Chinnor were down in the West Country again this weekend with Barnstaple the hosts after a disappointing defeat to Redruth last weekend. The North Devon outfit had already beaten Taunton, Henley and the Wild Geese at home this season but the Villagers were determined to get back to winning ways to stay within touching distance of the top two.

Chinnor made four changes with prop Tom Price starting and Jamie Townsend back at hooker. CJ Osazuwa returned in the second row, Henry Lamont on the wing with Kieran Goss moving to full back.

Thrashed 76-5 by Chinnor in September, Barnstaple seemed in danger of another heavy defeat when lock Nathan Hannay crashed over for Chinnor’s 100th try of the season from close range in the second minute. Basil Strang added the conversion.

But Barum are made of sterner stuff these days particularly at home and hit back immediately to level the scores.

Bryn Jenkins made a break, Linford Brock reached the five-metre line with a wriggling run down the left and then Topps took a long pass from Jake Murphy to step through on the opposite flank and score.

Isaac Hydleman added the conversion and a penalty in the 11th minute to give Barum a 10-7 lead.

Fly half Strang put Chinnor back in front two minutes later when he went through a gap and slipped Kevin Angell's tackle to score under the posts. He converted his own try but Barnstaple finished the half on the front foot.

Quick ball off the top of a lineout near halfway and a neat inside pass from Perry to Topps got Barum motoring before No 8 Matt Gohl surged over.

Barnstaple edged it 15-14 at the break but they turned round into a strong wind and struggled to get out of their own 22 for much of the second half even when Chinnor were reduced to 14 after flanker Richard Thorpe was red carded in the 49th-minute for a stamp.

The visitors continued to dominate but an upset looked on the cards as the seconds ticked away. Will Topps, Jordan Petheridge and Bryn Jenkins all made try-saving tackles for Barnstaple but despite their best efforts they could not quite see it through.

With two minutes remaining, Barnstaple were penalised for a ruck infringement which Strang duly converted to give Chinnor a last-gasp 17-15 victory. After three games without a win and none on the road since October, this will help to put their promotion push back on track.

Elsewhere in National League 2 South, Bishop’s Stortford beat Old Elthamians in a thrilling finish to leapfrog their opponents and regain top spot. Chinnor stay third with local rivals Redingensians next up at Kingsey Road.

Teams

Barnstaple
Isaac Hydleman, Will Topps, Jake Murphy, Ryan Carter, Linford Brock, Steve Perry, James Bath, Kevin Angell, James Starkey, Rob Dugard, Ben Hilton, Bryn Jenkins, Matt Hague, Nat Bayet, Matt Gohl

Interchanges: Mark Berry, Bradley Drew, Adam Lloyd, Luke Berry, Jordan Petherbridge

Chinnor
Kieran Goss, Luke Hibberd, Danny Barnes ©, Junior Fatialofa, Henry Lamont, Basil Strang, Greg Goodfellow, Tom Price, Jamie Townsend, Jay Tyack, Nathan Hannay, CJ Osazuwa, Richard Thorpe, Alex Bradley, Tom Burns

Interchanges: Ricky Cano, Koree Britton, Ben Manning, Roddy Giles, Bevon Armitage

Scorers

Barnstaple
Tries (time): Topps 5, Gohl 36
Conversions (time): Hydleman 5
Penalty Goals (time): Hydleman 11

Chinnor
Tries (time): Hannay 2, Strang 14
Conversions (time): Strang 2, 14
Penalty Goals (time): Strang 78

Referee: Claire Hodnett
Attendance: 675
Half time score: 15-14
Full time score: 15-17
Star man: Nathan Hannay - Chinnor