CHINNOR produced another gritty and gutsy performance on the road, but fell just short of a bonus-point victory at leaders Rosslyn Park.

It proved to be the mouth-watering game we had all hoped for, with two of National League 1’s high-fliers going at it in south west London.

Having trailed 14-0 and then 28-15, we refused to give in and you could sense the nerves around The Rock as we set up a nail-biting finale.

Will Millett’s fine try brought us to within a point with two minutes to go, but James Bourton was left with a difficult conversion from the touchline which just slipped wide of the left post.

Park were holding on, but went on to see the game out, leaving our players gutted after they had put in an excellent shift worthy of a victory.

Another two bonus points will hopefully prove valuable in time, while it keeps us in and around the top echelons of the league as we sit fourth and 12 points behind Park.

Director of Rugby, Richard Thorpe made five changes – one positional – from the side which started against Taunton Titans last weekend. Charlie Connolly, Alfie North, Soane Tonga’uiha and Jack Walsh came into the starting XV, with Willie Ryan switching to No 8.

The day started with a bit of a hiccup as our coach was late for its pick-up time at Kingsey Road, resulting in players, coaches and the backroom team having to jump in their cars and make their own way into London.

Fortunately, everyone arrived in time for the game to start at 3pm and it seemed to have little to no impact on the players.

Few might point to the pre-match disruptions for our start to the game, but full credit has to go to Park who had us pinned in our own half for the opening 25 minutes.

We dug in to keep them at bay in what was a stop-start and error-strewn opening, with the home side’s best opportunity coming through former Chinnor man Craig Holland who tried to create something out of nothing with a dinked kick over the top, but Walsh saw the ball out under pressure from winger Ben Howard.

We were unable to get out of our own half and Park deservedly took the lead on 20 minutes. Lovely hands released centre Phil Cokanasiga and Holland added the extras from the touchline to make it 7-0.

Chinnor just needed to compose themselves and exert some kind of control on the game, but we were under pressure again when kicking out on the full soon after the restart. This gave Park the platform to attack again and a bit of magic unlocked our defence on 23 minutes. Cokanasiga left two of our players on the floor with a jink of his feet and raced through a gaping hole to score a fine solo try from a good 50 metres. Holland again converted to make it 14-0.

The home crowd were enjoying themselves, and steadying the ship was a must. A knock-on at the restart allowed us to gain a bit of a foothold in the game and we turned down the three points in favour of the corner – a decision which paid off. Park did well to stop our driving maul, but pick and goes enabled us to make metres and birthday boy Willie Ryan drove over to get us off the mark. Bourton stepped up to slot the conversion to cut the deficit to seven points.

Park were still dangerous with their midfield duo of Cokanasiga and Nick Scott causing problems. They looked like they would score their third try on 31 minutes when Scott shot through a gap, but his offload was knocked on.

Chinnor continued to dig deep and battled their way up the pitch, courtesy of a fine driving maul which took us over half-way and resulted in a penalty against the hosts. Millett then sent a superb long kick into the corner to bring us to within five metres.

We were unable to drive our way over, but there was acres of space on the right and we looked to use it. Walsh fed Millett, who offloaded to Jason Worrall, but the centre couldn’t quite gather the ball. Kieran Goss did well to collect the loose ball and stay in touch as Park players surrounded him, but we were given another opportunity when the hosts knocked on when attempting to intercept.

Pick and goes again sucked the home side in and it seemed only a matter of time before we would force our way over. Park repelled it well, but there was an opportunity out on the left and Walsh threw a fine long pass out to Oscar Heath who finished brilliantly in the corner for his second try of the season. Bourton’s conversion attempt was off target, but we were now within two points after 37 minutes.

However, just when we thought the half would end 14-12, Park were able to launch another attack and a clinical set-piece led to Austin Hay crashing over from a lineout. Holland continued his good day from the boot to make it 21-12 at the break.

There was enough in that first half for Chinnor to believe they could launch a second half comeback and we started well when Bourton slotted a penalty to cut their lead to six points.

Again, Park came back at us, though. Successive penalties allowed them to move up the pitch and we were on the ropes following a driving maul. Great defence kept them at bay, but eventually Arthur Ellis found his way over, Holland converting, to make it 28-15.

Once more, it seemed like it was not going to be our day and moments later it looked ominous again when scrum-half Luke Baldwin ran a fine line and Cokanasiga caused more problems, but Bourton did well to stop his fellow inside centre and force a knock-on.

Another jinking run, this time from full-back Henry Robinson, posed a threat, but having stopped him in his tracks, we brilliantly won a ruck penalty to set up an attack of our own. Millett booted us to within ten metres and we made the most of the opportunity to score our third try on 58 minutes.

Oli Curry carried well following the lineout and Walsh popped the ball into Ben Manning who dived over under the posts. Bourton easily slotted the conversion as we again narrowed the gap to six points.

The feeling at the time was we had done well to stay in touch with this dangerous Park side, but that try seemed to give us a new lease of life and the confidence to attack the final 20 minutes of the game.

Park’s midfield duo were silenced, and we were enjoying the majority of the territory. Curry did brilliantly to snaffle a Dave Lewis box-kick and launch another attack as Park looked rattled and back-to-back penalties allowed us to kick to the corner.

The Rock was again silent and the home crowd nervy, but the Park players stood firm. We laid siege on the try-line, however the hosts were rewarded for their defensive effort with a penalty.

We were quickly back on the attack, though. Holland failed to find touch from the penalty and Worrall was tackled in the air when collecting the high ball. This gave us another opportunity to kick to the corner, but our lineout was stolen and Park cleared up the middle of the pitch. Running the ball straight back, we nearly scored as we shifted the ball left to Heath but he was tackled into touch as he raced towards the whitewash.

Our pressure took its toll just moments later and Millett exploited a gap brilliantly. He raced through it, leaving the opposition flat-footed, and into acres of space behind where he dived over out wide for his third try in as many games. We were now within one point and Bourton had a difficult conversion from the touchline to put us into the lead, but the young centre saw his effort sail just wide of the left post.

With two minutes to go there was still time to take the lead and when Lewis kicked out on the full just inside his own half, we had the chance to launch one final attack. However, the hosts won the set-piece, going on to see the game out and you could sense the Park relief as the full-time whistle was blown.

The look on our players’ faces was one of disappointment. To come so close to claiming five points was gutting, but it was a superb effort, with our pack impressing in a cracking advert for National League 1. We deserved more, but another two bonus points from a narrow defeat and let’s hope they prove crucial come the end of April.

Rosslyn Park: Robinson, Marfo, Scott, Cokanasiga, Howard, Holland, Baldwin, Traynor, Saunders, Hay, Flashman, Gray, Martin, Ellis, Laventure.
Reps: Piper, Dawe, Lovell, Lewis, Jackson.

Chinnor: Millett, Goss, Worrall, Bourton, Heath, C Ryan, Walsh, Tonga’uiha, Veness, Connolly, Curry, Brockschmidt, North, Manning, W Ryan.
Reps: Chilvers, Lines, Blake, Yawayawa, Ham.