South West 1 East

WITNEY captain Jez Hicks said they had played as well as they could in an 81-0 home hammering by leaders Bracknell.

The 13-try defeat, which is believed to be a Witney club record, sees Hicks’s men still in relegation trouble.

They must avoid defeat at Cheltenham on Saturday to be sure of staying up.

“Bracknell were very, very strong,” said Hicks. “We played as well as we could.

“We had a few guys missing and had to mix up our backline a bit.

“We defended really well for the first half, but then we just couldn’t keep them out.

“It is difficult to know what to say. We talked about it after the game.

“It is difficult to say be proud of yourselves after that.

Cheltenham lie four points behind Witney, while Marlow and Newbury also remain in the relegation mix.

“It is a really big game this week now,” said Hicks.

“Cheltenham are fighting for their lives as well.

“We want to win to stay up ourselves, so it is going to be an interesting weekend.”