Chinnor kept up this season’s unbeaten record at Kingsey Road with a 29-7 defeat of Gloucester’s Coney Hill.
With Ben Hewitt again sadly injured, Richie Williams filled the full back slot and Ed Devine was preferred at no 8. Nick Harrison returned at open side, Sam Stoop at outside centre and Ed Vickers was promoted from the seconds on the strength of some powerful displays.

The first score of the match came in the 10th minute when James Serrano fielded a kick out from Coney Hill’s 22. At pace, Serrano bumped off the first tackler and deftly offloaded to Stoop at the second tackle. Stoop hit fifth gear down the tram lines and slid in at the corner. Cathcart improved the score to give Chinnor a 7-0 lead.

Coney Hill, proficient in the line out, had good periods of possession but could not break Chinnor’s defensive line. Chinnor then scored their second try with Cathcart taking the ball up from a midfield scrum. At the tackle, Cathcart skilfully passed the ball behind the back of his tackler to the onrushing Matthew Goode. Goode side stepped the first tackler, palmed off the second and out sprinted the third to give Cathcart an easy conversion. As half time approached with the score at 14-0 to Chinnor, the home side had to replace Stoop and Williams with Ben Farr and Ed Vickers. Hastings dropped out of the back row to partner Goode in the centre.

Nine minutes into the second half, Chinnor exploited the pace of Farr who, inserting himself into a simple but rapid passing move from a midfield scrum, dotted down in the corner. Coney Hill got on the score board when a wide miss pass to winger Paddy Knight allowed him to duck through two tackles for an easy try. With Baker’s conversion, the match score was 19-7 to Chinnor.

On the 68th minute, Prescott fielded a Coney Hill kick and returned a banana shaped kick across field where the ball bounced nicely for the speedy Sebastian Corpe. Drawing the last defender, Corpe neatly slipped in Farr for his second to give Chinnor a 24-7 lead and a bonus point.

From the restart kick, Prescott zigzagged up field leaving six defenders flatfooted almost leading to another try. The last score of the match came from an aimless downfield kick from Coney Hill where Prescott and Farr worked the ball to Corpe who skinned his opposite number to score in the corner to give Chinnor a 29-7 victory.

Coney Hill with a tough pack never gave up trying and could have scored more but for a defiant scramble defence from Chinnor. Chinnor’s pace saw them home with Corpe and Farr again unstoppable. Had it not been for a few mistakes in critical areas, Chinnor would have scored a lot more. Cathcart’s sublime pass to Goode and the resultant dazzling try was the highlight of the match. Andrew Smith had a fine match driving the pack on and scooping up any loose ball. Prescott had a highly influential match and new boy Vickers looked intense and purposeful. Adam Hastings made a very serviceable emergency centre.

Scorers:
Chinnor: Farr 2T; Stoop T; Goode T; Corpe T; Cathcart 2C
Coney Hill: Knight T; Baker C

Chinnor team: Williams (Vickers 45), Serrano, Goode, Stoop (Farr 38), Corpe, Cathcart, Prescott, Winpenny (Whelan 58), Tattersall, Pickett, Hutchings, Smith, Hastings, Harrison, Devine 58
Replacements: Whelan, Vickers, Farr