Chinnor 4th XV 13 vs. Redingensians 3rd XV 10
Saturday 2nd February 2008
League

Chinnor IV’s played host to Redingensians III this week in a rearranged fixture. Near Arctic conditions that would make an Eskimo shiver, combined with this tense league battle with Redingensians lying second in the table, would provide a hard task for the IV’s. With “Voldemort” Fennel absent on Skiing duties, the Captaincy fell to the broad shoulders of  “Danger” Will Dickinson.

Fortune shone this week in the form of the Oxen. With their fixture cancelled, players were made available for the IV’s by skipper Dave “Fireball” Hanlon. This resulted in a pack with a combined age of 703, and an incalculable weight forming an immovable force.

Having played and lost to Redingensians earlier in the season when they had an unfamiliar line-up. Chinnor were very keen to make amends this time. This was apparent from the start, as Chinnor played virtually all the first 40 minutes in their opponents half.

Good linking between the backs kept Redingensians under pressure until they conceded a penalty 5m out. Opting to take the points, Chinnor took the lead through Dave “HG” Wells. Keeping play downfield, Chinnor kept possession well. Redingensians kicking high to gain ground proved tricky on all fronts. The neatly angled kicks form the visitors No. 10 kept Pete “Shakespeare” McDermott, Craig Dalziel “And Pascoe” and “Coxy” Cox busy. As the game grew, the tension followed suit, and more than usual unforced errors were seen. Despite this Chinnor kept their opponents pinned down in their own end.

The formidable Chinnor pack started to take toll in the game. The front row of John “Bean” Cann, Andy “Not Related” Heley and John “Half a” Pound made their presence known. Backed up by Mike “Harry Potter” Bambrook, Matt “Billy Elliott” Locke in the second row, with Adam “Chimping” Woodliffe, Simon “On the” Turner  and Mike “Thunderclap” Neuman in the back row. The Chinnor massive started to push their opposite numbers around the pitch. This led to even more possession for the Chinnor backs which they made good use of. “Previn” Williams, “HG” Wells and Gareth “Dr Hook” working well as a unit. Redingensians did get into the Chinnor half on a few occasions, on one they came away with 3 points after a penalty was conceded for not rolling away in a maul.

This was how the first half ended, 3-3. The view from the touchline was that the Chinnor back row were working harder than their opponents, and this was clearly seen in the amount of ball the home side were seeing.

Ringing the changes 10 minutes in, “Thunderclap” was off after another cracking game, for Dave “Fireball” Hanlon who moved to second row, with “Billy Elliott” going to 6.The first half had seen some crowd pleasing handling and offloading, this didn’t stop there and Chinnor  made another penetrating run into Redingensians 22. The last pass saw a knock on and a scrum to the visiting side. Taking the scrum against the head through “Not Related” Heley, the ball popped out left, where it was scooped up by Simon “On The” Turner who powered over to add 5 points. 10-3. This was just the start to the half Chinnor wanted.

Boosted by this score the home side didn’t let up. Constant forages into their opponents half ensued. This work was rewarded with a penalty on the 22. “HG” Wells made no mistake and extended the Chinnor lead, 13-3.Two more substitutions followed. On were Alan “Any” Beverage and Kieron “Village” Hall for “Coxy” Cox and Craig Dalziel “And Pascoe” after solid games. More neat handling followed from Chinnor. Tackle after tackle from Redingensians saw the ball passed out to support each time. Chinnor could do little wrong.

The last 15 minutes saw the visiting side up their work rate. Working their way slowly in the Chinnor 22, they finally broke the line to add 5 points, 13-10.The score remained the same until Johnny “Previn” Williams cleared to touch after another good game.

This was an important win the the IV’s. The team were focussed as a unit, which in turn raised everyone’s game, providing the extra man. The pack, particularly the front row had a fantastic game, grinding their opponents down. Making it easier for the backs to force their opponents into errors. The IV’s would like to thank their supporting players this week, as not all made it onto the pitch.

Scorers:
Tries: Simon "on the turn" Turner, Dave "HG" Wells
Conversions: Dave "HG" Wells
Penalties: Dave "HG" Wells (2)

(Pictures kindly provided by Abi Bateman)

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