BEACONSFIELD RFC are kicking themselves this week after throwing away the chance to snatch a surprise victory over title-favourites Aylesbury.

They were beaten 18-15, but coach Simon Tattersall says it’s a chance missed.

He said: “We said at the start of the week that it was a game that we’d benchmark ourselves against and what we can achieve this season.

“They’re favourites to go up and the positive for us is that now we know we can compete at the top, but it’s disappointing because that game was there for the taking.

“We’ve only got ourselves to blame and we’re kicking ourselves a little bit to be honest.”

Aylesbury opened up the scoring with a penalty before Callum Wilkinson in his new role as number 12 and goal kicker levelled the score 3-3.

A second Aylesbury penalty inched them back in front at 6-3, and that’s how it remained until early in the second half, when Beaconsfield went in front through an Andy Brodie try.

Beaconsfield were within yards of a second try shortly afterwards when Wilkinson and Gerry Goss took play to within yards of the line, but the hosts coughed up possession and it proved telling.

Tattersall said: “We were 8-6 up and five metres from their line, but we lost our composure. We conceded two penalties and the second of them led to a try and that was the big turning point.”

A second Aylesbury try then wrapped up the win before Beaconsfield have it all to to again at Thatcham on Saturday.