Author: Sonja Francis

MATCH REPORT: National 3 SW – Saturday, March 5, 2011; Chinnor 48 Vs Cleve 13. (Contributed)

CHINNOR overcame Cleve by 48-13, on Saturday, scoring eight tries in the process. With continuing fly half problems, Mark Chase on his return to the club, filled the 10 shirt for Chinnor and scored 18 points in the process.

Cleve, from Bristol, were first on the scoreboard with a penalty goal from Gareth Knox in the sixth minute. Chinnor?s response was a try from Ed Vickers two minutes later. On the 12th minute, scrum half Hopwood nipped through the centre of the defence to outstrip his pursuers and score under the posts. With Chase?s conversion, Chinnor went 12-3 ahead.

Chase then increased Chinnor?s lead to 19-3, converting his own try which resulted from some good forward pressure. A few minutes later, the visiting scrum half, Josh Mortimore, was yellow carded by referee Brendan McGaffney who proved to be a very capable referee throughout the match. However, Chinnor could not profit from the absence and indeed Cleve scored wide out when Nathan Huntley took advantage of some poor defending to reduce the difference to 19-8. Shortly before half time, Chinnor?s Goode showed power and pace to burst through Cleve?s defence to touch down under the posts. Chase?s conversion saw Chinnor go in at halftime 26-8 ahead.

Shortly after the start of the second half, Mark Chase again slid through the home defence for a try. His conversion put Chinnor 31-8 ahead. A few minutes later, a sweeping backs move saw the slippery Corpe score Chinnor?s sixth try. Chinnor then began a punishing series of forward drives, resulting in Mowbray?s try in the corner.

Shortly afterwards, visiting scrum half Mortimore incurred the wrath of referee McGaffney for injudicious use of the boot. Mortimore?s second yellow card was automatically converted to a red and he took no further part in proceedings. Chinnor?s Prescott was then given a 10 minute rest for not releasing in the tackle.

As before, Mortimore?s absence stimulated the Cleve effort and a strike against the head at a scrum 10 metres from the Chinnor line allowed replacement Roach to easily score Cleve?s second try to reduce the arrears to 43-13. The final score of the day came in the 79th minute when Hopwood, now playing full back, danced through the defence for Chinnor?s 8th try.

Though Cleve are struggling in the league, their play did not always suggest it, particularly in the scrum. Although scoring eight tries, Chinnor perhaps might have scored even more if all final passes had gone to hand. Hopwood had a busy and penetrative match and Goode was at his bashful best. Final praise should go to referee Brendan McGaffney from the Liverpool Society for the quality of his refereeing.

Scorers:
Chinnor: Vickers T: Hopwood 2T: Chase 2T, 4C; Goode T; Mowbray T; Corpe T;

Cleve: Knox PG; Huntley T; Roach T

Chinnor team: Williams (Prescott 47), Corpe, Goode, Angell, Morgan, Chase, Hopwood, Stock, Cawston, Winpenny (c), Jackman, Smith, Vickers, Hastings (Harrison 47), Mowbray

Replacements: Tattersall, Harrison, Prescott

ON a cold and windy night on Wednesday, March 2, Chinnor RFC managed eventually to overcome Henley by 23-16 in their defence of the Oxfordshire Senior Cup.

Henley began the better of the two sides and opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a penalty from full-back Adam Lubbock. The scores were levelled some five minutes later when Mark Chase converted a penalty goal attempt for Chinnor. Henley, dominating both ball and territory, began to seriously test the Chinnor defence in its own 22. The dam finally burst when Henley?s Adam Lubbock touched down in the corner to give the visitors an 8-3 lead.

Henley continued to have the better of exchanges but could not convert any of it into points and so went in at half-time with an 8-6 lead. Although Chinnor edged ahead in the 43rd minute with a converted try from the rumbustious Vickers, Chinnor coach Bowers decided that some changes in personnel were necessary and Sam Blewitt was replaced by Andrew Smith. As further replacements were getting ready, the referee awarded a scrum to Chinnor some 10m from the Henley line. Chinnor switched the power on and the referee penalised Henley for collapsing the scrum. On the third occasion this happened, the referee, Tom Davies, did not hesitate to run under the posts to award a penalty try to Chinnor. As Mark Chase prepared to take the conversion, Ricky Hopwood, Matt Goode and Ian Stock came on for Chinnor. This immediately gave Chinnor greater pace and penetration with bullocking runs from Stock a particular feature of the rest of the night?s play.

Although the Henley decreased the gap to 18-11 with a penalty from Lubbock in the 64th minute, the Chinnor pack now began to dominate proceedings and scrum time became an uncomfortable experience for the visitors from Henley. In the 67th minute a well executed Chinnor catch and drive saw Ed Rixon score Chinnor’s third try to give the home side a 23-11 lead. Henley were not to be denied and in the dying minutes pressed the Chinnor line for hooker Ed Church to score in the corner to give a final score of 23-16 to Chinnor.

This was a match of two halves with Henley dominating the first and Chinnor coming alive in the second half. Henley proved to be a good contest for this mixed Chinnor side but eventually succumbed to greater forward power. Mark Chase played with great pace and niggled and prompted well. Williams was at his stepping best and Ed Rixon was strong and dominant throughout the match. The whole pack with its replacements deserve great credit for the Chinnor victory.

Chinnor are now away at Grove in the next round of the cup with the fixture date yet to be determined.

Scorers:
Chinnor: Vickers T; penalty T; Rixon T; Chase 2PG, C
Henley: Lubbock T; Church T; Lubbock 2PG

Chinnor side:
Williams, Corpe, Green, Angell (Goode 54), Seymour, Chase, Prescott (Hopwood 54), Winpenny (c)(Stock 54), Tattersall (Cawston 70), Pickett, Divine, Blewitt (Smith 43), Rixon, Vickers, Mowbray
Replacements: Cawston, Stock, Smith, Goode, Hopwood

SOURCE: Contributed by Dave Winpenny