Arrun Lambourne scored the visitors’s only points of the half with a penalty goal.

After the break, Witney’s forwards stirred themselves and performed much better in the tight.

They restricted the hosts to just three more tries, from fly half Matt Dean, a third for Spurrier and Ahearne, who added one conversion.

Witney never gave up and were rewarded with a late try from lock Scott Mortimer, who dived in under the posts for Dave Hankinson to convert.

Grove picked up a welcome bonus point as they lost 30-25 away to fourth-placed Salisbury.

Conor Hull, Dave Maryon and Jack Horrocks went over for tries for the visitors while James Monks converted two of them and added two penalty goals.

Bicester’s game away to Stratford-upon-Avon was postponed due to a frozen pitch.

Wallingford stayed in the lower-middle reaches of Southern Counties North with a 22-0 defeat away to Windsor.

Gosford All Blacks are in the bottom two after a 29-16 defeat at home to fellow strugglers High Wycombe.

Wheatley ended their Abingdon hoodoo with a 33-18 home victory in the Berks Bucks & Oxon Premier Division.

Abingdon, who have won the last four fixtures between the clubs, took an early 6-0 lead with two penalties from Lewis Stacey.

But the hosts hit back with tries from winger Toby Butler and full back Ian Downer, who produced an elusive sidestep before touching down.

Aaron Laman converted both for a 14-6 lead.

However, after Wheatley were reduced to 14 men by the sin-binning of flanker Dan Bland, Abingdon No 8 Jamie Lochrie touched down for a pushover try, Stacey adding the conversion.

But with the visitors also reduced to 14 men, Wheatley took a 21-13 interval lead when No 8 James Butler slipped a pass to Jack Taylor, who raced in under the posts for Laman to convert.

Midway through the second halfway, Wheatley were refreshed by several replacements, and Laman went over for a try which he converted.

Abingdon stayed in the game with an unconverted try from George Law.

But Laman sealed a home win with his second try after good work from Ian Downer.

Oxford stayed top of the BB&O Championship with a 60-0 victory Farnham Royal.