Author: Sonja Francis

AM Print & Copy Hellenic League Floodlit Cup – Thame United 6, Swindon Supermarine Reserves 0; Tuesday, October 06, 2009 – Match report:

THAME United comfortably defeated Swindon Supermarine Reserves at Wallingford on Tuesday evening in a Floodlit Cup fixture. The visitors play in the Hellenic reserve league enabling Thame manager, Mark West, to rest some key players for this fixture.

The opening exchanges were fairly even but then Thame started to gain the upper hand. The turning point of the match came after 20 minutes when Thame?s Aaron Rogers was fouled, just outside the penalty area as he ran at goal. The referee, perhaps harshly, dismissed the visiting centre half, Dave Glover, judging that he was the ?last man?. Adam Rhodes took the resultant free kick, and beat the keeper, by placing his shot in the top left hand corner. Five minutes later it was 2-0 as Sam Cowan hit a beautiful 35-yard volley over the keeper?s head. On 30 minutes, Rogers ran at goal on the left, and created enough space to, square the ball to the unmarked Mark Jones who finished confidently from 15-yards.

Thame controlled the second half, although it was 80 minutes before the lead was increased, but then the floodgates opened. Goal number four came from a corner which was headed in from close range by substitute, Stuart Braun. Soon after, Thame goalkeeper, Paul Searl, who had been a spectator for much of the game, was forced to make an outstanding save from a strong 20-yard shot. With five minutes remaining Rogers did well to control a ball played ?over the top? from defence, before running at goal and finishing well from 15-yards.

The final goal came in the last minute. The back-in- form, Ben Connelly, who throughout the game had supplied a steady stream of crosses from the right, beat two men and hit a 20-yard shot, from an acute angle, easily beating the demoralised visiting keeper.

Thame United: Searl, G Way, Meredith, Barnett, Higgs, Cowan (El-Kassir), Connelly, A Rhodes, Jones (Braun), Rogers, Baylie

United are away at Finchampstead on Saturday 10th October. The next game at Hithercroft Stadium is on the 17th, when Penn & Tylers Green are the visitors.

LEAGUE MATCH – Saturday, October 3, 2009 -Thame United 0, Wokingham & Emmbrook 0; Match Report:-

THAME United exchanged their 100% league win record for an unbeaten record on Saturday when they drew 0-0 with league leaders Wokingham & Emmbrook. It was a match, played in a strong gusting wind, which made it difficult for players to judge the flight of the ball. The encounter was also marred by a referee who blew his whistle at the least provocation, and it seemed at times without any reason, and he consequently prevented the game from flowing. Although the sides were evenly matched, the game was therefore not particularly entertaining.

The visitors, with the wind at their backs, started brightly and could have gone ahead after 15 minutes when impressive striker Richard Bland pounced on a loose ball and hit a shot from 12-yards, but Thame keeper Paul Searl made a seemingly impossible fingertip save. A few minutes later Thame captain, Dave Hocking was forced to clear a goal bound shot off the line. Thame grew stronger as the half progressed, but both Ben Connelly and Adam Rhodes were unable to convert difficult half chances.

The home side had the wind advantage in the second half and this time and it was Thame who controlled the play. Their best chance came from a set piece. A corner was played back to Connelly, who hit a ball to the far corner which Nik Rhodes met with well-placed header forcing an outstanding save from the visiting keeper. Searl?s goal was rarely troubled until, with about 20 minutes to play, visiting striker Luke Lee hit the post from 10 yards. Shortly after however Lee was dismissed for a second bookable offence. Thame made substitutions and continued to press, but despite the home side?s one-man advantage, they were unable to penetrate the well-organised Wokingham defence. The game therefore finished goalless and a draw was a fair result.

Several Thame players had excellent games but defender Nik Rhodes was chosen as Thame?s man of the match.

Thame United: Searl, Cowan, Wakelin (Barr), N Rhodes, Hocking, El-Kassir, Connelly, A Rhodes, Jones, Rodgers (Higgs), Ricketts.

Photo: Man of the match, Nik Rhodes

CHINNOR FIRSTS’ Trip to Gloucestershire Saturday (03/10/09) ended their run of defeats, when they beat Coney Hill, 12 points to Chinnor, 6 points to Coney Hill.

To come away with a win at Coney Hill is no mean feat. Coney Hill play their rugby in a hard, abrasive and uncompromising manner, expecting no quarter and certainly not offering one. Adding their fairly vociferous spectators to this mix puts this result, for Chinnor, into context. It was an absorbing game, not particularly high on skill level but for sheer blood and guts it had it all – from both sides.

Ricky Hopwood came into the starting line-up at scrum half in place of the injured Tom Jarvis with Harry Jackman coming into the second row. Chinnor started into a strong wind which was gusting at a pretty hefty pace down one touchline. Coney Hill used the conditions well with fly-half Ryan Barnett kicking to the corner, putting Chinnor under pressure at every available opportunity. They launched a series of attacks from this touchline and were rewarded almost immediately when Chinnor were caught off-side in front of the posts, allowing Adam Morgan the opportunity to slot a simple penalty.

Chinnor defended resolutely in the ensuing period, as they did for the entire game, restricting Coney Hill to just three points. Gradually Chinnor, keeping the ball in hand, worked their way up field. They were awarded a penalty and kicked for the corner. From the resultant catch and well controlled rolling maul, Harry Jackman went over. The conversion from the touchline never had a chance into the swirling wind. So with 26 minutes gone, Chinnor were two points ahead at 3-5 having absorbed a fair bit of pressure before hand. It was then much of the same for the remaining 14 minutes of the half with Coney Hill battering the Chinnor line with wave after wave of attack. Their only reward during this period was another penalty by Adam Morgan when Chinnor were caught offside. With the interval score showing Chinnor just the one point adrift at 6-5 and, with the wind at their backs, it was game on.

Coney Hill came out for the second half with much intent, hardly allowing Chinnor a touch of the ball. Harry Jackman was yellow carded during this period and this heralded a Coney Hill onslaught of some intensity. With several scrums on the Chinnor line with Coney Hill put-ins, the Chinnor seven held firm. This was, in hindsight, the critical part of the game in that they kept Coney Hill at bay with some superb first-up tackling. James Cathcart came on for the injured Mark Chase, who was carrying a groin injury, and with Chinnor restored to a full complement and securing a majority of the ball, they proceeded to peg Coney Hill back into the corner they themselves had defended so well in the first half.

Chinnor were now in the ascendancy having a platform from which to attack. Evergreen Simon Matthews then came on to add to Chinnor’s dominance during this phase of play. Minutes later, starting from a set scrum, they engineered a blindside move and from some 20 metres out Tom Mowbray delicately flipped the ball to the supporting Pip Seymour to go over for the match winning try, well converted by Hewitt. Coney Hill refused to give up, trying at every available opportunity to break out from defence. However it was the fitter Chinnor unit that eventually prevailed.

This performance showed an abundance of character from the Chinnor side. Harry Jackman made a lot of hard yards. Sam Jones, belying his age, was in the thick of the action all afternoon and another youngster Joe Pickett indicated that he can take all the intimidation coming his way and and is making huge strides on the scrummaging front under the tutelage of the experienced Joe Winpenny.

After two fairly exasperating performances, Chinnor showed they are still a force to be reckoned with and with their injured players on the verge of returning for selection then the situation at Kingsey Road looks infinitely more promising.