CHINNOR made sure of National 1 rugby for another season as they convincingly beat Hull at home.

Our First XV crossed seven times at Kingsey Road, with blindside flanker Will Cave grabbing the headlines with a hat-trick of tries from all of about 5m.

Reece Marshall, Kieran Goss, Jason Worrall and James Down also scored as we made it four wins from our last five matches.

The bonus-point victory lifts us up to eighth in the table, but more importantly still 11 points clear of the bottom three with two matches remaining. We would obviously love to be competing higher up the standings, but we must applaud the hard work and endeavours of our players, coaches and backroom team, and let’s hope we can continue this strong finish to our season after the Easter break.

Continuing themes throughout this season again had their say on selection, with injuries and a shortage of second rows proving problematic. The good news was that Goss was back from seven weeks out to start on the left wing, but Morgan Eames’ return to Bristol Bears meant a reshuffle was needed in the pack. Willie Ryan moved to lock and that had a knock-on effect in the back row with Finn Theobald-Thomas – more accustomed to packing down at hooker – sent into battle at No 8.

We made a bullish start to the match and opened the scoring after just two minutes. After Hull knocked on on their own 22, we punished the error with a couple of bruising carries and Cave drove over from close range to score his first National League try. Fly-half Tom Price slotted the extras and we led 7-0.

This week’s ‘Chinnor Wind’ was blowing across Pitch 1 and towards the Clubhouse, and Price nailed a penalty, using the conditions expertly, to set up a lineout five metres from the try-line. The opportunity did not materialise, but Price and full-back Will Feeney kicked well out of hand all day in the tricky conditions.

Hull began to grow into the game and decided to go for the posts when awarded a 12th-minute penalty, but fly-half Reece Dean saw his attempt fall just wide of the right post. They did get off the mark a few minutes later, though, as they made territory count with wing Timoci Waqadau diving over for an unconverted try.

Despite our early try we were not really at the races, but a storming carry from Ryan on 18 minutes drove us into the Hull half to set up an attack which led to our second score. After Goss raced over the 22, there was no advantage for an earlier infringement and Price kicked to the corner. From there we were clinical, with hooker Marshall finding his way across and Price adding the extras to make it 14-5.

Again, Hull’s reply was good as Waqadau broke through the midfield and created a two-on-one, feeding centre Steve Johnson for a try close to the posts. Fly-half Dean converted to reduce our lead to 14-12.

The opening 24 minutes had, in all honesty, not been our finest, and the visitors were showing signs that they could challenge for their first win of the season and did not look like a side sitting bottom of the table with only 12 points.

However, we upped the ante from here on to head into the break with the four-try bonus point and a 26-12 lead.

From a lineout on the 22, a fine carry took us to within a few metres. Ryan then fed Marshall who set up Cave for his second of the match. Once more, Price slotted the extras to make it 21-12.

Just a couple of minutes later and we were over again. A monster penalty from Feeney took us over the Hull 22 and we worked our way across the field. Theobald-Thomas – back from England duty at the U20 Six Nations – carried superbly to within a few metres and scrum-half Luke Carter sent it wide for Goss to dive over in the corner. It went unconverted, but we now led by 14 points.

That was it for the scoring in the first half, but there was still time for both teams to have a player sin-binned with Hull tighthead Ben Boothman and our Gloucester dual-registered forward Theobald-Thomas yellow carded for separate incidents.

Hull made a positive start to the second half with Dean slotting a penalty, but that was to be their only points of the second period as we went on to dominate.

A superb scrum on 46 minutes just inside the Hull half, followed by the visitors being marched further back for chat back, proved the catalyst for our fifth score. Our opponents were back up to 15 players for the set piece, but that did not matter as the lineout was unstoppable with the red scrum cap of Cave emerging with the ball and congratulated on his hat-trick. Conversions towards the Showground end were proving tricky in the conditions, and Price’s attempt fell just short.

Leading 31-15 we kept the hammer down and with 52 minutes on the clock we were well and truly out of sight with a 21-point advantage. Another driving lineout powered forward and Ryan looked to have found his way over, but a penalty was awarded as the maul was pulled down and lock Liam Regardsoe was yellow carded. From there we tapped and chucked the ball out wide for wing Worrall to dive over for his 17th of the season.

We pushed hard to add to our tally but couldn’t find our way over, while we were made to defend our own try-line for a good five minutes as Hull forced us back. However, we saw off that particular threat and did cross again in the last play.

Theobald-Thomas made a brutal 30m carry and fed replacement back row Will Cadden who was stopped just short. We kept the ball moving from there and centre Grant Hughes - who could have so easily looked to have marked his final appearance with a score - unselfishly passed out to the right wing where Down was galloping forward and the lock dived over out wide for his first try of the season. A popular try-scorer and a great way to finish the match.

A comprehensive victory from the boys and, safe in the knowledge that our National 1 status is secure, a fantastic send off into the Easter break. Now it’s time to rest up, recharge and see if we can keep this positive run going in the final two matches of the season.

Chinnor: Feeney, Goss, Hughes, Blakemore, Worrall, Price, Carter; Lines, Marshall, McNulty, Down, Ryan, Heathman, Cave, Theobald-Thomas
Reps: Darlington, Harewood, Brabham, Cadden, Walsh.

Hull: Trueman, Waqadau, Heard, Johnson, Adlard, Dean, Barratt; Kivalu, Jobling, Boothman, Addy, Regardsoe, Todd, Cowen-Leak, Hall.
Reps: Bairstow, Dawson, Russell, Major, Edwards.