Gloucester Old Boys (Away)

Gloucester Old Boys 1st XV 15 vs. Chinnor 1st XV 23
Saturday 18th December
South West Division One

Chinnor held off an Old Boys onslaught in the first 15 minutes which effectively secured this hard fought victory. Winning the toss and electing to play up the slope was also a deciding factor. Putting in their best defensive performance of the season to date, with the back row of Jack Martin, Mike Cook and Zane Winslade putting in tackle after tackle, Chinnor restricted the Old Boy's to just three points in this first quarter with a Teague penalty when Chinnor were caught offside in front of the posts. When Chinnor finally broke their shackles they were rewarded when the Old Boy's were penalised for killing the ball with Cathcart obliging with an equalising penalty. Another Cathcart penalty just before the interval gave Chinnor an improbable half-time lead.

It was now Chinnor's turn to play with pitch advantage and they extended their lead when Richard Grimsdell , showing a fine turn of pace finished off a well executed three-quarter move to score wide out. A fine Cathcart conversion gave Chinnor some breathing space.

Gloucester Old Boys upped the intensity of their forward effort and after a series of rolling mauls and forward drives they were rewarded when Vickery their abrasive and talkative scrum-half went over for a try. With Teague adding the extra points the game was once again all to play for. A high kick by Cathcart across the Old Boy's posts saw the ball bounce obligingly for Chinnor for James Major to get the touch down .The conversion and another penalty by Cathcart gave Chinnor the cushion they needed at this stage and although the Old Boy's pounded their line in the final minutes to be awarded a score by Hannaford , Chinnor ran out worthy winners.