High Wycombe successfully hurdled the biggest obstacle between them and promotion on Saturday as they produced a dominant display to beat Aylesbury 22-12.

On paper this was the league leader’s hardest game of their run-in, with Aylesbury sitting just behind them in second place in the Southern Counties North table, but the visitors had the job done by half-time at Ostler’s Field.

The hosts were unbeaten on their own patch dating back to September 2013, but Wycombe shot out the traps and had racked up a 22-0 lead after the first 40 minutes of play.

Head coach Mark Barry was delighted to not only have secured a winning bonus point but also to have denied their opponents a losing one as they extended their lead over Aylesbury to 11 points.

He said: “We got the four tries in the first half, and everything that we wanted to do we did. Every player was up for it. There wasn’t just 14 or 13 guys up for it, all 15 were really, really up for the game.

“Our first half was excellent we made one or two errors but it was pretty much faultless. In the second half they were always going to come back into the game, but if we start like that against every team in the league then we’ve still got a genuine chance of promotion. It was a really, really good performance and a proper team performance.”

Prop Ayrton Hooker got Wycombe on the board after 15 minutes as he crashed over for a try before Peter Partis helped himself to two scores, one of which was converted by Joe Openshaw.

And, just as the home side were pressing to get back into the game on the stroke of half-time, Charlie Edwards intercepted a loose pass and ran the ball in from his own 22 to put the away side in a commanding position.

And although they didn’t add to their tally in the second period, Barry was more than pleased to have come away with a bonus point victory.

“Half-way through the second half I was getting disappointed and frustrated, and then I kind of had a word with myself to say ‘hang on, before the game to take a winning bonus point against these guys I would have bitten your hand off’,” he said.

“I had to take a little look at reality and realise whereabouts we were in the world and appreciate what we’d already achieved. We’ve got another five steps to go so we’ll take nothing for granted.

“There’s been upsets all over the league throughout the season, but we’ve put ourselves in a really good position.”

Royal Wootton Bassett are now Wycombe’s nearest challengers in the table, and they sit eight points behind with five games left to play.

Barry knows his side have a great chance of finishing the season as champions but insists he will take nothing for granted as they make the short trip to local rivals Beaconsfield tomorrow.

He said: “The boys are at the top of the league, they’re eight points clear and I’d rather be in that position than eight points behind and chasing.

“It’s fantastic but we’ve got to back it up with a performance against Beaconsfield. Nobody has an easy run against Beaconsfield, especially when they’re playing at home.”