Chinnor 2nds on their way to Iffley Road..Again

Chinnor secured their place in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup Final with a hard fought win against a very committed Witney side. This was the 2nds first competitive run out since before christmas...and it showed

The first 20 minutes were keenly contested with both sides trying to impose their patterns of play - Witney very direct through their forwards, Chinnor trying to exploit width. The first score came in the 16th minute of the game. Chinnor used the full width of the pitch to stretch the Witney defence to allow Jack Horwood to score in the corner. However, 5 minutes later Witney reduced the deficit to 2 points with a penalty.

On the stroke of half time, Chinnor extended their lead. Again, playing with width allowed the Chinnor backs to put together a good handling move resulting in Adi Hales scoring their second try. The half time score was 10-3

However, Witney started well in the second half and after 12 minutes scored as a result of some powerful pick and drives from their fowards.

The last twenty minutes of game belonged to Chinnor. With Witney starting to tire. Firstly, Wheels scored from a lineout within Witney's 22 with the conversion being made by Woody. Then with 10 minutes left, Adi Hales picked up a loose kick on the Chinnor 10 metre line and went of a mazy run that saw him beat 5 Witney defenders to score. With time almost up, Chinnor put together a flowing move involving both backs and forwards which resulted in Harry Hillier scoring the final try.

Chinnor: Stock, Browne, Whelan, Horwood, Blewitt S, Harrison, Vickers, Williams, Newman, Mountford, Powell, Corpe, Hales, Woodhouse, Blewitt G Subs (all used): Rixon, Kent, Hillier, Heath, Lavin

Chinnor Seconds Match report
Oxfordshire Semi Final 2nd February 2013
Chinnor Seconds vs. Witney
Chinnor seconds welcomed a determined Witney team to Kingsey road for the semi-final of the Oxfordshire cup on Sunday. The Chinnor boys knew that Witney was going to throw everything at them and with Chinnor’s last competitive game being 6 weeks ago they would have to step up to get something out of this game.
Chinnor dominated most of the first 20 minutes with a try by Jack Horwood after 17 minutes followed by a successful penalty by Witney 22 minutes and the score was 5 points to 3 in Chinnor’s favour. Witney then started to put some good phases together and Chinnor had to do a lot of defending with the 6 weeks rugby drought began to show. Shortly before half time one of the Witney players was yellow carded with an unintentional spear tackle which was unfortunate. This gave Chinnor the opportunity to add another try scored by Adi Hales and the half finished 10 points to 3 for the home side.
The first 25 minutes of the second half was a little lack lustre with both sides making silly mistakes and Chinnor not using the wind at all to their advantage and it was Witney that got the first points in the half with a try and closed the gap to 10 points to 8 in Chinnor’s favour. Chinnor then seemed to get a grip and stepped and stepped up to the mark and began to play some of the inspiring rugby we have become accustomed to and the tries followed first by Tom Whelan who had good game and I think it was his first try in about two years well done and thanks, converted by Alex Woodhouse, then a great individual try by Adi Hales waltzing through the whole Witney team for his second try of the game, and finally the last play of the game Harry Hillier put the icing on the cake with Chinnor scoring five tries. The game ended with Chinnor winning 27 points to 8 and the club are delighted to be making it the fourth final in a row against Greyhounds or Wallingford on the 21st April,
A number of players stood out Captain Ian Stock, Max Williams and Nick Harrison in the forwards, Tristan Corpe, George Blewitt and the bench had an impact when they came on Ed Rixon, Jon Lavin and Antony Kent. Not one of the team’s best games by a long way but after a six week gap not surprising, but a win anyway is a good win. Making 15 wins out of 15.
Walter McGuicken