A game too far! Never an easy game against Slough, and so it proved yet again as Chinnor failed to raise their game and end the season with the remarkable record of winning all their away games.

Despite early pressure the team failed to turn this into points and lacked rhythm and direction to their game. Slough were the more determined side and although not playing with any expansion to their game, they tackled and harassed the Chinnor side into repeated errors. A low standard technical game was dominated by the lineout skills of the home team. Some comic midfield defence allowed the fly half to dummy his way over for a try. Chinnor did reply with a try that did not reflect the general mediocrity of the play, and a nice slight of hand by James Davies enabled Gary Woodburn to go over for a well worked try. Too little we regret to say. The Slough No.8 later sealed the game from a short penalty.

Let us forget this game and congratulate the players on some excellent performances this season and deserved promotion to South West 1, we the team will have to reach new heights of fitness and skills. A challenge that the players and the club should relish.

In a fiercely fought and highly competitive game, Henley came out on top after a determined second half performance, winning by 17 points to 8.

Chinnor were not helped by Conor Begley's late withdrawal with a back problem. The re-organised back division without a regular placekicker was always going to struggle as an attacking unit.

The Chinnor forwards played very aggressively and drove hard through the ranks of the Henley defence and an eight point advantage at half-time was not a true reflection of their dominance, A try by Josh Jones and a Dave Cook penalty were the only first half scores.

The game turned on two incidents early in the second half. A highly dubious penalty given by the referee for a 'late' challenge, and a five to two Chinnor overlap that turned into an interception try by the Henley centre  Such is the nature of the cup. A further late score was relatively immaterial as Henley were on top in the later stages of the game.

Congratulations to Henley on their win and we wish them well in the next round. For Chinnor it is back to the business of trying to get that vital league victory.

As ever the players would like to thank the Chinnor supporters for their loyalty over this season.

After the heady atmosphere at Chippenham, this game was going to present a mental challenge for the Chinnor team.  They were expected to win, which is a mantle that rarely rests easily on the Chinnor team.

The first half saw Chinnor utterly dominate possession and position, but over-elaboration, poor choice of play and technical errors saw a half time score of only 17 points to 3 in favour of the home team.

The start of the second half saw Chinnor play some vintage rugby. Forwards and backs connecting their game and penetrating the defence with good support. Three excellent tries were created and we saw team play at its best. The Stow team never gave up trying and tackled gamely, until fatigue caught up with them.

Josh Jones saw welcome return to form, with skipper Oxley showing up well with his penetrative running, both scoring two tries each. In the forwards Du Toit had his most effective game to date, with powerful, incisive running and good support play. Gary Porter organised the lineout efficiently, and flanker Mike Cooke was powerful in defence. On the wing Dave Cook continues to impress with his intelligent running and support play. Overall 7 out of 10.

A curious performance by the Chinnor team.  Playing against a team lacking in self belief, Chinnor failed to establish themselves and impose their obvious superiority in

High Wycombe only left their half to kick off during the first 40 minutes. Yet Chinnor could not find the simple format of releasing players at the right time into the gaps. Three tries as a result of continuous pressure allowed the away team to build a comfortable lead by half time.

The second half started even more patchily than the first and the plucky and spirited High Wycombe team scored a try from a Chinnor error. This seemed to rouse the team at long last. In the last twenty minutes of the game the team began to play a co-ordinated and cohesive game, and this resulted in some well taken tries and a final score line of 54 points to 7. One suggests their minds were not totally on the job in hand!

A big one for Chinnor!  The score does not reflect the close nature of the game. In very wet conditions with variable soil conditions, from soft to treacherous, the game offered what is good about league rugby.

In a very nervy first half and hour both sides tried to dominate through use of their forwards. Chinnor, playing with a strong breeze at their backs dominated position on the field. Coming in to half time they had only two Conor Begley penalties to show for their territorial dominance. Then with two bits of controlled rugby they opened up a 20 point lead before half time. Firstly fly half Ben Thompson powered through after good approach work by the forwards, then a powerful break by No.8 Paul Hennessey was finished off in fine style by John Vaughan, scooping up a pass near his bootlaces to score wide out. Begley's conversions but Chinnor in a strong position.

With the elements in their faces, it was going to require a determined and controlled performance by Chinnor to secure victory. The first five minutes did not augur well, as Amersham reduced the lead with two penalties.

Then the team responded with perhaps their most controlled and focused performance of the season. A combination of 'pick and drive', short support passing and some serious defending, saw Chinnor take control of the game. Two late tries, the first by the powerful Thompson, and an opportunist effort by Conor, both of which he converted, saw the away team secure a 34 points to 6 victory. Stern tasks still lie ahead.

P.S. Good to hear from Alan Buckingham in Aus - We have an Aussie winger here in Josh Jones, a good egg!

After the 'Lord Mayor's' show at Aylesbury we had the Chinnor relapse this week. Motivating the side to perform consistently is one of the problems the coaches and captain have to meet.

Against a very dogged and determined Witney team who never know about not trying, Chinnor struggled to achieve any degree of control or authority in a very rugged game.

After taking an early lead with a Begley penalty, the sloppy nature of Chinnor's play was characterised by two interception tries, well taken by Thomas in the Witney midfield. The home pack were dominant in most phases early on, without showing any real authority. Ball was slow to be delivered and control was variable. A well worked try from a scrum, scored by No8 Hennessey was converted by Begley, who added a further penalty and then converted a well constructed try scored by Josh Jones. 

The second half proved even worse than the first.  From a penalty near the Chinnor 22, the kick struck a post and while the home defence watched a Witney player followed up to score. The conversion was missed. In the closing moments Thompson dropped a goad to seal a far from memorable victory.

The most sort after quote was 'it was two points'. Not a great indictment of Chinnor's day!

This was the first of the 'return' fixtures in the league as every team has now played each other once.

This was a much more determined Abbey side who were seeking to reverse the result of a few weeks ago. Chinnor had the dream start by scoring within a minute after setting up a very effective driving maul that tore the Abbey defence to shreads, with Gary Porter being the beneficiary of the forward effort.

Then the other Chinnor side appeared. Mistakes began to be made and the side lost its shape. Abbey reduced the areas with a penalty, and before half time, Chinnor conceded a well worked try and turned around three points down.

Without ever capturing the consistency of previous weeks, the home side began to dominate possession and position, and were rewarded with a well worked try by John Brooks, after much pressure by the pack. Ben Thompson then made his presence felt, when he came on as a replacement, and dropped a lovely goal to put Chinnor two scores ahead. Abbey replied late in the game with another penalty.

It was not a very good technical game, and Chinnor need to work on fitness levels and cut out the many unforced errors if they are to be serious title contenders.