With both teams scoring 3 tries apiece it was the excellent goal kicking of fly half Liam Richman which eventually saw Chinnor home for their 4th win of the season. Although Chinnor dominated large periods of the game in terms of possession and territory they could never really shake off a resolute and focused Archers who battled to the end.

It was the home side who started well and laid siege to Nottingham's line in the first 10 minutes but a series of small errors and big defence meant that a number of scoring chances went begging. Izzy Wharton and Tom Florence were in the thick of things with some dangerous breaks that looked certain to lead to tries but it was eventually Captain Harry Dugmore who plunged over the line to open the scoring, Richman converted 7-0 on 13 minutes.

In direct contrast to Chinnor the Archers scored with their first visit into the redzone as an overthrown lineout was quickly recycled and a simple miss pass saw Ward score without being touched when it looked like Chinnor had numbers in defence. The conversion was missed, 7-5 after 20 minutes.

Usual service was resumed as Chinnor again looked to make the most of their forward dominance. It was Chris Moore who got on the end of a driving maul and powered over the line to re-establish the lead, 14-5 after 25 minutes. Chinnor remained the dominant force throughout the remainder of the half and went close on several occasions to extend their lead. Wharton and Calum Pascoe, on his 50th appearance combined well to send Scott Hall crashing through defenders, only to be pushed into touch inches short. Chinnor finished the half deep in the Archers territory and when the first stanza came to an end the visitors would have been very happy to return to the sheds only 9 points down.

The second half became a bit of an arm wrestle played mostly in the middle third of the pitch as both teams probed and reverted to the aerial game. Not having proved too much of a threat the Archers scored their second try and threw the game back into the melting pot when Roper hit a line through the middle of Chinnor's midfield and out paced the cover. From 2 chances Nottingham were only 4 points adrift with 20 minutes remaining.

Chinnor reverted to pressurising at the set piece as they regained control of territory and they upped the intensity of their defence. This gave them the platform to score the crucial try on 73 minutes when the prolific Alun Walker finished off a unstoppable driving maul from a JC lineout take. The crucial conversion gave them the comfort of an 11 point lead. 21-10.

Nottingham made the most of an error from the restart but their 3rd try was thankfully too late to mount a meaningful challenge as Chinnor finished the game in familiar territory a few metres from the opposition line.

A hard fought win in front of a passionate FNL crowd was a valuable 4 points but the coaching team will be frustrated with the redzone efficiency and the pattern of conceding soft tries.

Nick Easter - 'We'll need to sharpen up our finishing and tighten up our defence, ensuring we are more clinical in the weeks ahead.'

Chinnor - Owen, Moore, Hardwick, Campbell, Brockschmidt, Dugmore (c), Hall, Wharton, Pascoe, Richman, Currie, Bourton, Florence, Metcalf, Simpson

Replacements- Stott, Walker, Rukhadze, Gibson-Fox, Passman, Lewis, Hughes, Cave

Tries- Dugmore, Moore, Walker
Richman- x3

Player of the Match - Rob Hardwick

Next home game - Chinnor vs Blackheath 3pm 14th November