Author: Sonja Francis

ADNL Division 3 – Thame Tornadoes V Scissors -September 26; MATCH REPORT: The second week of the season was much improved by a spirited Tornadoes side still looking for their first win of the season. The game started with an end to end style which resulted in the score being 4-8 to the opposition at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was very much like the first with great shooting from Charlotte as GS, keeping Thame in the game. Thame’s passing was fast and slick and at half time they had a real chance of winning as they were only 10-14 down at the break.

The third quarter started with the opposition gaining a lead of six points but a resurgent Thame again kept it down to only four goals. The question was, could they go on and win the game?

Unfortunately luck was not on their side as during the last quarter, the ball rolled ominously around the edge of the goal three or four times but did not go in. As a result, Thame heads dropped and they ended up losing the game 20-26.

HOWEVER, the team felt they were able to take a lot of positives away from the game.

Written by Bradley Rose.

RUGBY: National 2S – Saturday, September 29; Canterbury 21 Vs Chinnor 20. MATCH REPORT: Contributed: THIS was very much a game of two halves with Canterbury completely dominating the first half and Chinnor the second.

Although Chinnor lost by just one point, there were two distinct factors leading to the loss. James Cathcart had a poor day with the boot missing all available kicks. However he has won so many matches for Chinnor over many years, we can forgive him an off day. More disconcerting was the referee?s refusal to award Chinnor a penalty try towards the end of the match.

Resolutely camped 10m out from the Canterbury line, Chinnor elected to scrum on each of four occasions. Each time, the home side?s pack disintegrated with the award of another penalty to Chinnor. The second penalty saw a yellow card for Canterbury?s Sherson. On the third occasion, with the Canterbury pack retreating at a rate, the scrum began to collapse as the ball got to within a few metres of the line where a home player dived on the ball whilst it was still in the scrum. It looked a certain penalty try to all bar the most important man on the pitch who simply awarded yet another penalty.

This time, with the prospect of a penalty try seemingly impossible, Chinnor?s Joe Kava picked from the base of the scrum and after a few rucks, Andrew Smith went over for his second try of the match. Cathcart missed from out wide. Had a penalty try been awarded, the kick would not have been missed and Chinnor would have secured victory.

The game started well for Canterbury when Best went over for a try on the 11th minute after pressure on the Chinnor defence. Scott Browne?s conversion made the score 7-0 to the home side. He stepped up again on the 17th minute for a successful penalty goal when Chinnor were adjudged offside in midfield. He repeated the dose on the 25th minute to increase the home lead to 13-0. Chinnor?s Matt Goode, restored to the match after receiving stitches for a head wound, was back on the field a few seconds when he received a yellow card from the ref. From the resultant penalty, Brown increased Canterbury?s lead to 16-0 which they held to halftime.

Canterbury came out firing for the second half and scored their second try of the match through Oeyun-Jones just three minutes into the half. It looked like the floodgates were about to open for Chinnor when they decided they wanted to play. Chinnor opted for a lineout from a penalty awarded in midfield. From the lineout, a rapid passing movement saw Colver from full back scoot over for Chinnor?s first try of the day on the 52nd minute. Chinnor pressed the home defence and, after a series of rucks near the try line, Andrew Smith powered over for a try to reduce the lead to 21-10. It wasn?t long before Chinnor were back to start their marathon of penalty scrums when the penalty try appeared a formality. The referee?s resistance to the idea forced Kava wide to allow Smith in for Chinnor?s third try and a match score of 21-15.

It looked all over for Chinnor when, pressing Canterbury in their 22, the ball was lost. It was fly hacked and stood up nicely for one of the three Canterbury players free in midfield. However, Gray flew from his wing to prevent the score and gain Chinnor a penalty. Stoop then put a foot in touch in the act of scoring and minutes later Gray looked certain for a try but was overhauled by the rapid Melford. With a minute to go, Chinnor scored their fourth try of the half wide out from Hopwood. As the kick fell short of the posts, the ref blew for full time and a 21-20 victory to Canterbury.

Canterbury were organised and very much in control of the first half with fly half Browne kicking well and Oeyun-Jones always a threat. Chinnor, all at sea for the first half, turned things around well in the second half outscoring their opponents 20-5 for the half and coming away with two bonus points. Despite scoring four tries to their opponent?s two, just one successful kick would have clinched it for the visitors from Thame.

It was a good day for the front row and Joe Kava scorched the earth whenever he got the ball. And then there?s the penalty try that never was?

Scorers:
Canterbury: Best T; Oeyun-Jones T; Browne 3PG, C
Chinnor: Colver T; Smith 2T; Hopwood T;

Chinnor team:
Colver, Gray, Goode, Stoop, Corpe (Fielding 43, Hopwood 57), Cathcart, Jones, Winpenny, Cawston (Whelan 52), Pickett (Berry 69), Mowbray, Smith, Gilbert, Wood (Williams 75), Kava

Replacements: Berry, Whelan, Williams, Fielding, Hopwood

THAME football Derby – F.C Thame Vs. Thame Town Wanderers F.C – Sunday, September 29 – Match Report: WANDERERS started much the better team causing F.C to buckle under pressure as Dowie slotted home his first goal for the club after coming out off goalkeeping duties.

Wanderers then chased for a second goal but unfortunately, a ball that went out of play was not given and from this some sloppy defending cost wanderers, bringing the score to 1-1.

Wanderers then hit back and got the second they were looking for with great work from their attack, allowing Dowie to slot his second of the game. Half time came and went and after a shaky twenty minutes, finally the goal came for Wanderers with Chris Lester parrying the ball home to give The Wanderers a two goal advantage.

Wells was replaced by Ensoll and then Westlake for Perry, as they chased the fourth goal to make the game comfortable, the goal coming close to the end as Lester shot home an excellent finish to make it 4-1 finish.

Wanderers Manager, Mark Thomas, had this to say after the game: “I thought we were much better when we got the ball under control, passing it well the way football should be played. I think if we work on our first touch on the ball, we will be a much stronger team. I feel over recent weeks we have been unlucky with the games we have had and to win today proves the doubters wrong again.” We’ve got a great bunch of players here who want to do well and I think in the big game today they have proved what they are about.?

Hellenic League Cup – 29/10/12 – Letcombe 1 Vs. Thame United 3 – MATCH REPORT (Contributed); Thame United travelled to Letcombe Regis on Saturday where they won their League Cup game against Letcombe 1-3. Their hosts are currently one place from the bottom of Hellenic Division 1 West, so Premier League Thame should have recorded a comfortable win.

Although United had 60% of the play, their win was far from comfortable as they had to recover from going a goal down and only took the lead with 20 minutes remaining. Manager Mark West took the opportunity to rest Ben Connelly and Alex Stewart, whilst Dan West and Ellis Hercules were on the bench. The game saw the debut of striker Niall Hodgkins who joins Thame from Kidlington.

After the opening exchanges, Letcombe was awarded a free kick for hand ball 25 yards from the Thame goal. Striker Adam Bruce took the kick and placed it high into the left corner with Thame goalkeeper, Lee Farrow, seemingly unsighted. United equalised in the 20th minute when a Stuart Barr in-swinging corner beat everyone inside the six yard box and crossed the line high inside the far post.

United began to control the play with Meredith Mitchell, Luke Ricketts and Cameron Lagan all going close, but the score was level at half time.

Shortly after the restart, Letcombe created and squandered a good scoring opportunity. The visitors again started to control the game and Barr forced a good save from the home keeper. Thame created some excellent chances but seemed unable to find the target. Dan West came on 20 minutes into the second half and put Thame into the lead a few minutes later. West was fouled just outside the area, and both he and Adam Rhodes lined up to take the free kick. Rhodes rolled the ball to West who struck it sweetly into the bottom corner of the home goal.

A few minutes later Barr hit the goalpost from a difficult angle. With about 10 minutes remaining Ellis Hercules came on and central defender, Nik Rhodes, moved into a striking position. The move paid off in the final minute when Phil Pykett hit a perfect cross from the left and Rhodes jumped to meet it with a glancing header, giving the keeper no chance.

Thame United: Farrow, Meredith, P Pykett, Johnson, N. Rhodes, Hall, Barr, A Rhodes, Lagan, Hodgkin (West), Ricketts (Hercules).