It will be a mini bus rather than a cock horse that will provide the transport this coming Saturday, as the Bees travel to Banbury RUFC for their second of three pre-season warm up games.

The Bees came out on top against Rugby Lions last weekend in their first pre-season run out, winning 25-17 and scoring five tries to three in a game played in memory of the late Rob Walton.

“Overall I was satisfied with what I saw at Rugby” said Head of Rugby Pete Glackin.

“With a number of squad members unavailable for a variety of reasons, it was a good opportunity for several of our new-comers to pull the shirt on for the first time. The Lions had some big units up front, so it was an encounter that wasn’t lacking in physicality.”

“The format of the fixture – with four periods of twenty minutes - also enabled us try out a number of combinations and to give everyone some game time. There’s obviously still plenty to work on, but both Ben and I were encouraged by our performance as a squad.”

The Bees will now be switching their attention to this Saturday’s game, which will be in the normal two x 40 minute halves format.

Promoted last season as champions in their league, the Banbury Bulls will feature in South West 1 East in the forthcoming 2016/17 season, which is one tier below the Bees in National 3 Midlands.

The game will kick off at their Bodicote Park ground at 3pm this Saturday, 13th August.