Aylesbury 3rd XV 7 vs. Chinnor 4th XV 21
Saturday 8th December 2007
Friendly

Chinnor IV’s travelled to local rivals Aylesbury this week. Greeted again by blustery winds and persisting rain, the conditions, more suited to Ducks would test the visiting side yet again.

Starting against the wind Chinnor warmed up nicely as both sides tested their opponents. It was the home side that scored first. Aylesbury worked their way into Chinnor’s 22, then with good off loads in the tackle they inched their way nearer the touch line, until their youthful 10, Ivan “The Terrible” took the last pass to touch down under the posts, 7-0.

The game then paused as the referee had lost his pencil and all hands were tasked with its recovery until a replacement was found. Chinnor, starting to show signs of firing on all 15 cylinders stepped up the pace. Good support play from Tony “Arfur” Daley and John “Yenohe” Cann took the visitors up field. Chinnor had the opportunity to clear their lines after being awarded a penalty then a free kick, but in the conditions, Richard “Hoops” Hooper saw his kicks almost turn back on themselves allowing Aylesbury to come back each time.

The second try of the game cane through quick reactions from Chinnor. Aylesbury conceded a penalty inside their 10m line, in what seemed almost slow motion, Andy “Moaning Mertyl” Heley tapped quick then dashed through the Aylesbury defence to level the scores, “BishBashBosh” added the conversion. Not lying down Aylesbury continued to make use of the wind at their backs. Another good clearance downfield saw the soon to be deported Shane “Little Chief” Ellis tap back inside to Mark “Hedwig” Coxy who found the attacking players on him straight away. The ball was cleverly popped off the ground to Ivan “The Terrible” who dived in the corner for what appeared to be a try, but on examination the video referee said no as the whistle blew for half time.

Waiting in the wings, Mike “Harry Potter” Bambrook kept the bench warm, eager to make use of his newly acquired padding if needed, along side injured skipper, Gordon “Voldemort” Fennell, orchestrating from the sideline. Chinnor continued with their dogged play in the wet conditions. Performing well in the loose, Matt “Billy Elliott” Locke and Richard “Jabba the” Hutt made nuisances of themselves in the ruck and maul, while Johnny “Previn” Williams served quick ball from 9. Now playing with the wind at their backs, Chinnor were defending well in their half against  wave after wave of attacks from the Aylesbury forwards. Winning the ball from their lineout, Chinnor cleared their lines as “Hoops” kicked down field. Hot foot in pursuit were “Moaning Mertyl” and “BishBashBosh”. “Mertyl” tackled the defender while “BishBashBosh” picked up off the floor and passed back to “Mertyl” who passed to “Hoops” then to “BishBashBosh” who touched down to the right of the posts, adding his own conversion to put Chinnor on the lead, 7-14.

Chinnor’s last score came through some more good play. A clearance kicked from Aylesbury was collected by Pete “Shakespeare” McDermott, who then proceeded to go on one of his mazy runs handing off defenders in the process. Opting to play in Aylesbury’s "half “ Shakespeare” kicked on forcing Aylesbury to chase back. Chinnor took back possession from the defending fullback, then lining up with a 3 player overlap “Hoops” span left to “Moaning Mertyl”, Rowan “Brendan” Foster and “Hedwig” only to see eager hands spill the ball. Still playing in the Aylesbury half, the Chinnor forwards were playing admirably being awarded a scrum just yards for the home line. Mike “Sippy” Hughes and Mike “Thunderclap” Neuman playing a quiet but effective game. The scrum saw Adam “Fang” Woodliffe break from 8, then with an almost open try line he was suspended above the line by the Aylesbury defence before spilling the ball over the line.                                       

Chinnor kept the pressure on and were awarded a penalty, another quick tap by “Previn” saw the Chinnor 9 draw his man then spin the ball right to Pete “Shakespeare” McDermott on a nice line. Looking up to find his way not bard, he ran around the last man then back under the posts, “BishBashBosh” added the conversion, 7-21.

A game played in good spirits by both sides, Aylesbury were keen to arrange a rematch in the new year. Chinnor IV’s would like to wish their fans a good Christmas, and look forward to their enduring support at home to Abingdon next week.

Scorers:
Tries: Andy "Moaning" Mertyl, Ben "BishBashBosh" Bishop, Pete "Shakespeare" McDermott
Conversions: Ben "BishBashBosh" Bishop (3)

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